Back to the Salt Mines

Friends!

Well here I am, back at work after a month off.  Naturally, the first day I forgot my keys and badge, but at least I remembered my lunch!  I had to mortgage my soul to Security to get entry and a spare key...who runs this place, anyway?  The security here is pants.  I hope to regain my vital essence when I turn in the key at 15:00...especially since it only opened about half the doors I needed it to.  Guess who has a note in their bag that says "KEYS!!!" on it?

So, first thing, I sat down, and couldn't remember my password to get on the computer.  No problem, there's a workaround, but then the system didn't like any of the NEW passwords I selected.  Stupid technology...when I finally got logged on there was an email from the IT team stating that the password requirements had been tightened up.  Sheesh.  No wonder I had such a hard time.

I read a month's worth of mail in about ten minutes.

I read a month's worth of log entries in another ten.

I ate my sandwich and walked around the plant.

And now I'm bored.

Before my surgery I was afraid I was going to go batshit with boredom.  The funny thing is, it didn't happen!  I dug deep and discovered heretofore unknown reservoirs of lazyness.  At first I resisted, reading books and doing small odd jobs to combat ennui, and then, as time wore on, I caved into the compulsion to nap.  From there it was just one small step to sleeping late, and a tiny nudge into wearing pajamas all day.

I was actively lazy for three weeks, and boy, was it ever great!  No deadlines, no compulsion to clean, no nothing!  Just hang out, watch the Cats, and enjoy life.
How soon to retirement?

Gutsy!

Friends!

I've got guts!  

I know, because I saw the pictures.

It was cool, I'm all pink and healthy under my skin.  It was fascinating to SEE what lurks inside of me...

I went in for a follow up with the surgeon, and he had photos of my innards...as well as the stuff that became my outards.   I had several large fibroids in my uterus, and a cyst the size of golf ball on my left ovary.  No wonder I had pain all the time in my guts!  In fact, it's kind of strange not having that constant ache all the time.  Not that I miss it, but I do notice it's no longer there.

Everything came back benign, hurrah!

So the weather here has finally turned to Spring...it's been in the 80's on the Catio in the afternoons, perfect for reading and napping on the chaise.  Yup, I've found my lazy groove.  And here I thought I was going to be bored!  Riiiiiiight.  

Looks like I have the guts to handle ennui, after all!

xx

trish

Unglued!

Friends,

This is it.

I have come UNGLUED!

Rather, my incisions have.

After two long, itchy weeks the last of the surgical glue peeled off today in the shower.  What a relief!  I still have a couple of stitches poking out which are supposed to dissolve and fall off.  We shall see how long I can put up with them poking before I do a little creative surgery myself.  Any bets?

I went to the Doc today for a check-up and as I was going into a room he went running out of the office, to attend at an emergency C-section.  I rescheduled for another day...I sure hope the Mom and baby are OK.  I was cleared to drive...which I've already done.  What a rebel, I putted over to the grocery store--pretty tame.

I finished "The Emperor of all Maladies".  An excellent book--you would think a history of cancer would be dry and boring but I was fascinated.  I've also read "Unbroken"--the life of Louis Zampirini, Olympic champion and WWII Japanese POW.  What a powerful book, I stayed up way late to finish it.  This one will go on my top 10 list for 2011.  I have some fiction written by women in the 1940's on my nightstand, more on those later.

So my convalescence is passing pretty well.  The cats are thrilled to have me home, it means another person at their beck and call all day, and usually a lap with a blanket on it is available, too.  And nothing heals better than a purring cat.

xx

trish

Yes Virginia, it DOES Snow in Arizona!

Friends!

My Mom and Dad had snow at their house three weeks ago...they live just north of Tucson.

Here's a few shots my Mom sent me:

Looking off the back patio towards the Catalina Range.

The Texas Ranger.

View out the front...check out the snow on the palms!

Of course it was all melted by noon...but it was pretty while it lasted.  I teased 'em and asked if they had to buy a shovel...Always the concerned daughter.

heh heh.

So you folks up north, don't feel bad, it snowed everywhere this winter!

xx

trish

Surgery for Dummies

Friends!

I'm back in the land of the living.

Here's a little account of my experience:

Hubby and I arrived at the hospital at 8:45 AM.  I had checked in and settled up the previous afternoon so we went right up to surgery, where we waited a little while, less than a half hour.  The pre-op nurse, Pam, came to get me and she did THE best job inserting an IV needle ever.  Even though it hurt going in (I think that part is the worst) I had no bruising on my hand.  She helped me on with compression hose (for blood clot prevention) and got me settled in with warm blankets.  Hubby came in to wait with me until it was time to go.

Surgery was scheduled at 10:00 and by 10:20 I was wheeled away down to the OR suites.  I saw my surgeon, Dr. Vyas, the anesthesiologist, Dr. Chuck, and my OR nurse, Bethany.  They all individually made sure I was who I was, that I was indeed born on my birthday, and what parts I was there to have removed.  I passed all the quizzes and was rewarded with more warm blankets.  Naturally, as soon as I was all warm and cozy Bethany moved me into the OR and welcomed me to "The IceBox".  (It's cold in there so the patient's metabolism slows down.)  Dr. Chuck asked me about my job as I swapped guerneys...

*

*

*

...and I woke up in recovery.

