Dear Colleagues, Friends and Colleagues, Not sure this is the right title for the email, but I wanted to share a few things as a wrap-up to my encounter with my serious health events. From here on its a matter of getting strength back and then heading back to Mexico from here in Kalispell Montana. First, I want to give official permission for all candles to be extinguished. Of course anyone who wants to keep one burning for my continuing enlightenment it is fine with me! What a great symbol that is within our community! It meant so much to me and I thank you. So many of you sent healing messages and Skype contacts. Bless you all! Secondly, I want to make sure everyone understands what happened and why recovery will be a journey. To use our language, the gallbladder attack was my problem, the contradiction was (is) the pancreas. Once David got me to the emergency room with my attack they where able to get the pain dealt with and they did blood tests and an MRI. Now both of the surgeons that worked on me later say that I should never have been allowed to leave the hospital. I had Pancreatitis (blood count of 50,000 vs normal 50). Pancreatitis was never mentioned to me. All I knew was that my pain was gone, I had discomfort in the belly, but thought the pain pills they prescribed would deal with it and when offered the choice to stay (and have the gallbladder removed) or go home I chose to go home to work out all that being gone would mean, Judy care etc. We were given no instructions as to what care I needed. So all the subsequent week was coming to terms with this new reality (no sleep, no eating, little liquid etc.). The next week started with the operation last Tuesday to remove the gallbladder and then hospital care to deal with the Pancreatitis (getting slight fever down, white count stabilized etc.) and then discharged on Sunday. My gallbladder surgeon said the first three rules they teach you as a surgeon are: 1. Do no unnecessary surgery 2. Always get a second opinion 3. Don't f--- with the pancreas! It is very serious illness and you can die from it if not treated. All news to me! Learnings from being in the hospital. Now other than being born I have never spent any time in a hospital. So all was pretty new to me and you all will sort of laugh at my naive ate. 1. If it hurts say so! They put the IV into the back of my left hand before my gallbladder surgery. There it stayed through numerous changes of drips, saline, antibiotics etc. Every time they changed bags they flush with saline and for about 4 seconds it would hurt like hell, which I thought was normal. After three days my hand and wrist began to hurt and were puffy. The nurse said we need to shift the IV, which they did to the right arm, on the inside of the elbow. No pain! The flush was getting under the skin, thus the pain. 2. Trust your body's intuition! When they started me on solids on Thursday I had a good breakfast and all was good. Lunch came and it was a piece of salmon on a bed of spinach. i took a bite and I was aware I didn't like the smell, but rather say anything or send it back for something else, I decided to eat it, for it did taste good. So one bite, two bites, some spinach and then bite three - followed by everything coming up! This spooked the doctor and I went back to liquids only. I am convinced that any other food would have been fine. Anyway, it was Saturday when I got to back to solids. 3. All situations are time for care. I realized that for the week I was in the hospital I would be being cared for and just receive it. But for me care is a two way street. I had a job of care for them as well. So over the week there were opportunities, some in the middle of the night, to have life conversations. Several had vocational and life altering possibilities. At least one relationship will continue. On the final trip out in the mandatory wheelchair I asked the nurse to thank the cleaning crew for their care and let them know how important it was to my recovery. She said "You can tell her yourself, here she is." coming down the hall with her cleaning cart. We stopped and I spoke to her for a couple of minutes about care, working without recognition, and how much I wanted her to know I appreciated her work. I grabbed her hand and I thought she was going to cry. So that's it. The wonderful care for me and Judy by the Scotts here in Montana continues. Now it is exercise, good no-fats food and getting strength and vitality back, take my meds and care again for Judy. I have one last request to you. I hope to be able to watch some good movies and would like your "don't miss" list. The only great movies I saw in the last year are "Lincoln" and "Life of Pi". But since people may not want to have all these email recommendations please send to <jackcgilles@gmail.com>. Thanks. Grace and Peace, and Love, Jack