Goodbye, Port! (Post-Surgery Check-in)...

The port is OUT! 


Surgery went very well. Super, in fact.


I even got to see the port before they readied it to send off to the lab for testing. The experience with the staff was a positive one from start to finish. They sure do like to kick you out of there though before you are barely even awake! I didn't even feel nervous this go around.


Recovery has been a bit rougher than we expected. 


I would say that 2 Versed + Fentynal + Propofal + Cipro + 12 hours without fluids + an incision on my upper left chest + multiple stitches = a very dizzy, weak and uncomfortable Emily. So, basically, if this post makes no sense, I blame it on the drugs! 


I am not a big fan of days during which it is difficult to sleep, but I'm too tired and sick to watch TV or 'do' anything.  I also did not think about how difficult it was going to be not being able to sleep on my left side for a while again. 


I was finally feeling well enough to pop online long enough to check in with a quick update. My discharge papers say I can't go back to work for another week (???) or lift Asher for a week :( (this is a hard one since he can't jump up on the bed right now!).


Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, FB posts, texts, and emails! You all rock!!!!!! 


Hopefully by the time you are reading this on Wednesday morning, I will have started to detox from all of the sedation and be feeling a LOT better. Hopefully Mom will also be feeling some serious pain relief after her long-acting epidural injection in the morning. 


We have a fresh pot of homemade chicken noodle soup/Jewish Penicillin that Mom made to help us both heal.


Blessings,


Emily

Port Removal

The port

The big news here this week is that I met with the surgeon on Thursday about getting my port removed. I didn't expect to be able to schedule the removal so quickly, but I will be getting my port out on TUESDAY of next week!!


At my last appointment with Dr. Complex we discussed whether or not we would need the port for anything At this point we can't see needing it again, since the IV antibiotics were not successful.


I am very ready to have the port removed. As you can see, it is a fairly visual reminder of what I endured last year. I will definitely still have a scar, but I will be grateful not to have the visible bump where the port is located, especially in time for Spring and Summer. I don't necessarily mind if people see it, but I know that some people are very uncomfortable with its appearance.


The same surgeon who removed my gallbladder and inserted the port will be removing it, and I'm very, very comfortable with his skills. The removal should also be a LOT easier than the insertion. The procedure can be done at the outpatient surgery center with a local anesthetic and some sedation. It is also only a 20 minute procedure. 


I am definitely ready to have this foreign object out of me, be done with the monthly home nursing visits, and put this piece of last year behind me.

Port scar (lots of scaring from having it accessed so many times last year).

Mom will be getting an epidural the following day at the same outpatient surgery center, in hopes of relieving some of her debilitating pain from her lumbar spine compression. The last injection, a caudal steroid injection, didn't bring her relief, nor has the neurontin she has been taking.

We feel a bit like all we do is manage our health issues and go from appointment to appointment. Even Asher has not been feeling well!

After a month of feeling much improved, I've had a setback that has lasted the past two weeks. I'm not sure right now what is causing it, but it has certainly been disappointing, especially after having a taste of feeling a little better.

And that's the quick update! 

Blessings,

Emily

Birthday Bulbs

A wheelbarrow filled with 200 daffodil bulbs.

Mom wanted to do something special for my 35th birthday (yes, that was back in October but there is a reason I'm writing this post now). She came up with one of the most meaningful, loving, and special gifts I have ever received. Here is a wheelbarrow full of daffodil bulbs.  Four different varieties. 200 bulbs. They are King Alfred Trumpet Daffodils, Large Cupped Stainless Daffodils, Quail Jonquilla Daffodils, and Sundisc Jonquilla Daffodils. 

Daffodil bulbs waiting to be planted.

