Today is the Big Day!
Well, it is now the morning of surgery, and I'm happy to say that I'm not even a little bit nervous. The tests over the weekend went smoothly (especially the endoscopy, which I was expecting to be far more difficult/traumatic than it actually was), and everything came out normal (no fistula, yay!) so it's a go for me. Paul caught my cold, and is still quite congested, so his may be postponed a day or two.

We've so enjoyed our time here in Curitiba so far. We've made a wonderful friend, Gilberto, who has had us in his home twice now for homecooked meals, and he and his family have made both of us feel so very welcome and far less homesick for our own families. And I've been able to communicate with mine using video Skype for free, so that helps too.

When I post next, it will be from the hospital, post-op, hopefully letting you all know I've made it through OK. I have every confidence in the world that I will.