I'm now back at home from my doctor's appointment. Things are neither as good nor as bad as they might be but I am feeling much calmer and less stressed because there is now a plan. A plan is important; now that I know what we're going to do and when we're going to do it, I am much more serene. [If you've seen Kung Fu Panda, think of that scene where Shi-Fu chants "Innerpeaceinnerpeaceinnerpeace!" to himself.)

I am having surgery on the 26th and if all goes well, I will be back at home the same day. It is a proven fact that puppehs and kittehs speed one's recovery, so that is best. I'm having a loop electrosurgical excision procedure, where my doctor will remove all the bad bits and surrounding tissue. If she gets it all (i.e., all surrounding tissue is normal with a bad bit in the middle), I won't have to do anything further. If by chance she doesn't get it all, I'll have to have the same procedure again, but that's it - no localized radiation, it's not major knock-you-out cut-you-open surgery, it hasn't spread deeper or into other areas. I will have to have follow-up examinations more frequently, to make sure it doesn't recur (which is possible) but that's all.

It's more extreme/invasive than cryo or laser excision, but far less extreme than some of the other alternatives. So there you have it - looks like I'm going to be around to blog another day or three.