She intended to plant the bulbs before my birthday, but in the midst of her planning and preparing this special surprise, the basement flooded and she hurt her back. You all remember that lovely event, right?She also intended to surprise me by buying two new trees, a redbud and a weeping cherry tree, and having them planted before my birthday. Again, her plans were thwarted. In addition, she began the process of ordering and creating a wonderful stone for our first Wheaten, Winnie, so that we can bury her in the backyard. We are hoping to replace a redbud that we lost in a storm and begin growing a new weeping cherry tree (my very favorite tree in our yard) because ours is as old as I am and may need to be removed soon. I love that tree so much, I keep hoping it will hold on a bit longer!

Mom felt really badly that she wasn't able to execute all of the steps of her birthday surprise. But just knowing what she intended to do, the thought, the energy, and the love that went into it all was enough!

We will get the trees picked out, purchased, and planted one of these days. And we will get Winnie buried too! (She's been patiently waiting for seven years now. :)). Foremost on our minds right now is Mom's health.

There are freshly planted daffodil bulbs underneath this patch of dirt!

Fortunately, the woman who taught the class in which Mom learned all about bulbs, was available to plant the bulbs for us. In the end, we are glad we hired her to do it, as she knew so much more about the placement and grouping of the bulbs. In the Fall she planted eleven little patches of daffodils for us to look forward to this Spring.

Part of our backyard.

The bulbs are planted among the junipers, grasses, sedum, dappled willows, burning bush (my 10 year anniversary planting), and mums. Here is half of the length of our backyard where the daffodils are planted.

More of our backyard. We hope to expand this area even more!

Here is the other part, where we hope to plant not only the redbud tree but lots of other pretty things. Even after 35 years in the same house, our yard is definitely still a work in progress. Mom loves gardening, but between my illness, working, and her health issues she hasn't been able to engage in this hobby as much as she would like. Mom is having a hard time looking towards Spring and Fall this year knowing that she will not be able to do any gardening, and instead will be recovering from surgeries. I continue to pray that she will be able to enjoy gardening more fully when this health 'adventure' is over and that she will have many years of gardening pleasure.

I absolutely delight in watching our yard change from season to season. And I love the new plantings she adds each year. This Fall, I was able to go with Mom to pick out all of the mums in these photos. I love that sort of 'outing'. Mom likes it when I make decisions and help pick things out, so it works well. :)

For me, the yard and our home is the place where, other than my small outings, I spend every hour of every day. Having beautiful flowers, trees, and plants to watch throughout the seasons has comforted me and lifted my spirits a lot throughout the years. I sit in my den and watch the weeping cherry tree change from season to season. I sit in the sunroom and look out on the backyard, where the daffodils will soon be in bloom. 

This is why her birthday gift was so meaningful to me. I place a lot of value in making the environment we live in one that we like to be in, is healing, and comforting. Being surrounded by trees and flowers is very healing to me. The variety that they bring throughout the seasons can help to break up the monotony of being in the same environment 24/7.

The first of the daffodils poking up!

Today, Mom said she had a surprise for me. The sun was shining, and we took a little walk around the yard, as is our custom on an almost daily basis in the Spring, Summer, and Fall (excepting last year when I could literally NOT walk around the entire yard). I took my first little walk in the yard today!

And look what she had found! The very first of the Birthday Bulbs popping up. I cannot wait to see what all the different varieties of daffodils look like!

Blessings,

Emily

Baby Quinn (+ a little update)

Rebekah, Quinn, and me.

I had a wonderful outing today to see Rebekah and meet her new baby boy, Quinn. The outing was exciting on so many levels: 1. I got to see Rebekah, 2. I went to HER house for the first time ever, instead of her coming to visit me, 3. I was there for almost three hours, and 4. I got lots of snuggle time with Quinn. The only thing I didn't get to do was see Mr. Kale, who was napping. 

Me and Quinn!

Quinn fell asleep for two hours after Rebekah nursed him. I laid down on her big sofa, and Quinn slept for TWO hours in my arms. He is not even three weeks old and not quite 8 pounds. Rebekah and I got to chat the whole time, too. :)

Quinn.

