Where has the time gone?!

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post.  Let's blame it on my post-surgery lassitude.

I'm feeling better and better.  I had a two week post-op visit via e-mail!  I had to see my family practice doctor and he declared the incision site in good shape and I e-mailed the surgeon with some details I thought would interest him plus some progress pix.  I saved myself  two hours of commute time.  I'll see him in person for the four week visit.  I still have a certain amount of lassitude (a much nicer word than "sluggishness" which I almost wrote, don't you think?), but my fam practice doctor and the surgeon both say that's very normal.  I didn't post picture of the incision after surgery, but, like LBJ, I thought you might want to see what it looks like now.

  Not too bad and there's still a bit of the purple glue (dermabond) that they closed it up with, so it should look even better when that comes off. I also expect the scar to lose its dark color as it continues to heal and to basically disappear in the crease on my neck.

For a prettier picture, I thought you might enjoy the full-blown Virginia Bluebells.  They are in their glory now and are so pretty.  I disobeyed my doctor's orders and transplanted several  clumps to other suitable places in our garden.  We've had a lot of rain, and it was pretty easy going.  This is not a task I'd like to delegate--I'm picky that way.

My good eating plan is on hold for now.  I've actually lost a couple of pounds from the day of my surgery, but houseguests (niece Steffie from Japan--Hi Steffie!!), last minute details for my Dad's upcoming funeral, continuing to get my house in shape before everybody arrives, pre-cooking for the family dinner chez-nous the night of the funeral (50+ relatives), keeping ahead of my nike+ atavar with my walking, and naps have taken priority.  I feel good about being able to get back to basics and weight loss in May, in fact I can't wait.

I had an endometrial biopsy on Monday in response to some weird symptoms and am hoping for good results later this week.  Your prayers (yes, more prayers!) are welcome.  Please keep my good buddy Patrick in your prayers as well as he has surgery today and awaits the results.

Tomorrow is the first day I'll have the babies with me since the surgery.  Steffie will be here to do any heavy lifting and I can't wait to get back into our routine.

Be Good!  Love ya.

The day before tomorrow

Things are going apace.  I just found out that I'm supposed to report in at 5:30 (that's "o-dark thirty" in the AYEM) for my surgery.  I sure hope that means I'm first on the agenda.  I have been getting some odds and ends taken care of just in case I'm not feeling up to it after I get home on Saturday--laundry, gathering some last bits of info needed to complete our taxes, and making a few phone calls re my Dad's estate.

Reading a bit more on the Internet and talking to the anesthesiologist yesterday during my pre-op appointment has me just a bit more apprehensive about it.  There's a fair chance that, because of the degree to which the herniated disc is pressing on the spinal cord, I'll have to have the breathing tube inserted while I'm conscious rather than after I'm blithely unaware so as not to further aggravate the spinal cord.  Definitely not my choice--I've got a very healthy gag reflex and hate anything in the back of my throat.  I'm trying to let that worry go, though, I've had three babies sans anesthesia, for goodness sakes, surely I can get through this.  Right??

My Ubangi Appliance

The good news from yesterday was that I may not have to wear my Ubangi Appliance (my brother's wonderfully descriptive term for my neck brace) for a couple months after the surgery.  While it's normally worn to keep things in place so that the bones can fuse, my doctor is inserting a metal plate to hold things together while the bones fuse and that technique sometimes means that the neck brace is not necessary.  I'm looking for small mercies!  We'll see.

I started to realize how much I was concerned about that (the breathing tube) when I was doing a bit of grocery shopping on my way home.  I sailed right through the produce section and found myself browsing the shelves where the cake mixes were.  I realized I was looking for a Boston Creme Pie mix.  I don't know if they even make that anymore.  It's something my mother used to make when I was in my teens.  Talk about seeking comfort food.  They didn't have it, BTW, and I came home with another box of my WW Strawberry Smoothie frozen treats, instead.

I'm definitely packing my kindle to keep my company while I recuperate in the hospital tomorrow.  This is one time the light weight and compactness will really come in handy.  I bought the leather case with the light for mine and can read in the dark, too.


Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers.  I hope to check back in with you after I get home.

Love & hugs

Tish

What's Happening

Hi All,

I'm still in an exercise hiatus, but the end is in sight.  I saw the neurosurgeon today and he said that the two herniated discs in my back have probably been there for some time.  The disc in my neck, however seems recent and needs to be removed ASAP.  He showed me on the pictures from the MRI where the bulge from the disc is bumping into the spinal cord and compressing it.  He says that all of my symptoms (numbness and tingling in arms and legs) as well as feeling awkward when I walk (sort of like one leg is an inch or two shorter than the other) are being caused by that compression on the spinal cord.  Also he said that things would rapidly get worse and might not be reversible if I don't get that pressure off of the spinal cord very soon.  The upshot is that I'm scheduled for surgery (ACDF) this week--first thing Friday morning.  I'm feeling good about this.  I liked him a lot.  He's the kind of doctor that doesn't rush you through things.  He answered all my questions thoroughly and helped me understand his answers.  He'll do the surgery.  Oh and I'm wearing one of those awful looking neck braces to keep things stable until the surgery.  I hate how it feels, so it must be good for me. :-)

I'm really missing the exercise.  Apparently I get to start walking again as soon as I feel up to it after the surgery.  No lifting or jerky kind of exercise, but there are a lot worse ways to get exercise than walking along the river path in the spring when the wild flowers and the trees are waking from winter..  I'll break out the pedometer and to the 10K step/day challenge and work my way up.  Biking, running, folk dancing and lifting weights will have to wait for a while.  I'll ask about yoga.

I'm still going to town on the de-cluttering.  If you every followed "fly lady," you'll recognize my tactic of going into a room and removing 5 things.  (not necessarily furniture--I have way too many little dishes and ornaments around too).  Do this a few times and things start to look uncluttered.

We had company for dinner the other night and I started the dinner with a caprese salad.  Mmm.  Fresh mozzarella di bufola, tomato slices, and basil leaves sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil.  YUM.    We also had fresh asparagus, grilled lamb chops with mint jelly, and whole wheat couscous with dried apricots, mint, and toasted almonds.  Sliced California strawberries and a dollop of ice cream for dessert.  It was easy to fix almost everything ahead and a very nice spring dinner.

I'll keep you posted!