And so it’s Saturday morning and I’m up and about, feeling pretty good. Can’t believe that only a week ago Patrick was hauling me back to Huntington Hospital resulting in my being readmitted. It really does seem like ages ago!

I let the cats out to wander in the backyard this morning and, once again, Nate wound up on the roof! I don’t know how he is getting up there since there’s no easy access from the backyard. He must be climbing the tree next to the garage at the front of the house (the way most of my other cats did) and then wanders to the back. Of course, he can’t remember how he got up there and sits at the back crying for help since it’s about an 8 ft jump to the ground from that point. This morning he jumped onto the shade structure from the roof and I was able to lift him down from there. Nate is going to be nothing but trouble.

Hope to enjoy a small cookout either later today or tomorrow. Picked up some chicken breasts yesterday on my first trip out to the grocery with Patrick and am looking forward to a bit of ‘real’ food. We’re going to have a couple of beautiful, warm days which should be nice for hanging out around the pool. No swimming yet, but I can dip my legs in if it gets too warm.

Life is good!

Am noticing some changes in my life after surgery. The most noticeable is that everything sweet tastes even sweeter. Perhaps this is an after-effect of the anesthesia or maybe getting rid of so much nastiness from inside my body. My coffee tastes extremely sweet and it didn’t used to be that way. Nothing has changed in the way I am fixing it (packet of sweet ‘n low plus creamer) yet it seems to leave an extremely sweet after taste. Other sweet things (like breakfast cereal) are also sweeter.

The best thing is that the wrinkles in my face and my droopy eyelids seem to have filled in/perked up! My skin looks much better. That could be from many things, including the lessening of stress now that I am home and starting to feel better. I also haven’t gone to work in over two weeks, eliminating a huge chunk of stress. I really have no worries right now except relaxing and feeling better. It also may have something to do with all the weight I’ve lost. I didn’t consider that weight loss in my belly would impact how my face would look!

I woke early this morning and feel pretty good again! I slept through the entire night and only woke this morning because I had to pee–a good thing since it means my kidneys are functioning properly. I made my first cup of coffee today since 5/19 (2 weeks ago!) and it tastes pretty good. Think I’ll be ready for some Starbucks soon!

Yesterday was absolutely the best! No nausea, no heartburn, and I was able to eat somewhat normally. It was beautiful outside and I took some time to pull a few weeds in the yard and then cleaned up the outside of my grill. Not a lot of physical activity, but enough that I felt I did something with my day other than just laying around. And I think that actually helped my body to begin to work as it should once more. I still have to take it easy and spend a good portion of my day resting (which is hard for me to do), but I just don’t have the endurance to keep going for more than a short period of time.

I have pretty much weaned myself from all drugs other than Protonix which helps to stave off the heartburn. I’ll continue to take that until it’s gone and see how it goes once I’m no longer taking it. It feels really good not to have drugs in my system and makes me wonder how folks who don’t need drugs for medical purposes can go through life in a daze all the time. I feel clean and clear-headed right now and that is the best feeling I can imagine. I am even resisting taking Tylenol ’cause I think it’s just not that necessary. I’m only experiencing very minor pain at the site of the incision and that’s easily alleviated with rest.

Wish I could go swimming this weekend, but I’ll have to get by with just dipping my legs in the pool. The temps are supposed to get into the high 90’s starting on Saturday and the temptation will be great. I expect I’ll see Patrick and Veronica at some point since she won’t be able to resist the pool as the sun starts blasting away! And possibly we can have a cookout or something since I expect I’ll be able to eat some grilled chicken or something like that. Don’t think I’m quite ready for steaks on the grill, but possibly that can happen in time for the 4th of July!

I’m going to increase my food intake just a bit today, adding something a little more substantial than oatmeal, soup and sherbet. I had a grilled cheese sandwich last night at dinner, and that seemed to work out okay. Going to make up a batch of egg salad for sandwiches today. My weight seems to be staying in the mid-130’s and I’d like to keep it there if at all possible, so I have to be careful not to go crazy with food once I’m able to eat normally again. Unfortunately, I can’t eat salads right now since lettuce and other greens are not easily digestible, meaning I just have to pay lots of attention to what I’m putting in my mouth.

