Shelley,
I can't comment on surgery as I had radiation and chemotherapy only. You don't have a diagnosis yet so you getting a little ahead of yourself. As a recovering alcoholic you must always be on the watch for the old "magic, magnifying mind" thing. Stay in the now - the future is not yours anyway. You may have a very mild pre-cancerous or even benign problem. So try to relax and enjoy each day as you wait for ALL of the information. In AA one of the definitons of fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.

I play Fender Bass, sing lead vocals and I have been toodling with my vintage Hammond B3/122 Leslie also. I work mainly with blues/rock bands. To counter this, I also play on my churches Wednesday night worship team and occasionally on the Sunday programming team.

Alcoholism only affects 20% of us so that means the rest are normies and mostly clueless. You'll get used to that. AA is a great place to vent about that.

When alcoholism runs in the family it places the family members in an even more vulnerable/susceptible position. Not only do you have AA issues but also Al-Anon, ACA and a healthy dose of CODA as well. AA by itself may not be enough, in the long haul, to address all of your recovery issues but if it puts "the plug in the jug" that's a great start.

My higher power gets all the credit. All I have to do is suit up and show up for meetings, work the steps, read the Big Book, share with/serve others and be accountable to a sponsor.

I ate like a pig during the 2 months prior to treatment knowing full well that the radiation and chemo would wipe out my taste buds temporarily and that there would be swallowing difficulties and weight loss issues.

The phase you are in was worse than when I had all of the diagnostics completed. I delayed emotional response to it all by becoming a cancer student, as it were, so I could be a more effective advocate for myself. I had to make many critical decisions in a short period of time concerning treatment options, etc. so I didn't have time to freak out. Plus AA has given me a great toolkit to "live life on life's terms" so I kept my balance pretty well throughout all of it. I was prescribed ani-anxiety meds from the beginning and took them as prescribed. They helped a lot to get past the rough spots.

And more about your dad. Most people in the program today are what we call "high functioning alcoholics". The hold their jobs, stay married, hold on to their property, many never had a DUI, police problems or been in an institution. In many ways it makes the disease look less recognizable.

Remember only YOU can take the first drink. Not your doctor or anyone else can force you. The solution is simple -DON'T TAKE THE FIRST DRINK! Blaming people, situations and institutions for your drinking is a form of denial. Alcoholism is only a symptom of the problem. In AA we say "I am the problem".

Is it too late to get insurance through Busch? If it were me I wouldn't want the military health care system treating me (I am a Vietnam Veteran by the way -I could have gone to the VA for treatment) -especially based on the information that you have shared. You don't really have a pre-existing condition yet so maybe there is still time. If you are "stuck" in the military health care system, can you shop for more competent doctors within the system?