October 10th, 2008: By the end of the week, final appointments were lined up with my surgical team. On Monday, October 13th, another MRI at UCSF Mission Bay. On Tuesday, October 14th, an appointment with Dr. O’Donnell in the morning and Dr. Gottschalk at noon. Finally, on Wednesday, October 15th, a return visit to Dr. Greene to summarize the findings of all the doctors. My hope is that we can set the surgery date so that I can plan for my next time hospital time and the aftermath. In retrospect, hip replacement was a warm up for me. I’ve learned a bit about how hospitals operate. I’ve recently learned to walk again, now I’ll re-learn after the tumor surgery. But most important, the convalescent time at home may be more rigorous and I may need more help. This time, I’ll have two incisions through the abdominal wall, not just one incision with no muscles or nerves cut. In the time before surgery, I’ll take Monica’s roles of Warriors and Angels and organize a support group to help me get through the cancer.