|
“Beauty lasts five minutes. Maybe longer if you have a good plastic surgeon.” – TIA CARRERE |
“I saw what’s going on under my chin. I don’t want to be the one the president has to pardon on Thanksgiving.”
– JOAN RIVERS
Adventures in Cosmetic Surgery, Epilogue
By the time I hit the publish button for this posting, I will be almost 5 weeks post surgery.
Where to begin?
I spent the first night in Dr. B’s recovery suite, upstairs from his office. A beautiful apartment overlooking the water. The view is pointless. I spent most of my time with cold compresses over my eyes.
I am riding high from the drugs, but I am also buzzing on adrenaline. I did it! It’s over and I didn’t die! Continue reading…
Pre-op to Post-op
Adventures in Cosmetic Surgery, Finale
The rush of scheduling appointments and test, all needing to be completed before my Pre-op with Dr. B, is a near Herculean task. (I’ve had an easier time getting a reservation at a Zagat rated restaurant) Some of the highlights: The lab draws 5 vials of blood. The Schirmer’s Test for dry eye involves sticking strips of paper into your eyelids – twice! My blood pressure is a remarkable 90/60.
With all the boxes checked off, I head for my Pre-op appointment. This should be a 5 minute no brainer — do this, don’t do that, be here at this time, bring this, sign these forms. Hold that thought.Continue reading…
SNAP OUT OF IT! (Moonstruck) I STILL feel bad about my neck
Adventures in Cosmetic Surgery, act three
When last we heard from our fearless heroine, she was an emotional basket case. It seemed that perhaps this cosmetic surgery wasn’t such a good idea…..
In my previous post, I had fled Dr. A’s office in a near panic.
Paul and I spent the next few hours at a bar that was, literally, next door. A bar next to a Cosmetic Surgeon’s Office? Genius. Dr. A is probably the owner. It’s a win-win.
The upshot of theContinue reading…
June 17, 2015
OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! DR. SEUSS
What to expect for this coming of age year? As I said in my last post, I have been looking toward 60 for a few years, and not with all excited anticipation. I have often rolled my eyes at the super positive cheery attitudes with accompanying clichés.
“It only gets better!”
“All the pressure from your younger days to be perfect is gone!”
“60 is the new 40!”
“Age is only a number!”
Blah, Blah, Blah.
There are several types of people who make these statements: The woman with a frozen, toothy insurance salesman smile, but an expression in her eyes that says,”Yeah, I know it’s crap, but I’ve got my own issues.” An individual who just popped her daily Lexapro. And finally, Continue reading…
Birthdays for me are a great celebration. An excuse to do all the things I feel guilty about without the guilt. OK, just less guilty. More cake! More cocktails! More indulging! In my family, a birthday turns into an entire week of excess. We love a good time.
It was more than a bit of a shock to realize this was my 59th year of indulging.
Today, the cold water of being 59 years old hit me square in the face. Fifty-nine and all that implies. The fear of aging, potential squandered (do I still have potential? Did I have potential or am I romanticizing that as well?), fear of aging. There seems to be a part of me, perhaps in all of us, that doesn’t accept aging as a reality.
Ah, denial. I love the denial alternate universe. It’s so easy to live there, where no reality is allowed. I pour a drink while I settle in for a visit. But while using denial as a coping device, I have let time slip away. All the things I meant to do, all the things I imagined I would do/see/accomplish. I had plenty of time. Now I don’t.
We can (and will) have a long conversation about life expectancy, “age is just a number”, etc. But the truth is that the number of vibrant, healthy years ahead of me are fewer than, say at 40. One broken hip, career catastrophe, or family crisis can make for unexpected forks in the road. Every era of our lives brings different challenges, which, in turn, causes different anxieties. The question Continue reading…
Recent Comments