The recovery room is really nice and warm.  The nurses talk to you in loud voices, and keep waking you up.  I didn't mind; one of the times I was awake I learned how to use the PCA pump, heretofore referred to as "the Button".  The Button, when pressed, delivered unbelievably good medicine (dilaudid) into my brain.  I was in pain, but hot damn!, I just didn't care.  

The next thing I remember is my room, and the nurse fussing over me and Hubby arriving.  I was stoned out of my mind by this point...Hubby says I was pretty happy...so did my folks when I called them as well as a couple of friends.  The Button allowed itself to be pressed every 10 minutes, and by golly, I can tell time.  Hubby fed me apple sauce, and I had so much fun waiting for the plane (spoon) to arrive laden with yummy mush.

Then it was night.  Pete, my night nurse, put compression cuffs on my calves which alternately squeezed and relaxed my legs, moving the blood around.  It sounds torturous, but was actually very soothing and kept my feet nice and warm because of the forced circulation.  The nursing aide, Marcos, came in and took my vitals; he joked that he'd see the nuns in my room in the morning as my blood pressure and heart rate were so low.  In between interruptions I pressed the Button, drank cranberry juice, and slept.

In the morning I felt pretty good as long as I didn't move, which of course everybody wanted me to do.  After  breakfast--eggs, bacon, juice, coffee and a muffin--the day nurse Irma cajoled ordered me out of bed and we cruised the halls for a bit.  Dr. Oliver (another surgeon) came in to see me and give me the thumbs-up for release.  Irma removed the catheter and IV.  I went back to bed, ate an excellent lunch, and had a long nap.  I woke up in some "discomfort" and I was given a pain pill...not the Button's caliber of pain-killer, I can attest.  Another nap, and Hubby reappeared, this time to take me home.  I was a little afraid to go home, I wasn't sure I'd be OK, I was really hurting by now.  But home we went, and four days later I'm feeling fine as frog's hair.  I've got some nasty bruises around my incisions, but no stitches--the Docs glued me shut!  I took one more pain pill the night I got home and after that I haven't needed them.  I imagine by next week I'll be bored out of my mind.  Thank goodness for all of you to keep me occupied.  Thanks for thinking of me this week.  Thanks for all your cards and emails and comments.  They mean the world to me.

Thank-you Hubby, for being my rock.

And Thank-you Pam, Drs. Vyas, Chuck, & Oliver, Bethany, Pete, Marcos, and Irma for taking such good care of me when my life was in your hands.

xx

trish

A Fine Example of Frugalness

Friends!

Last Tuesday I went for my pre-surgical appointment with my Doctor to discuss stuff concerning my hysterectomy.  On the way out, he gave me two prescriptions to fill. 

DAMN.

I thought I'd escaped without having to perform the Dreaded Bowel Prep.  But no, in my hand were orders for a bottle of magnesium citrate and an enema.

DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN.

Crap.

Oh wait, that comes later!

So I'm at the pharmacy, standing in front of the (well marked and obviously displayed) LAXATIVE & CONSTIPATION AIDS aisle.  I thought at 48 I was beyond embarrassment but apparently, this is not the case.  First up, the mag citrate, one bottle.  Three flavors to choose from...which one will taste the least awful?  I went for the lemon which had a happy jaunty lemon slice on the label, to help fool you into thinking that the salty, icky poop-spewing liquid was ENJOYABLE to drink.  Like, you would choose to drink that over say, a nice top shelf margarita.  Right.

Next, the enema.

Friends, I want you to know I am NOT an enema expert.  In fact, I think I could be termed an enema novice, if not in fact an enema virgin.  (Mom, you could correct me on this one, but please don't.)  Fortunately, the pharmacy only had two to chose from, the regular and the store brand.  And here's where you get to learn how cheap I am.

They were on sale!  YES!

If you bought two, you could save forty cents on EACH ONE for a total savings of EIGHTY cents.  God, the things I could do with eighty cents.  And if I only purchased one, it was going to cost more than the sale price.  But what in the world do I need a second enema for?  Hubby?  A friend?  A contest prize?  Furthermore, what kind of sick bastard pharmacy puts ENEMAS on sale, for cripe's sake?  Like, there you are, reading the Sunday ads, and you see this:  "Fleet enemas, buy one, get one FREE!"  I bet the door doesn't even hit you on the ass on the way out.

But back to my dilemma; getting two cheap or one more expensively.  Friends, I splurged and only got one.  That was several days ago, and as you can tell, the whole thing is still bugging me.

In fact, it's becoming a pain in my...patootie.

Surgery Tuesday morning at 10 am PST!!

Talk to y'all soon,

xx

trish

A Weird Day

Friends!

Hubby is usually always home.  He works out of the house and herds Kats all day.  (Hard to say which one is more time consuming...)  Today though, he was GONE!  He went to help a buddy paint a rental house that the previously tenants had totally trashed.  In our former lives Hub and I had rentals and managed a couple more units, so we're old hands at turning a property in minimum time on a budget.

ANYWAY, I had the day off and it was WEIRD having the house to myself.  Quiet.  I had to go and do some pre-op stuff like bloodwork and an EKG so I was in and out, and whenever I got home there were MANY pairs of eyes on me and hundreds of toes drumming, as if to say "where have you been and why aren't you waiting on us?"

 I have new respect for the Chief Kat Wrangler at the Katnip Lounge.  These little buggers are demanding!

Six days to surgery!

xx

trish