Overall, though, I seem to be on the track to recovery! I certainly didn’t think this day would come at this time last week. And now it all seems like a very bad dream. I think I would have felt lots better if it hadn’t been for the nausea and vomiting. That did me in. And now that that’s over, I really feel I can recover! And I thought pain would be my worst problem–who knew!

I was able to eat a substantial amount of food today–applesauce, some ginger cookies, saltines and about half a cup of chicken and stars soup. I also drank water and gatorade throughout the day. All seemed well as I headed off to bed tonight. I did notice, however, that I was feeling rather bloated and that my stomach seemed really full. I suspected this had something to do with the fact that I was finally able to put something more than pure liquid into my stomach and keep it there for an extended period of time.

Also, Patrick picked up two Rx’s for me today–one to cut down on the acid production in my stomach and the other an anti-nausea drug. The acid production is still happening, but my understanding is that it takes a few days for that drug to work. And the anti-nausea drug seemed to be working.

So I headed off to bed expecting all to be good. Woke up after two hours of sleep feeling really bad…and then the vomiting hit again, just as bad as it’s been all along.

What the hell is the problem here and how much longer will this go on?! It has now been 12+ days since my surgery and I still can’t keep any food down. I know my bowels and bladder are working, but I need for the damn food to pass through from my stomach in order for the process to be complete!

So I’ll start over again tomorrow. I don’t know what else to do. Am calling my family doctor tomorrow for a followup appointment with her. Perhaps she will have some advice. Needless to say, I am becoming more and more frustrated–which probably doesn’t help the situation.

…I am NOT going back to that hospital again! Got home Monday night around 5:30 pm, feeling unbelievably weak but happy to be home. Still not eating very well (to say the least!) but other bodily functions are starting to work. I just need to take it reeeaaal slow with the eating and drinking part…which I tend to forget.

Biggest problem has been the postoperative vomiting. Just when I think everything is good, something comes back up. Very frustrating. I’m going to try spending a lot of time walking around the yard tomorrow. Everything I’ve read seems to indicate that walking is the best recovery activity. It was just very difficult in the hospital while lugging around the ‘meals on wheels’ IV tube carrier. And I expect to be able to consume foods that are far more palatable at home than the hospital fare. Why does hospital food have to taste so foul?!

So now back to bed (it’s 3:45 am!). I slept for almost 4 hours; here’s hoping for another 3-4.

My doctor stopped by this morning to fill in the blanks. My kidneys effectively shut down yesterday due to inactivity. I couldn’t eat or drink anything and I guess my kidneys felt they were no longer needed. After ‘plumping’ them with saline/potassium solutions, they’ve come back to life and seem to be functioning as they should. The bowels have a minor blockage and my doctor believes that will clear on it’s own as the kidneys regain their normal state.

For the rest of the afternoon I’m being permitted to sip plain water. If I’m able to keep that down, then I will graduate to clear liquids (broth, juice, jello) for dinner. The clear liquids will continue through tomorrow until the doctor visits again. He wants to be sure that I am able to keep down solid food before releasing me. If all goes as planned he will remove the suture staples on Tuesday morning and then send me home.

I’m here for as long as I need to be. I have plenty of sick time and will do whatever it takes to get myself healthy once more.

It is 5:20 a.m. and I am wide awake as I watch sun rise over the backlot of Huntington Memorial Hospital. Patrick hauled me off to the ER yesterday morning when there just seemed to be no other alternative. Turns out I was dehydrated and was beginning to lose some kidney functions, in addition to having some type of bowel blockage!

So I was admitted and finally made it into my room at about 6:00 pm–just in time to see the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns and win the Western Division Finals!

