WHOOOO ARRRRREE YOUUUUU?

So first and foremost...the surgery will be this Thursday morning. My mom and I met with Doctor Rolle (pronounced Roll-uh) and he said that tomorrow we will get the reall pre-op stuff going (shaving, gown, enema etc).

Well...as far as I can tell I made it to Coswig, Germany (pronounced Coes-vigg) in once piece. All of the nurses and doctors canät find anythingm issing...My lungs are good, my x-rays are good and I have a great hole in my ear perfect for the gold hoop earring I've always wanted (instead of finger pricking they do ear pricking...) My mom and I stayed Saturday night in Frankfurt with the sisters family of my TTC co-worker (Encar). Sunday morning we had a great German breakfast (consisted of rolls and cheese and meat slices) and were on our train by 1:20 to Dresden. Once we got to Dresden we got picked up and taken to the famlies house where my mom will be staying...the Vogler family (pronounced Foe-g-ler)...they live 30 min walk from the hospital. We stayed there Sunday night then came to the hospital monday morning.

Yesterday consisted of an EKG, blood test (from the earlobe), and a lung test. The EKG machine felt more like a robotic octopus than an actual EKG. The other EKG's I've had consisted of stickz circles that rip off any hair they come in contact with. This, however, consisted of 8 knobs suctioned onto you and once removed left only a red circular suction mark.

the blood test like I said was taken from the ear. It's only to test the PH balance so they didt have to take a lot. It was odd because they first put on this creme that started burning like icy-hot...that helped bring more blood to the earlobe I guess. Icy to numb the pain...and hot to soothe it away...

After that test I head a few doors down for a lung test. As I entered the room the nurse asked me to take a seat on the chair insied the big plexiglass box. She got my braething tube set up and then locked me in. She had me breathe in and out slowly then faster, normally then realy hard by using voice commands accompannied by extremely exuberant body motions. I had to do the test twice because I laughed in the middle of the test. CAn you blame me? Here I am, sitting on a chair in a clear plastic box with a german nurse flailing her arms up and down as she says, "EINNNN UND AUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS....EINNNNNNNN UND AUUUUUUSSSSSSS!" Anzways...I passed.

The I had a chest x-ray and headed back up to my room with my mom. Well, it's a nice room. Two beds (no roomate so far...and no signs I'll ever get one) and I have the bed by the window which overlooks the park. Its really quiet here. No nurses/doctors running back and forth constantly to check u pon patients. Its very...boring? Ok...yes...boring :) But I'll live...hahaha. The nurses are all extremely relieved when I start speaking german with them...I admit that I let them suffer a bit before I start speaking german...but they all still seem to take care of me.

Yesterday and today has consisted mostly of lung exercises...This morning I had a lung test on the bike...I was shirtless...and sweating...grrrrr...hahaha...they kept doing that ear pricking thing which was hard beacuse here I am trying to ride a bike shirtless, Im sweating, with an arm blood prasure band going off every few minutes (which I had to relax tha arm while it went off) and I had this guy pricking my ear and drawing some blood to be tested...oh...and dont forget the full on breathing mask I was wearing as well...but I made it through. After the bike I got to inhale salt water vapors for ten minutes and then go to gamnastics. I got to translate our half our daily gymnastics class for the american lady whos next door to me (from Fort Lauderdale FL)...it wasnt anything too difficult...lift your arm...now bend to the right...now to the left...and rest...now lift up your other arm...etc...more stretching than real hardcore exercising. After that my mom and I took a walk around Coswig with the lady and her husband. Then afterwards I went back to smoke some salt water for ten minutes...and tonight...sleep :)

Things to be excited for: Shaving my armpit (singular), my TAP-water enema (I liek that they specified that it'll be TAP water) and more smoking salt water :)