AnnieM's Stuff

I had a bit more than yogurt today...they brought up a tray with scrambled eggs and their crispy bacon and I didn't do too bad with that! I could only eat about a third though.

Spent the AM sitting up in the recliner, doing the email thing and waiting for Sandy to arrive. We were going to walk when she got here. Well...when she got here, the focus switched to other things...first of all the fact that I'm still not passing urine thru the catheter...Oh I'm passing stuff, just not enough.

They sent around two doctors to review that situation, including a very nice woman who I later found out is the head of one of the depts, Dr. Racine is her name. She and I had a nice, long chat and then she looked me right in the eyes and she said, "you're going to be just fine." And I told her, "I know I am!"

But I wasn't, at least not right away.

They took me off morphine, which I don't mind, but they put me on Oxycodone...which I do mind. I don't tolerate codeine much for whatever reason. I started having little visual hallucinations (seeing the sheets move on the bed...when I'm sitting in the chair) and every time I would doze I would have very very bizarre mini-dreams.

I told them NO to the oxycodone. My buddy Marcia spoke to the doctor and told him I wanted the tylenol mix I have at home...forget the name just now, but it's tylenol and a non-narcotic and it works fine for me. They wanted to put me on VICODIN!!! She told them they were nuts...if I hallucinate with oxycodone, imagine what vicodin would do to me! We put our collective foot down (Marcia and I) and said nothing more than tylenol will do...and that's where we are now...and it's handling it quite nicely thanks! I just have to remember to get another dose before the last one wears off too much...that's the secret I have learned this trip.

The urine is still problematic and it is disheartening to look at myself...my abdomen is bloated up to where it was, my thighs are in the "thunder dep't" once again and I look like I did prior to gastric bypass! I am pushing 200 lbs on the scale...and I weighed about 170 on Friday! WOW WHEEEE!!!

Sandy did take me for the walk around the halls, Marcia came flying out of the med room to throw a robe at me to cover me up...seems my johnny was open in the back and I was proudly displaying my hospital underpanties (tres chic!) to the hordes out in the hall! There was an elderly woman and her daughter walking the hall behind me...I asked the old lady if she got a good peek. "Yes," she says, "and I liked what I saw!" I thought I would split my stitches laughing!

Sandy is tired. She says she's getting a good night's sleep, but she looks pale and drawn to me. People need to slow down on the phone calls to her for updates. She's so nice and friendly...she will stay on the phone for hours....but she needs to rest.

So, everyone...please try to get your updates here. If you must call...do so. Or you can try to call me on my cell: 860 367-1327. I'll decide if I want to answer your call or not! HA HA!

Everyone needs to calm down, take a deep breath and relax. Things are going to be fine....I'm not planning on dropping dead...I made it thru surgery just fine and now we (both of us) need to rest and relax to get ready for the chemo stuff.

Joyce (my old high school chum) is convincing me to get my chemo done at Backus. They apparently just won some sort of huge award for their outpatient chemo program. No other hospital in CT has ever won it...and something like only 60 something programs across the country have recieved this award. As she says, it would be better to be driving to Norwich, distance and time wise, especially as we head into the winter months. Also if a treatment session were to make me feel sick, it would be better to not have to drive that distance to get home.

The bad part of that plan is that we don't care for a certain doctor who is involved with that program and wouldn't want to have to deal with him. He is brilliant but he doesn't always do what's necessarily best for the patient...he's interested in defeating cancer...bottom line.

So, we will check out both programs, look at the pros and cons and go from there. It felt really good that a long time friend has got my back on this one and is willing to help me line up someone good as a doctor.

Robin Aitcheson is going to make some cds for me on positive imaging...(now I don't remember if I already posted this) and wants to come do some sessions with me on the chemo part....it's all part of healing touch.

I have so many wonderful and talented friends, am surrounded by such good people...it is truly a blessing in my life. And don't think I'm using blessing in a religious sense, because you know how I feel about religions. I mean it in a spiritual sense. Spiritually I am truly blessed. Sometimes I let myself forget about that, don't nuture it enough. I'm going to make it one of my little missions in life to nuture that side more often from now on.

So many people have written, called, sent cards, flowers, balloons....a visual reminder of my blessings, but it's in my heart that I feel it the most.

Now I need everyone to see good thoughts my way to help me PEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

I'm confident that working together, we can accomplish this goal!

GET BUSY GANG!