I've fallen fairly silent in the blogging department lately. For a change, the reason for my lack of blogging is because the news here has been GOOD. My health has been improving, I've had new outings, and I'm feeling a little bit more like a human being. The farther I get from 2010, the more I realize how awful that year truly was. And I also have renewed hope in the power of the body to heal, even after so much trauma and sickness. 

Mostly, the changes have happened just within the past three weeks or so, almost so fast that I'm not quite sure if they are 'real'. As my friend K says: "it's like handling an expensive, delicate piece of glass in a store.  You don't even want to breathe or speak for fear it will shatter on the floor." 

It feels scary to say I'm feeling better and seeing improvements because I've been disappointed so many times before. And I know there will be setbacks. But for now, I'm just enjoying every day that I wake up in my improving body. 

I haven't been the best at pacing, so I'm hoping to have a quiet week next week for correspondence and hopefully blogging. Every time I've attempted to blog, I've been unable to assimilate all that has been happening in the past month. 

Thank you to all of you who are celebrating each joyous outing and improvement with me! And for all of your continued prayers and encouragement.

Blessings,

Emily

Slippers

Mom left out all of the slippers just for me! 

Asher was in heaven this afternoon when he discovered a pile of FOUR slippers. When we first adopted him as a puppy, he already knew how to distinguish between his own toys and our socks, slippers, shoes, and stuffed animals. He is always content to rest his head on a shoe or a slipper. 

Perfect nap.

We all love slippers in our house! Mom and I always have cold feet. And Asher thinks they make perfect pillows. :)


Wishing you a peaceful weekend. 


Blessings,


Emily

Sassy

My new 'do.

It is always big excitement around here when I get a haircut. Shannon, my hairdresser, talked to me about what I wanted to do with my hair. I really like having short hair, but a part of me would like to have longer hair to cover the Lidoderm patch I wear on the back of my neck. During the summer months, the patch is very visible and can make me a bit self-conscious. Right now though, I really don't have the energy for what it would take to make long hair look good.  Shannon is great at tuning into my energy level and what I can do each day with my hair (spritz with water, apply product if I'm lucky).


Shannon is also a young woman with chronic illness, so our time together is always one of understanding and compassion for one another. She, too, has a lot of dietary restrictions. Today, we spent the whole hour talking about all of the foods we miss eating! I rarely talk about all of the foods I can and cannot eat, or what I really miss, or how it places a lot of restrictions on my life. It was so validating to talk to another person who just wishes she could eat a piece of real pizza, have a glass of wine, a piece of bread, a bowl of ice cream, a cupcake, or a piece of cheese.


When we finished our discussion about my hair needs I asked her what she was going to do with my hair. All she would tell me was: "I'm going to do something sassy." And this is the result. I love it! Now, I just hope I can replicate it myself. I love how she just makes the decision for me as to how she is going to style my hair.


I have also learned from the expert herself that the 'in color' this season is 'golden'. She has clients coming in and asking to have their hair dyed the color of my hair. So, I guess I am going to embrace this darkening hair of mine. At least for this season!


I am having more 'Pajama-free' days so now I'm ready to get some cute clothes to match my cute haircut. Attention Shoppers!: I am all ready for your shopping tips and advice! :)

How do you think Mom did with the head shots?

I don't know how it got to be March without me publishing a blog, but for the most part my silence has been because of some good things going on. The good things, though, leave me too tired at the end of the day to blog or email. I also need to schedule in a lot of time to recuperate. Since I last blogged, we have made another trip to see Dr. Complex for a great and helpful appointment. Yesterday, I was able to go with Mom to take Asher to the vet. I have not been able to go with the two of them to the vet since Asher was a puppy (at least 7 years now). I was so happy to go along to help take care of Mr. Fuzz (he is quite the medically needy dog himself) and just do an every day activity that I haven't been able to do in so long. We were there for an hour and a half, and I sat up the whole time!


After these two big outings, I am ready for a rest day tomorrow and my weekly massage at home on Friday. I'm not complaining about being tired because the outings were worth it, but I need a bit of recuperation time!


Blessings, 


Sassy Emily (I was this as a teenager, for sure)