Under the knife

Tomorrow, Mel will be undergoing a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. She's been actively preparing for about three weeks now with something called OptiFast, and today she had to drink some nasty stuff to fully flush out the contents of her intestines. She has been remarkable in this time, easily forgoing regular Coke in favor of diet sodas or tea, and cheating only with great restraint.

In reality, she's been prepared for this for over a year now. With her spinal injuries, this is the best way for her to change her life and possibly remove some of the pressure on her spine and alleviate her constant pain.

When I was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2005, one of the first things I did in response was throw out all my summer shorts. Mel has responded to her even more dire situation with great spirit and resolve.

After tomorrow, many simple things about her life will change forever. No more sodas of any kind. No sugary snacks for a long time, and even when she has recovered, she can only indulge in minute amounts. Totally re-learning how to eat, shop, and cook with ruthless efficiency, all to meet her nutritional needs with tiny portions of food.

But we both know the benefits are worth the sacrifices. Her swingy hormones will return to normal. Her sleep apnea will go away. Her mobility will improve. And the biggest hope is that her pains will subside. That means less pain prescriptions, the ability to walk for more than ten minutes, and eventually the ability to sleep in a regular bed instead of a recliner.

We've tried to explain things to Jacob, and he's mostly okay. He has been perturbed that I have had to do all the cooking for just he and I lately; "Dad, tell Mom it's her turn to make dinner tonight, you have to come play with me!" At one point, he also told his mom that he didn't want her to change because he loved her just the way she was. Aww!

Maybe I'm unrealistic, but I expect things to go pretty smoothly. Mel has a gift for finding opportunity within adversity, as it is from her that I have learned all I know about being stubborn. She has already discovered new things about food she never noticed before. It will be a beautiful transformation to watch.