Wow. It's been a long time. Surgery was difficult and the recovery is still ongoing. My wish that no mesh would be used didn't come to fruition. I'm told that I have to give my recovery a full year. A full year full of chronic pain. Sucks. I'm not on pain meds but once Lilliput returns to school next week, I might reconsider taking them.
Speaking of Lilliput, our summer has been very low key. Unfortunately, I was not physically able to do much with her and she spent too much time in front of the tv. I did set her up with some art projects which she enjoyed. She's grown about an inch and a half over the summer and a veteran mother thought she was 9 or 10 years old. Oh my! We've been slowly getting ready for school with the purchase of supplies and clothes.
Lilliput's highlight was in late July when she swallowed one of the steel balls that goes with her magnet sets. She claims she put it in her mouth "to keep it warm." She ended up in the ER where they x-rayed her. We were told to check her p**p for the next 4 days and if it hadn't passed, bring her back in. On the 5th day I took her back to the ER where they repeated the x-ray and it hadn't even moved. Next thing I know they are transferring her to the Children's Hospital by ambulance thus requiring an IV. Such a waste of time. Pediatric Gastroentrologist said she was fine and it would eventually pass. We were instructed to have a monthly x-ray to check its progress. We had an x-ray yesterday and it has passed!
We've had a cool and wet summer and have only had about six days over 80 degrees. Our trip to Texas was rough. The days were anywhere from 100 to 104 degrees. We didn't get out much. We had a wonderful family dinner to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary. I'm so proud and fortunate that they've made it work so long. Marriage isn't easy but they set a wonderful example for their children. David's parents will celebrate their 60th anniversary next month. We feel so blessed to have the parents we do.
Even though I entertained Lilliput with art projects, my muse has been absent. I'm hoping when she goes back to school next week that I'll find time to finish putting my studio together and finding some inspiration.
David is doing great. Not only did he get a raise this year, but was placed on the "executive bonus plan" which is unprecedented after only 4 years with the company. I'm very proud of him and have tried hard not to burden him too much when he gets home. We've eaten out a lot and have consumed a lot of take-out because after a full day minding Lilliput, the pain and lack of motivation haven't allowed me to cook much.
We are attending two Steelers games this Fall and since we haven't been to Heinz Field yet...we are all looking forward to it. I'm really for college ball to start. Go Horns! They have a soft schedule but I'm anticipating they will have a stellar season.
That's about it for now. I promise to post more often and hopefully will have some new artwork to showcase.
Peace.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Trying times
I've been MIA for some time. There are many reasons ranging from mental to medical. I don't care to discuss the mental right now, so we'll talk medical.
In the past year, I've had six, SIX surgeries. I don't blame my surgeon(s)...I blame my lame body. I don't heal well. For the past two months, I knew something was wrong but delayed seeking a medical opinion because I was 99% sure it would involve yet another surgical procedure. I started with my PCP who found "inflamation" and punted me to the plastic surgeon who operated and put me back on the wound vac. Fun. He insisted that there was no new hernia and suggested I see my bypass surgeon. Evil insurance took way too long to approve a CT scan so we ended up going to the ER this past Monday. This resulted in an overnight stay with lots of IV Dilaudid.
Results? Large ventral hernia...again. The good news is that it is "big enough to drive a truck through" which translates into it is unlikely any bowel will strangulate. Yeah. Pain? Hellish.
Punted to NEW plastic surgeon who gave me four options for repair: do nothing, repair with mesh, repair with pig mesh, or total abdominal rebuild. BTDT with mesh and have no desire to have any part of a pig placed in my belly. Doing nothing would mean pain control and I need to live my life wide open. So, we are opting for total abdominal rebuild. Not a tummy tuck, but a wide open procedure where they pull good muscle together to reinforce said belly. It will be an awful painful recovery...but I have to look ahead to summer...to working again.
Our appointment with the new plastics surgeon is today and hope to at least walk away with an approximate surgical date. They have to coordinate the surgery with my Bypass surgeon because he has to be present to make sure everything is A-ok in there.
