and the beat goes on....
surgery. tah dah. Doc thinks that the impingement is what is causing the pain. so, break out the arthroscope and take a look. he anticipates griding some bone off of the bottom of my clavicle to make more room in the joint, thus reducing the impingement.
I've had a few surgeries before, but as it happened both were accomplished with the equivalent of local anesthesia (spinal blocks and twilight shots). this will be the first time I will have been put out using general anesthesia and I'm a little apprehensive. I wish I could be awake, I'd like to see the surgery, weirdly enough. I wonder if he has tivo?
Meanwhile we are still working on our itinerary for Paris. The eiffel tower, of course - but at night or during the day? eat a the restaurant there? We've decided to eat most of our meals out at lunch, as prices are cheaper. We can do a bread, wine, fruit & cheese thing for supper either out somewhere or in our room. There is the place that only serves one dish - steak w/fries - the only thing you tell the waiter is how you like your steak cooked. There is also (you fans of Harry Potter aught to get a kick out of this) a restaurant in the home of Nicholas Flamel (or named after him or something like that - Laura knows but is napping right now). There is also the restaurant in the catacombs (amongst the bones?) and the restaurant that specializes in hog knuckles (or something like that - I should have waited for Laura to wake up to write this). And, as we are staying in Monmartre, there is always the little brasserie that Amelie worked in - a possibility, especially if we take a gnome with us. Anyway - food is an important part of our trip!
We are definitely going to Versailles, that will take a whole day. I'd also like to spend one day in the country somewhere outside of Paris. (someplace that is too beautiful for Bob to have come from). Laura offered to let me include The beaches at Normandy, but sites such as this are my fascination, not hers, and I'd hate to spend a whole day (and possibly more) on myself. The Louvre will also probably be most of a day. We will probably go to either Sacre Coeur or Notre Dame, and most probably a ride down the Seine.
All of a sudden, 7 days is not so long after all.
17 deeply creased, dogeared comment(s):
Oh. Surgery is not so much fun. But i have been through it, more than once. You will be fine.
Take a gnome, how cool would that be to have pictures of the gnome all over France?
Oooh, surgery - poor you :-( But I hope it works and you get your shoulder back.
Versailles is well worth the trip - I loved it.
Puss
Yes I can see where 7 days is absolutely not enough.
I'm voting Eiffel day and night.
Food: oh yeah. Definitely a key to any trip. We have a restaurant here that is modeled after the one you speak of with the steak meals. It is divine. The sauce on the fries - omg. I would love to get to the one in France one day. If you go there, please tell how you liked it. Oh and the bread and cheese and wine thing - ultra cool.
Surgery: been through those a few times. Waking up can be a little weird, but the cool thing is that the surgery goes by like the blink of an eye. You'll be great.
Do you have a surgery date yet? Don't fret over being put under; it's over quicker that way....
I guess the new airline guidelines for overweight baggage are going to make me hiding in your suitcase right out for this Paris trip, huh?
meno - finding a travel gnome is not easy around here.
Puss - me too! Laura loved Versailles when she saw it last year, hence the return.
Maggie - you aren't helping me make up my mind!
Mir - yes, surgery is set for May 20th - 4 days after we get back from Paris.
surely there wouldn't be a problem with your svelte self. how about two suitcases?
I'm glad you distracted us from the surgery with talk of France. You're right, seven days sounds like no where near enough time. I'm jealous, so I'll go back to thinking about the surgery...Having had some major surgery in twilight mode, I wouldn't choose to watch.
Ow... ouch... and eek. OK, let's focus on all things Paris. The Eiffel Tower is much nicer at night, more spectacular although be prepared to wait in line for a very long time unless you prebook [just Google this]. You might also want to go for a boat ride on the Seine afterwards - this is especially nice at sunset so time it right. As for food, it needn't be expensive if you avail yourself of the numerous specialist shops around like greengrocers, cheese shops, bakers... France still has them. There's supermarkets too but they're not as much fun although Monoprix generally has a good food hall. As for the Louvre, sorry to disappoint but if you spent one minute looking at every item in there, it would take you 6 months to see everything! My advice would be to have a think about what you want to see, grab a map when you get there and then go for it. Bon sejour a Paris, you will love it...
de - I don't know why, but surgery fascinates me. I sometimes watch them on TV.
Ariel - thank you so much for your suggestions a la Paris, and thanks for stopping by.
*feels faint at the thought of the knife*
However, I'm sure it will go well. I'll skip the details.
7 days - one city with just 2 excursions? You'll do fine.
Only ONE checked bag for free now. Don't know if you caught the news or not. Most airlines are charging $25 EACH WAY for the 2nd bag. (sorry Mir)
I had my knee scoped many years ago and they gave me a video to take home. Ask your doc.
And the rest, you lost me after bread, wine, fruit and cheese...
mitmoi - only 2 excursions - so far. we're not done with the itinerary yet!
mignon - I saw a video in the doc's office the day we decided to go ahead with the surgery.
I keep thinking of a fresh baguette......
I hope that the surgery will bring you pain relief! Being in constant pain can be a source of depression too.
Paris- how exciting! It's gorgeous. The Louvre is enormous you will not be able to see everything in a day- as a previous commenter suggested have a think and plan what you want to see at the Louvre ahead of time. There's also the Musee D'Orsay on the left bank if you like Impressionist painters. Street Vendors also have delicious food- pain au chocolat, crepes, etc. Versailles is magnificent. You are going to have such a great time. I am going to France in June, but not Paris- the Cote d'Azur to stay with some friends. Safe journeys!
My best wishes for your surgery to go well.
As for Paris, we spent only three days there. We skipped the Louvre but Centre Pompidou was the highlight of our trip (if you're into Modern Art). The trip down the Seine was very lovely though we didn't understand a word the guide was saying. (Yes, even English.)
I also loved walking around Monmatre and getting lost there and Sacre Coeur and the view from there.
One has to make peace with the fact that it's impossible to see everything.
uu - I love impressionists, so thanks for the museum recommendation.
Cote d'Azur with friends sounds fantastic. I'm sure you can't wait. Safe journeys to you, too.
Susanne - thank you.
Oh, we've realized you can't do or see everything. But it still isn't easy to narrow down the choices.
Don't leave out the Marais!
And I used this resource when I planned a trip. Very helpful:
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/france/paris/overview.html?excamp=GGTRparistravelguide&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=TR-S-E-GG-NA-S-paris_travel_guide
No, no - I mean they gave me a video of my knee getting scoped. Like a video of my very own knee guts.
Wait, I'm not Lila! Someone was signed in on my account...
-Mignon
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