Two weeks from today we will be on the road already. We will be heading to Redwood City for my pre-op physical. So what does my stress level look like right now?

We all know that stress can cause you to have a headache or a stiff neck/shoulders. But how does it affect thoughts and emotions? It may impair your ability to focus or concentrate. There may be increased irritability or frustration. You may find yourself worrying about minor issues and possibly catastrophizing. Your response time may be slowed. Emotional responses may be out of proportion. And the list goes on.

Here is what stress looks like for me these past few days. I have no idea what I am supposed to do unless I look at the calendar. I left my credit card in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday at a restaurant and my boyfriend had to drive an hour each way to go retrieve it on Sunday. I sent my daughter (who has been married for more than 3 years) a gift card and addressed it to her maiden name. I cannot find words as easily (yesterday I could not remember the word ‘aisle’ when talking to a patient about avoiding the alcohol aisle). With the same patient, I told him we would see each other again next Monday (duh, it’s a holiday). I am much more easily distracted (think the movie UP and the dogs – ‘squirrel’). If I don’t write a thought down when I have it, it may be gone forever. Even if I write it down, I cannot always remember what I meant to say.

And then there are the dreams. No matter how hard I try to stay busy and think about other things, as of Sunday night, I am now dreaming (multiple times per night) about my surgery. Thankfully these have just been interesting and not bad dreams.

So, that’s it for today…unless I remember something else. It is Tuesday, right?