Because the Gods didn't feel that I had been through enough, the CT showed a mass on one of my ovaries. Thanks for that. That will be addressed in six weeks with an ultrasound. Gyn Surgeon is aggressive and said if it is still there, she wants to remove it. Nope, can't do it in conjunction with my non-tummy tuck...so possibly another surgery is coming. Thanks again.
Lilliput is kicking butt in first grade. Math appears to be her favorite subject but she aces every spelling test and reads everything she can get her hands on. Her taste in TV has moved from Sprout and Nick to Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, The Jetsons...makes me feel a little better.
I keep busy looking for a job and reading. Our king-size bed has become my home within my home. David moved upstairs because he hates this mattress. This means my bed has become my desk, mail depot and cat bed. As long as Moe stays on one square inch in the top right, Mabel will allow him on the bed. If he moves anywhere close to her, she immediately wakes and gives him the old lady smack down. She's so cranky these days.
I've become addicted to Discovery ID. I'm sick of the news. I still watch it because I have to know what's going on...but I discovered that I was becoming increasingly angry when I watched too much news.
I will end here. I will try to share a few books I'm reading right now. They are helping me cope with all the crappy things going on in my life...and making me look at the good and precious things and people that surround me.
Peace.
In the past year, I've had six, SIX surgeries. I don't blame my surgeon(s)...I blame my lame body. I don't heal well. For the past two months, I knew something was wrong but delayed seeking a medical opinion because I was 99% sure it would involve yet another surgical procedure. I started with my PCP who found "inflamation" and punted me to the plastic surgeon who operated and put me back on the wound vac. Fun. He insisted that there was no new hernia and suggested I see my bypass surgeon. Evil insurance took way too long to approve a CT scan so we ended up going to the ER this past Monday. This resulted in an overnight stay with lots of IV Dilaudid.
Results? Large ventral hernia...again. The good news is that it is "big enough to drive a truck through" which translates into it is unlikely any bowel will strangulate. Yeah. Pain? Hellish.
Punted to NEW plastic surgeon who gave me four options for repair: do nothing, repair with mesh, repair with pig mesh, or total abdominal rebuild. BTDT with mesh and have no desire to have any part of a pig placed in my belly. Doing nothing would mean pain control and I need to live my life wide open. So, we are opting for total abdominal rebuild. Not a tummy tuck, but a wide open procedure where they pull good muscle together to reinforce said belly. It will be an awful painful recovery...but I have to look ahead to summer...to working again.
Our appointment with the new plastics surgeon is today and hope to at least walk away with an approximate surgical date. They have to coordinate the surgery with my Bypass surgeon because he has to be present to make sure everything is A-ok in there.
Because the Gods didn't feel that I had been through enough, the CT showed a mass on one of my ovaries. Thanks for that. That will be addressed in six weeks with an ultrasound. Gyn Surgeon is aggressive and said if it is still there, she wants to remove it. Nope, can't do it in conjunction with my non-tummy tuck...so possibly another surgery is coming. Thanks again.
Lilliput is kicking butt in first grade. Math appears to be her favorite subject but she aces every spelling test and reads everything she can get her hands on. Her taste in TV has moved from Sprout and Nick to Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, The Jetsons...makes me feel a little better.
I keep busy looking for a job and reading. Our king-size bed has become my home within my home. David moved upstairs because he hates this mattress. This means my bed has become my desk, mail depot and cat bed. As long as Moe stays on one square inch in the top right, Mabel will allow him on the bed. If he moves anywhere close to her, she immediately wakes and gives him the old lady smack down. She's so cranky these days.
I've become addicted to Discovery ID. I'm sick of the news. I still watch it because I have to know what's going on...but I discovered that I was becoming increasingly angry when I watched too much news.
I will end here. I will try to share a few books I'm reading right now. They are helping me cope with all the crappy things going on in my life...and making me look at the good and precious things and people that surround me.
Peace.
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