Now I get to hang out and hope the treatment plan is not something too yucky. Worst case scenario is surgery to restructure/unobstruct parts of my bowels. Meanwhile, I am far more comfortable (and far less worried) being here than what it was like at home over the past few days.

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all! Not exactly what I had originally planned for the holiday, but I must say that it certainly is memorable!

I’ve decided to call the surgeon this morning…a bit later, since it is 2:30 am as I write this. I can still keep down little, if any, food and just woke up at 2 am noticing my eyes were extremely dry. While I’m eating ice chips all day and night, I’m unable to eat much else. And with this being the start of a holiday weekend and all… Well, I don’t want to be unable to reach my doctor and wind up at the ER at some point on a holiday weekend because I am dehydrated.

I’m doing everything I can think of to stave off the vomiting, but nothing seems to be working. And basically I’ve had only a minimal amount food over the past week. I’ve already lost 15-20 lbs from the surgery and actually don’t want to lose any more weight–never thought I’d be saying that!

So I’ll finish this next cup of ice and then will head off to bed again. Hope you’re available at some point Patrick to pick up another Rx (or possibly take me to the doctor).

This is the first I’ve logged into my blog since the day before my surgery last week. First, thanks to my two wonderful sons, Kevin and Patrick, for being there with me through everything. (And thanks Patrick for updating my blog!) Next, thanks to my dear ‘daughter’, Vanessa, who arrived on Saturday and continues to be here for me as my live-in caregiver while I recuperate at home. Finally, thanks to all my wonderful family members and friends for all your support and prayers. I love all of you more than you will ever know!

As Patrick posted, the best news of all was that there was no cancer anywhere! And having my sons tell me this news was the best way I could have heard it. The surgery itself went very well although some of the side effects have been problematic, to say the least. I had a reaction to the antibiotics (not unexpected, really) and lost all the tastebuds on my tongue. Next was an allergic reaction to the drugs being administered through the epidural which caused me to itch all over my body. Finally, I have now developed post-operative nausea and vomiting, resulting in my inability to keep down any food or drink. Currently trying all sorts of home remedy things (ginger, accupressure wristband and ice chips) with the hope this too shall pass quickly.

The other bit of good news is that I’ve lost between 15-20 lbs so far from all this! Not a diet plan that I’d recommend, but I’ll take this side benefit!

Patrick here with a quick update on The Bomb Mom!

Mom is out of surgery and light one football-sized tumor! The doctor says there was no cancer, which is the best news ever! She has been in recovery for an hour and we expect to be able to see her shortly. The doctor said everything went great and even supplied us with a picture of the tumor! Kevin and I haven’t decided what to name it yet. Also waiting for Mom to get a look at it before it is posted online.

I will update here with more details after we get her settled in her room and I’m sure she will be posting soon enough! Thanks to everyone for all the support!

–Patrick

Kevin has arrived from Seattle, my house is cleaned and my insides are ‘cleansed’ so I guess I’m ready for tomorrow. I am feeling nervous–not sure if it’s my impending surgery or the Lakers game that I’m watching!

The cleanse didn’t go real well. I managed to drink about 2/3 of the jug before I started throwing up. Same thing happened the last time I had to do this for a colonoscopy. I made the decision then as now not to drink any more. I think I’m pretty ‘clean’ and hope that’s good enough. Doesn’t make sense to continue drinking this nasty stuff if I can even keep it down. It has to stay down to do any good.

So we’ll head off to the hospital tomorrow morning at about 8 am. Just need to pack a small bag, clean the cat littler and take a bath–my last bath for awhile. Possibly may post from the hospital depending on how I’m feeling, and how many drugs I’m taking!

Thanks to all for the prayers and good wishes.

…and I’m not ready for what awaits. I’m getting nervous about what I’ll be undergoing and will be so glad when it’s over and I’m back home on the road to recovery.

