Wellness Update

Some basic facts about how I'm doing 3 1/2 weeks after the surgery:

1. I'm mostly off the pain meds. I have a whole bottle of Vicadin that I avoided altogether, as I can't stand how foggy it makes me. Check my e-bay listing for the price per pill.

(I'm KIDDING, I'm KIDDING! What did she just say?? You got nothing!!!)

(That last part was a toss-out to Uncle Joe.)

Mayfield also prescribed a wonderful drug called Tramodil. It has a narcotic stength that's big enough to do the job, but soldiers, for instance, are still permitted to use their weapons when on it.

I've been assuming this means I can drive while taking it.

But no matter now, because now I take just one a day, at night, by which time, my whole top right quarter feels pretty sore.

2. The major effects of the anesthesia have worn off. They say it takes a whole year to get that stuff out of the system. If this is true, then I'm really digging out of a whole because the ankle surgery was in October.

So far as I can tell, though, it's worn off. I don't fall asleep in the middle of the day anymore. Or in church. (Which actually happened for the first time 1 week ago!)

3. I am working out at about 90% of what I was doing before surgery. And I can do plenty of arm exercises. The area where he cut a tad of muscle feels like it's working through a lactic acid burn and not an injury. I can't do real push-ups, but I can do them from a standing position against a counter-top. ("Mommy? Why are you doing that?" "So I'll be strong enough to spank you when the time comes!" What did she say??? You got nothing!!!)

4. My range of motion on the right side is still hampered, but it's coming a bit more each day. The tightness and soreness limiting me there is probably more from the lymph node removal than anything else. At least, this is what I figure, given that the pain shoots down my arm when I go too far.

And, no offense to my brother-in-law who does this for a living, but, no, I'm not seeing a PT. Do I NEED more medical appointments in my life? And for what? So he can give me a bunch of impractical exercises that I have no intention of doing?

I did the PT thing during the ankle saga and learned that I'm not a very good PT patient.

The whole time, I was thinking of my dear Gramma who, at a very old age, was struck by a moving vehicle that broke her arm. At one point, PT was recommended to her and the report is that if she had been a cussing woman, she'd have told him to, well, to buzz off. Then she went home, knitted a whole afghan, and announced that she had recovered just fine.

Sorry, Air Force Academy PT. I'm not coming to see you again. I think I can figure out how to get my arm moving again.

(And the AFA PT responds, "Good. Because you were wasting my time, too.")

5. We had another big weekend. Went downtown to a festival on Friday night and then to the County Fair on Saturday. Despite all the action, I felt great and full of energy. This should put Mom's worries to rest: I'm past the point of "over-doing it" while doing the things I'd normally have been doing.

Bryan and I are not really get-out-and-go kind of people, usually. We try to do something special like this about once a month, which is just enough to enjoy a break from the routine without actually ruining our routine and throwing the whole family out of whack.

But we figure that there will be plenty of opportunities in the coming months to stay home because Mommy feels like mud, so carpe diem, right?

6. Speaking of coming physical stress, this is the medical calendar we're looking at:

Thursday, 23 July -- port placement surgery; it's an out-patient thing with local anesthesia, enough to make me loopy for a day and feeling knocked out for a day after that, but otherwise a minor thing

Monday, 27 July -- a nurse exam of the port, which I was planning to blow off--I can tell if a surgery sight is infected, can't I? But then my neighbor pointed out that she'll likely test it to make sure it works before they, you know, start pumping poison into it. Good point. I'll keep the appointment.

Monday, 3 August -- First chemo infusion, to be followed by more poison every 4th Monday for a total of 6 infusions (e.g. 18 weeks). Yes, this will make my hair fall out. Mayfield has repeatedly asked Bryan if he plans to shave his head in solidarity, and my beloved has repeatedly grimaced and then half-smiled without actually saying, "No way, Doc."

Then, after we leave, Bryan asks me, "Do you want me to shave my head?" What a sweetheart.

AND, starting that Monday and every Monday after for a whole year, a protein infusion. I'm told this feels to the body just like saline, so no side effects to consider. Let's pray that there are no side effects for me. There's no glucose in there, is there???

All the basic questions are answered, right?