Define Major

Close up of a birthday scarf knitted for my niece.  Knitting has replaced blogging...for now

I have a new definition of major surgery.

I'd never spent much time thinking about the term before. I'd hear that someone had "major surgery" or talk to someone who had "major surgery". I thought I could empathize and understand what they had gone through.

I was incorrect.

I'd had one previous experience with an unpleasant, painful surgery under general anesthesia several years ago. As painful as it was, it was an outpatient procedure and the healing was rapid, the discomfort short lived.

My paradigm underwent a radical shift on August 17, 2010. What started out as a laparoscopic procedure quickly transformed into rather extensive abdominal surgery. My excellent surgeon tried everything possible to avoid this, but it was quite impossible for her to do so. She is well aware of my profession, of the extensive use of the abdominal muscles as part of the flute playing process, and was very reluctant to slice them up. Thankfully, she DID slice them up. Her regard for my life and well being far exceeded that of my flute playing muscles.

I thought pneumonia was difficult to recover from. It WAS difficult to recover from, although I did play a full 2 weeks of Muni Band and 4 days of a Michael Crawford show with it. There was no possibility of anything like that happening THIS time.

Long story short, it's been an interesting 10 months. I'm at about 95% right now, feeling better than I have for years, and back to extreme fluting. The remaining 5%, though, must be my blogging percentage. I have had no energy or desire to exert myself in that direction.

Having said that, I can feel a 1% improvement coming on even as I type. I am willing to be willing to blog again. I'm making no promises, but I'll keep you posted.

Maybe.