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Well, tomorrow is decision day. The team will decide if I'm ready for surgery or if I have more work to do. In my mind I'm totally ready for surgery, hopefully they see it my way! 

Above all, trying to stay positive...tough when you're fate is in other people's hands. 

If you're coming from out of town then you're probably going to stay at the Defender's Lodge. It's clean, and free, but honestly, you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, it's far from the worst place I've stayed, but don't expect a hotel. The towels are TINY! I'm not just saying that they are tiny from a fat guy's perspective, my wife was with me and she can attest that I'm not exaggerating. If you are traveling alone, expect to have a roommate... no, not kidding. It's worth have a companion come with you for that reason alone. Also, no hangers... wasn't that big of a deal for me, but it's nice to know. Also, no microwave, fridge, or coffee maker in the room. There is a dining area on the first floor that has that stuff, fridge is communal.

The staff is pretty friendly and accommodating. There is a shuttle service (Palo Alto VA is pretty spread out) that is quick and staffed by very friendly drivers.

Eating while you're staying there will be interesting. You can have someone from your team (Nina did it for me) order meals for you. It's pretty convenient, they are delivered to the lodge. Don't expect good food though... think bland hospital food... and they won't give you salt either. Here's the rub, the meals are for the veterans only, your companion or caregiver won't be given anything. Here is where it gets interesting... there is nothing within walking distance! There is a Canteen in the hospital that advertises that they are open until 1600... good luck! We got there at 1520 and everything was shut down, no chance of hot food. We used a food delivery app... worked ok and they only charged a couple dollars for delivery.

As I mentioned, there is nothing within walking distance. There is a bus stop outside tree main building, but we didn't use it (We did use other public transportation, more on that in a minute) so I can't really speak to it. I would suggest Uber or Lyft... very easy and convenient, cheaper than a cab!

After our appointment we were able to go up and spend the afternoon in San Francisco. We took the CalTrain, which is about a 10 minute drive from the lodge. Pretty clean, it'll run about $15.50 per person for a round trip. It drops you off right next to the Giants ball field, so you might be able to catch a game. We Ubered to Fisherman's Wharf and did the tourist stuff there. The trolley runs from there and is a cool way to see the city. There are a lot of bay cruise opportunities and tours you can take that all leave from Fisherman's Wharf.

I'm sure that there are things that I'm forgetting... I'll post them if I think of them. The most important thing to know is what you're getting yourself into with the Lodge, come prepared and you'll be good!

If you're coming from out of town then you're probably going to stay at the Defender's Lodge. It's clean, and free, but honestly, you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, it's far from the worst place I've stayed, but don't expect a hotel. The towels are TINY! I'm not just saying that they are tiny from a fat guy's perspective, my wife was with me and she can attest that I'm not exaggerating. If you are traveling alone, expect to have a roommate... no, not kidding. It's worth have a companion come with you for that reason alone. Also, no hangers... wasn't that big of a deal for me, but it's nice to know. Also, no microwave, fridge, or coffee maker in the room. There is a dining area on the first floor that has that stuff, fridge is communal.

The staff is pretty friendly and accommodating. There is a shuttle service (Palo Alto VA is pretty spread out) that is quick and staffed by very friendly drivers.

Eating while you're staying there will be interesting. You can have someone from your team (Nina did it for me) order meals for you. It's pretty convenient, they are delivered to the lodge. Don't expect good food though... think bland hospital food... and they won't give you salt either. Here's the rub, the meals are for the veterans only, your companion or caregiver won't be given anything. Here is where it gets interesting... there is nothing within walking distance! There is a Canteen in the hospital that advertises that they are open until 1600... good luck! We got there at 1520 and everything was shut down, no chance of hot food. We used a food delivery app... worked ok and they only charged a couple dollars for delivery.

As I mentioned, there is nothing within walking distance. There is a bus stop outside tree main building, but we didn't use it (We did use other public transportation, more on that in a minute) so I can't really speak to it. I would suggest Uber or Lyft... very easy and convenient, cheaper than a cab!

After our appointment we were able to go up and spend the afternoon in San Francisco. We took the CalTrain, which is about a 10 minute drive from the lodge. Pretty clean, it'll run about $15.50 per person for a round trip. It drops you off right next to the Giants ball field, so you might be able to catch a game. We Ubered to Fisherman's Wharf and did the tourist stuff there. The trolley runs from there and is a cool way to see the city. There are a lot of bay cruise opportunities and tours you can take that all leave from Fisherman's Wharf.

I'm sure that there are things that I'm forgetting... I'll post them if I think of them. The most important thing to know is what you're getting yourself until with the Lodge, come prepared and you'll be good!

After 4 hours of initial appointment, Kim and I went up to San Francisco via the train. The weather surprised us and stayed relatively nice. 

I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful,  supportive woman standing by my side through this. It was nice having some time to ourselves and I'm really happy that the kids had such a blast at their Aunt's house. 

We did a lot of walking, but also used public transportation and Uber. 

Today was my initial appointment at the Palo Alto VA MoveTime Clinic. It was long, about 4 hours. They do a pretty good job of keeping it moving along though.

Meet with physical therapy, psych, nutritionalist, and one pic the docs. Lots of Q&A and some decent information. Nothing to special, but it really doesn't seem like 4 hours. I had my wife with me, so that helped a lot. They welcome and encourage a support person to be with you.

They are going to want blood work before your appointment and I was able to go in the day before. They are going to take A LOT of blood, there were at least a dozen vials. Don't make the mistake I did... traveling all day and not eating anything, not pretty! They won't give you juice and a cookie after, but they'll give you water and won't make fun of you for getting wozy! They are also gonna take a urine sample, do be ready.

All in all it was a decent experience, not negative anyhow. I'm sure there are bits I'm forgetting, so ill update if I can think of anything.

Next post will be about getting and staying down here if you're not from this area.