Work has been a nightmare with everything that could go wrong going wrong. People are coming up with an unbelievable amount of last minute questions and tasks for me to answer/accomplish by the end of the day tomorrow. Needless to say, not everything is going to be completed. Frustration is setting in and I’m beginning to get fed up with all this last minute stuff. I’m not feeling even close to 100% healthwise, yet the demands on me just keep coming. Once I leave work tomorrow night, they are on their own…and I’m not going to answer the phone from that point until I am home and not doped up with painkillers!

At home things are a bit better. I shampooed the carpet in the family room on Sunday, made up the futon as a bed for me and put clean sheets on the bed in the back bedroom for Kevin. Also have the living room, dining room, bedrooms and my office all picked up and cleaned. I’ve done all my laundry so won’t have to worry about that when I get home. Still have to do some dishes and clean the kitchen and bathroom, but should be able to get that finished tomorrow night.

And then I’ll spend Wednesday “prepping” for surgery. That, of course, assumes that I am still going to the hospital on Thursday. I’ll find out for certain tomorrow and am praying that all goes off as scheduled. I just can’t go through all this waiting for something to happen much longer.

Sort of. The surgeon’s office called today letting me know that 5/20 was ‘tentatively’ a go. However, the hospital won’t confirm until 5/18. If for any reason they say they can’t fit me in that day, then the surgeon’s nurse said she will call the next day and tell them she has an ’emergency’ surgery that needs to be scheduled on the 20th. So, I’m making plans for this all to happen on the 20th. I sure as hell hope the nurse is right.

My administrative assistant was terminated/fired last week. Not really a bad thing under normal circumstances, but a cause for concern since I’m going to be off work in a week for an extended period of time. They have hired a temp to fill in for this person until they can hire a permanent replacement. The temp is really not qualified to do the job. She’s been given the job to help her out since she’s been out of work for +2 years. Not a good reason in my book, but I don’t make the decisions.

As a result of all this, I’ve been “training” this person to enter invoices/check requests into our accounting program. It has taken her almost a full day to enter 12 bills. This is something that should take no more than 1-2 hours for a new person. And she questions every single entry…and still doesn’t get it right! I have five days remaining to get everything finished up before I leave and just don’t see how I’m going to get everything completed. I was in relatively good shape until they hired this new person. Not so much any more.

Not sure the ‘powers that be’ understand that I’m having major surgery and someone else is going to have to do my job for at least a month! Even when I am home recuperating, I’m really not going to be able to sit working for extended periods of time. I may be able to check my emails and review a few things, but that will be about it. I so dread the mess I’m going to have when I go back.

I’ve been very healthy and they’ve been really lucky for 14 years.

Had planned to do lots of cleaning today. After talking to Sally and my friend, Sherry, this morning, I got started with vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen. Then Patrick and Veronica showed up…and then Vanessa. Because of the crowds at all the restaurants tomorrow, Patrick and Veronica brought all the fixings for a cookout in the backyard. Brett and Summer along with their daughter, Raine, came by a few hours later, and it was just like old times spending the afternoon around the pool in the summertime! Overall, a great alternative to battling the crowds at the restaurants!

Everyone left just about when the Lakers game started. Unfortunate for them since they missed a really great game! It went down to the last few seconds with the Lakers coming out on top of the Jazz and taking the series lead 3-0. Bring the brooms to the next game–it looks like a sweep!

Will be going for coffee tomorrow morning with Vanessa before she leaves for home. And then I’ll get back to getting the house ready so I can come home from the hospital to a neat and tidy recuperation space.

I expect to be in the hospital for 3-5 days, depending on what they find and how well I heal. The doctor is saying six weeks off work…I’m hopeful it’s more like four. We’ll see. As I said in my earlier post, they will do a complete hysterectomy and will test the tissue immediately for cancer. They will get the results in 10 minutes and, if there is cancer, they will remove all the lymph nodes in the vicinity of the uterus/ovaries since lymph nodes typically attract cancer cells. They will also check other nearby organs and will remove any cancerous cells they may find. The doctor is relatively confident that this is a fibroid tumor and is not malignant based on all the tests they have run. However, there are no guarantees until the tumor is removed and tested.

