@retirement75 Thank you for sharing your drawing of the horse. Well done!. I love horses and I own one that I ride. I am also an artist and I love to paint horses. Keep on doing the drawings and knitting. It is very therapeutic and good for the soul!

Thank you for your update about surgery. I know that was a difficult decision and because of the wait time, you were not able to consult at Mayo as your situation is more urgent. After applying, the wait to be seen at Mayo can be long and I was told 3 months. They do prioritize urgent cases, and it just depends on availability of appointments.

Do you have someone who can help you at home after surgery? I think your doctors will suggest this to you. How soon is the surgery? Did they explain what they will do and what your recovery will be like?

When you post to me, I’ll see it sooner if you @mention me by typing @jenniferhunter in the post. That will send me a notification in my daily digest e mail that I have received a message from you. I know pain can be daunting. I have found relaxation with music and deep slow breathing in time with the music helps. When I went to Mayo for spine surgery, I took a painting of mine with me and did that while looking at it the night before to ease my mind. I just wanted to get lost and be someplace beautiful and it helps. The painting was of a mountain stream in Rocky Mountain National Park. If you can visualize and create art, you can do this and take your mind anywhere you want to go. It helps a lot and gives you peace when you are going through something difficult. Try it and let me know what you think. I could lower my blood pressure by 10 to 15 points when it was high because of being nervous. You can always do this once you know how any time you need to find peace and calmness and feel a sense of control about your life.

Hugs,
Jennifer