Getting closer to Surgery

A Little Rain, A New Printer & One Day Closer

Hello everyone! It is Wednesday, October 14th, and I am on my way to work on this beautiful, rainy morning.

Well… I say rainy morning, but it actually only rained for about three minutes. 😂 It had just started raining when I left, and I knew we were supposed to get some, but I honestly thought it had gone around us. Other areas of Oklahoma got quite a bit of rain last night. Elk City got around six inches! Meanwhile, we barely got a drop here.

And let me tell you, we need it. We have been so dry for months, so I’ll gladly take whatever rain Mother Nature wants to send our way.

My New Printer Has Been Getting a Workout

As you may remember, I recently ordered myself an HP Smart Tank 6000 series printer, and I have to say… I LOVE IT!

I cannot even tell you how much I have been printing lately.

I’ve been printing stickers that I am fussy cutting, along with all kinds of fun stationery and journal goodies from the Stationery Corner Facebook group I’m in. There are so many talented ladies in that group who generously share their creations, and I am having a blast using them in my journals.

I’ve mainly been using everything I print for my journaling, and I recently started a new journal swap that begins in November. I’ve already started filling in some of the pages and gluing a few things together, so I’ll have plenty of places to use all these fun little stickers and embellishments.

I just ordered a pack of letter-size sticker paper, and I’ve probably already used half of it.

Twenty sheets.

Gone.

😂

No complaints here!

And let me just say… when people tell you that you get what you pay for, sometimes they are absolutely right. I went back and forth about buying a more expensive printer versus buying one of those $40 printers that I like to call a “throwaway printer.”

I decided to spend a little more, and I’m so glad I did.

The print quality is fantastic, and being able to print my own stickers, journal pages, and other crafty things whenever I want has been wonderful.

I’ve been reading reviews about the HP 32-pound paper, too, and apparently the heavier paper can help with ink bleeding through. So I’ll probably be ordering some of that soon.

And then I discovered they even make sticker paper in different colors!

Well, apparently my printer has officially opened the door to a whole new level of crafting. 😂

I’m also hoping that, once I’m feeling better, I can print a couple of pictures I have of Kendall and see how they turn out. I’m curious to see just how good the photo quality is.

One Day Closer to Surgery

And then there is the other thing occupying a pretty big chunk of my brain right now… my surgery.

Unum called me yesterday, and I may have mentioned that in yesterday’s post. The person who will be helping take care of me throughout this journey is April.

She was very nice, and we had a good little conversation. She told me that if I have any questions, I can call her, and of course I can also send questions through my patient portal.

She also mentioned that if I end up needing a hysterectomy, she would be the person working with me through that process as well.

But we’re not going there yet.

For now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the D&C gives us the answers we need, that the test results come back negative for cancer, and that Karen will be good to go.

That’s the plan.

That’s what I’m hoping for.

And I’m choosing to focus on that.

I will admit, I was not expecting my out-of-pocket expense to be around $3,500. That’s a pretty big number to suddenly add to the budget.

But sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

At first, I thought maybe I would spread the payments out over a year and a half or even two years. But honestly? I don’t want to do that.

I’d rather tighten up the budget and work really hard to get it paid off in about eight months if I can.

I’d much rather be extra budget-conscious for eight months and get that bill marked PAID than have it hanging over my head for years.

So I may do a little number crunching today and see exactly where I’m at and what I can realistically put toward it.

I originally told the hospital I was probably going to put $300 down, but I’m thinking I may try to put a little more down if I can. Every little bit will help.

A Much Better Wednesday

The good news is that I’m in a much better place mentally today.

Yesterday was just one of those days. I was grumpy, stressed, and probably making myself even more stressed because I was stressed. Does that even make sense?

Sometimes we do that to ourselves.

Today, though, I’m looking at things a little differently.

I just have to get through today.

That’s it.

Get through Wednesday, go home, and then I have several days off to recover.

So far, I think the hardest part of this entire surgery journey has actually been the paperwork, phone calls, figuring everything out, and trying to get all the little details taken care of.

The actual surgery hasn’t even happened yet, and I’ve already completed enough paperwork to qualify for a small degree. 😂

I also called my BFF, Cherrie, yesterday to ask if she had been able to take off work on the 15th for my surgery.

When she started talking, I could tell she hadn’t quite processed that the 15th was basically here.

I had called her Tuesday.

I’m like, “Girl… we have Wednesday and then surgery!”

And she’s like, “Oh my goodness!”

That girl works way too much. She’s working six days a week and doing everything she can to keep her head above water.

My friend Nancy even stated she would take me if needed. But she has her hands completely full with her autistic son Liam.

Thankfully, Mr. C and I had already talked about everything. He told me that as long as my surgery was in Duncan, Oklahoma, he didn’t mind taking me.

So I’ve got that covered.

And now I’m just ready to get through today.

Tomorrow is surgery day.

Today is work day.

And after that, it’s time to rest, recover, and hopefully get some answers.

One day at a time.

That’s all I can do.

And honestly, that’s enough.

Send good vibes and prayers my way!

Karen❤️