And so, that’s it. I’m actually not all that worried about the surgery since I’m soooo anxious to get rid of this thing. I would go in tomorrow if that were a possibility. While I’m sure the period after the surgery will be uncomfortable and painful, I’ll be on pain meds to help get through all that and I’ll know that within a few weeks I’ll be on the mend. For the past few weeks, it’s just been pain with no end in sight, so the end being near is wonderful–and think of all the weight I’ll lose when this damn tumor is gone!

I’ll have an entire week (plus a few days) to prepare things at work and two full weekends to get things ready at home. Fortunately I am in pretty good shape on both counts so I should be able to head off to the hospital without too many worries. And, since Kevin will be staying at my house, he will be able to make sure the cats receive plenty of food, water, and attention!

I will be having a complete hysterectomy. Tentative date for the surgery is Thursday, 5/20. The date won’t be definite until early next week when the surgical schedule at Huntington is finalized. It’s possible the date could be adjusted by a day or two, but it appears the doctor wants to get things completed sometime that week.

This will give me about 10-12 days to prepare both at home and at work. Have been doing lots of prep already, but a deadline always helps me to get things moving along. I’ll post more about all this later this weekend.

My appointment with the surgeon is tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. I’m hoping he schedules the surgery for sometime next week. I’ve been in severe pain for the last three days–so much so that I’ve been forced to take light doses of vicodin (1/2 of a 550 mg tablet). Last night I woke every 2 hours–2:00, 4:00, 6:00.

On top of everything else, I’ve gone to work everyday this week. Have so much to do in order to be prepared to be off for the recuperation period. Depending on when I have the surgery, I still may not be totally prepared at work.

For those who have asked, I expect everything to take place at Huntington Memorial Hospital here in Pasadena. This is an excellent hospital so I’m not worried about the surgery. I really just want this to be over and done. I will post after I see the doctor tomorrow.

Meanwhile, thanks to all of you for your good wishes and prayers. All this means a lot to me.

Am getting busy around the inside of the house since I’m finally at the point where I know I won’t have much more time until I have my surgery. So far I’ve cleaned up the back bedroom so that it’s able to house anyone who might be spending the night (i.e. Kevin). Still have lots of stuff stacked in there that needs to be sorted out for a garage sale or to be donated. But you can now walk into the room and get to the bed without climbing over boxes. And the bed is completely cleared and ready to be made up with fresh clean sheets.

Also have cleared out a lot of stuff from my office and will be shredding old stuff tonight while watching tv. When opening one of the boxes I found a bunch of old photographs which I’ll be scanning while I’m off work recuperating. So that was a nice surprise.

Just finished watching the Kentucky Derby and am now going to get started on laundry and cleaning my bedroom. It’s not in that bad of shape, but I just want to be sure everything is put away and organized. Would love to spend the day outside, but I know I’ll be more comfortable if I get things done inside first. Would like to be able to relax a bit before I head off to the hospital, and that won’t happen if I leave all this inside work for the last minute.

So back to work.

Met with my doctor today and reviewed all the results of my bloodwork, MRI’s and the CT scan. I have a very large (make that huge) tumor on my left ovary and 3 cysts in my right ovary. The tumor is the size of a football and the cysts are the size of golfballs. The tumor is compressing my bladder, my colon, and my uterus and putting pressure on my rectum. (I wondered why my butt seemed to be getting bigger!) The good news is that all my other organs look great, and my bloodwork showed extremely healthy ranges for everything.

Obviously the tumor has to be removed. I’ve been referred to a gynecologic oncologist to whom I faxed all my test results this afternoon. The doctor will review everything and will call me (hopefully tomorrow) to schedule an appointment. I’m guessing that I will need a complete hysterectomy. During the surgery they will do tissue samples from areas around the tumor and will test the tumor and the samples for cancer.

From what my doctor said, I expect this will be heavy duty surgery and I anticipate being in the hospital for at least a few days. I don’t care. I am sooo ready to get rid of this damned thing!