Last Tuesday (6/16), I had my major breast reconstructive surgery (7 hour) at Kaiser Oakland. This was followed up by 3 days in the ICU where the doctors and nursers provided super care - including checking the blood flow in the transplanted vessels every hour. I only needed pain medicine twice during my stay - this impressed the medical staff. Back home I'm setting into a routine of moderate activity (walking - 4 weeks ago I cycled 62 miles, now it is an achievement to walk a few blocks); sitting activities (reading, watching videos) and resting/napping. It occurred to me that this - the 18th surgery of my life - is the most intense surgery of my life - and rest is essential for the healing. As most of you know, rest is not my natural state so this is a challenge for me. I've got a stack of books to read and computer projects (family tree, organize digital images) to occupy my time and keep me still for a while. I currently have 4 drains coming out of the incision sites. Hopefully they'll be removed by the end of this week.