March 14, 2009
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Recovering
This last week was so brain racking with all the lost paperwork and places to be and calls to be made . . . Today I have a new resolve – it’s called “calmness” and I’m making it a priority!
The painter, Don, is supposed to be here to finish painting the garage ceiling. I don’t know if he will, since our temperatures are in the 40′s. I think it’s supposed to be 50-something (like me!
) when you paint.
I’m gradually getting the house put back together. Mostly it’s the floors/carpets with bits of torn up *things* from Sushi that I find irritating. Then, my kitchen counters (which are NOT spacious) are still cluttered with the things that used to be on top of the cabinets – that big space where the cabinets stop and the ceiling starts. Maybe Jesse can help me get those things back in place today. It’s hard to cook around the mess of vases, plates, and baskets of silk greenery on my counter tops. Yet I manage, somehow, to make 3 meals a day.
The physical therapist called and Rissy will see her Monday instead of Wednesday. We should start hearing from other people that the neurologist lined up for her.
I spoke with the girls’ therapist yesterday – all about *ME* – and she and I ended up laughing. Laughter did me good. Things have been so crazy and busy and chaotic, that I think I’ve forgotten to smile or laugh. I still have the same dry sense of humor; but, a dry sense of humor isn’t the same as laughter. Maybe that’s why God considers it a “good medicine.”
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I’d like to wrap Annamarie’s gifts this weekend. I just don’t know how sore I’ll be after the biopsies on Wednesday. If I DO have trouble recovering, I know I’ll fret about those silly gifts being unwrapped. Jesse IS taking that day and the rest of the week off to help me. I talked with the nurse and I AM having the most invasive type of needle biopsy – with the largest gauge needle and something like a spring gun to remove tissue inside . . . doesn’t that sound lovely? – NOT! Also, I will have pieces of sponge left inside of me to absorb the bleeding. They will eventually be dissolved by my body – like sutures that don’ t need to be removed. If history is any indication of how this procedure’s recovery will be, it screams of my body reacting violently to trauma (any injury) and invasive foreign bodies (sponges and metal markers being left in my body in 3 places) and my own body attempting to fight back! I’ve never done well with “simple” procedures – my body rebels violently. I’m not nervous about the outcome of the biopsy, but VERY nervous about the recovery time. Anyway, if most of Annamarie’s b-day plans are secure, I know I’ll rest easier. Despite my need to rest and concentrate on recovering, I can’t help but put my children and husband first. That’s just my M.O.
We had donuts for breakfast. I bought a boat load of them yesterday and we had them with our “breakfast for dinner” last night. Unfortunately, I forgot to put “chocolate” on my grocery list and my secret stash is running low! For breakfast, this morning, we had bananas and donuts. The bananas were perfectly ripe. I bought some green ones to last us through the week. But, I may have to make an emergency run to buy chocolate for myself. It’s such a comfort!
I bought the girls some blouses/tops at Wal-Mart yesterday. Just short sleeve wide flowing cut t-shirt fabric tops. No fancy frills or patterned fabrics. Hopefully, these are things they can wear this spring with their denim skirts. Finding “not tight fitting” or “not” low cut tops is difficult. Then there are the wild patterns. We are so unassuming and plain . . . makes shopping tough.
Guess I’ll get in the bath and see what the day holds in store for us. Jesse is home until Monday, except for one yard he has to clear leaves from this morning.
Be Blessed ~
Comments (9)
It’s nice to know that someone besides me has a private “chocolate stash”!
I will be praying that God’s peace will surround you and fill you in the upcoming days.
Be blessed ~Judy
Dear Cherylyn, my you have much on your plate — and I’m glad it includes chocolate
Seriously, I am praying for you and especially will pray throughout Wednesday. I know you will be recovering and may not be able to post, but I’ll “check” on you anyway — wish we were closer! Actually, right after hearing about your bananas/donut breakfast, I wished I lived closer to you 
I hope I can check in on you Wednesday and see how you are doing. Are these procedures outpatient? I will be praying that all goes well, and that your recovery won’t be terrible. Hugs for now, because you want any after Wednesday for a while!
Did you ever find your papers? You might want to let Jesse know how to log into your blog and tell us how you are if you’re going to be all woozy on Wednesday.
You are my good friend and you are in my prayers.
@Immax3 -
Oh, I doubt I’ll be “woozy” . . . they are only giving me shots (lots of them – ouch!) locally. No anesthetic. No such luck!
with laughter and chocolate and somebody to love us … what more could we possibly need?! ok you and i both know that we need dry humor also… right?
hope all goes well for you. did i miss the blog that said this IS cancerous or is this what they are going in to find out?
Prayers!
@DanishDoll -
The biopsies are out patient, with only Lidocaine injections as an anesthesia in the breast being biopsied. They’ve already warned me that the Lidocaine injections into the tissue sting *really* bad.
They don’t seem to think their 1/4 inch incisions (*THREE* of them), and then sticking a very large diameter needle with a spring in it to suck and “bite off” tissue within me at 12, 3, 6, 9 o’clock positions (doing that in each of the 3 different incision sites), then inserting sponges to absorb the bleeding internally, AND leaving a metal marker for future reference, will be an issue! They only mentioned the injections of Lidocaine to numb me will sting or hurt pretty bad. (rolling my eyes) Oh,yeah. They close the incisions with surgical tape – no stitches! I’d feel more secure with surgical super glue than a piece of tape! Can you imagine having just ONE 1/4 inch cut someplace on your body and not experiencing some severe pain from that wound?
So, I did research on the web – the procedure is NOT a piece of cake . . . unless you are the staff doing the cutting and not the patient, I guess! After reading, I called and asked questions. I guess they think ignorance is bliss.
When the Lidocaine wears off – I’m supposed to use ice packs or packages of frozen vegetables and take Tylenol for the pain. You can’t lift anything over 5lbs for a few days or go back to work for a few days. (But, remember, this is a “no big deal” procedure!)
The side effects mentioned are what I have always experienced after any surgical procedure – including a tooth extracted years ago. The info sheet listed these complications: bleeding, infection, pain, bruising, fever, and
*the general run of the mill fighting your body would do to heal itself and reject a foreign body (like metal markers or sponges) placed within the body.*
(*MY words)
@The_Carpers -
They don’t think it’s cancer, but want to “prove it isn’t” by taking these biopsies. They may say that to all of their patients to not scare them. But *I* don’t think it’s cancerous, just fibrous tissue AND a swollen lymph node from being ill for 3 weeks (strep and then a bad cold). The other breast had a swollen lymph gland but they determined it *was* from me being sick. So, I don’t understand all the hoopla about the other side?????????!
The procedure does sound invasive enough that’s for sure. I will be holding you in prayer for the procedure, the diagnosis and the recovery. Glad you have so many around you that will take loving care of you.
Lovely shots of the girls! Take care and God Bless~Dawne