Saturday - Update from Sandy

(Sandy just submitted the following to the SL forums and asked me to cross-post it here. I'm going to try for one more of my own tonight as well.)

I was released from the hospital from this morning with a couple of great ice packs, and three Rxs. I slept so much better the last night. My roommate was quiet and courteous.

Btw, if you could pray for Anna--she's been in the hospital for a long time and doesn't know when she will be released. She's already had a colostomy and now her small intestine as a hole in it. They are hoping it will heal on it's own without surgery, but meanwhile she hasn't had anything to eat or drink for 1.5 weeks. Everything has been going in via IV. She's a teacher and misses students and just sounded so sad because it could be months before she's allowed to go back. I tried to encourage her with stories of Kore's recent travel to Malaysia. She needs hope!

I take Percocet and Valium every 4 hours. The antibiotic is every 6 hours. If I'm a good girl and don't try to do too much, I can make it ok between doses. If I try to do too much (reaching for and lifting a pillow can be "too much") then the last hour before my next dose is really hard. The ice packs are what make it bearable then.

I have two plastic tubes sewn into each of my sides to help drain fluids from the surgery site. At the end of the tubes are these flexible plastic things that catch the fluids. I don't know what they are really called because everyone calls them "grenades." I have to empty them and chart how much drainage I have per day.

A home-health nurse is stopping by tomorrow to work with me on proper wound care and avoiding infection.

Some positive aspects of today:

* I came home to some wonderful food dropped off by members of our small group. Since they know us well, they didn't feel the need to make "invalid" food. There was rosemary grilled chicken quarters, a multi-grain pilaf, a salad made of fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella, and an ice cream pie. There was also a corn and black bean combo side dish, chicken breasts with a honey mustard sauce with a touch of curry, and a great salad with homemade dressing.
* I'm thinking I'm going to have great abs by the time I have full use of my arms again. Since I can't use my arms to brace myself to sit up, I am essentially doing crunches every time I get up. And to sit back down I have to do squats/deep knee bends. I'm trying to remember TTapp's organs in place so I don't walk around hunched over.
* I got flowers today from some friends in Arkansas. They are beautiful, and the boys are in awe that I got a balloon with them as well.

I'm counting down to my next dose of meds, so I'm off to get another ice pack until it is time. I am soooooo glad they changed the dressings today and got rid of all that tape. I was so itchy! My most painful wound is where they took additional lymph nodes after finding cancer in the first two. I have a U-shaped cut in my armpit and it really restricts my range of motion in my right (dominant) hand.