From Pants to Dresses

With only a week or so left before returning to work, I have to be able to wear more than pants!  Yes, it was a joy to graduate from hospital gown to pants, but now it's time to take the next big step - work clothes.  I have found that most of my work pants ride wrong with my new plumbing.  That left me only one choice; go shopping!  I ventured to the mall this morning and I was able to find 3 really cute dresses for work.  It seems like dresses are the easiest for work and I must admit, they look pretty good too.  The sales right now are amazing.  I can't wait to learn about the New Years sales next!

Christmas Rush is Through

Well, the Christmas holiday has passed.  This is the first year I was not home for Christmas, but I made the best of it.  It's not time to look forward to the New Year.  I still have another week and a half off until returning to work.  It's probably a good thing as I still could use a nap here and there.  I also need to get so new work clothes as most of what I have now just happens to ride on my stoma site.  Still, I plan to spend my remaining days off just sleeping in, relaxing, and catching up on a few things.  After all, how many times in life do you get a break from work and can just relax for a while.  My next chance probably won't be until I retire!

I'm Back!

It's been almost 10 days since my last post.  I apologize for the delay!  It's been a bit of a roller coaster since I was discharged.  Let me see if I can sum it up quickly.  After being home for a day or so, I developed some abdominal pain and nausea.  I went to the hospital and was readmitted for a food blockage.  I spent 3 and a half days in the hospital resting my GI track and then slowly eating again.  After I was discharged for the second time, I recovered for several days at my friends' house.  Last night, I came back to my own home and now trying to just get back to my routine.

I had a great phone appointment with my surgeon yesterday.  The pathologists could not find any evidence of cancer from the specimen removed during my surgery.  That is outstanding news.  I'm also allowed to start back to my usual activities and go back to work after the first of the year.  Basically I was told to do anything I want (except sit ups) and if it hurts, stop.  It really doesn't get much better than that.  I seem to be eating well and things are moving along as they should.  I still don't have a big appetite but I'm sure that will come as I start to get back to my normal activities.

Great to be Home!

Yesterday was a very long day but it was well worth it to finally be home.  I found out early in the morning that I would be discharged but I didn't get home until 4 pm.  The first thing I did when I got home was to take a very long shower.  In fact, I drained the hot water tank.  It felt so good to shower again.  It was like the first shower after finishing chemo.

It was heavenly to sleep in my own bed last night and not get woken for another shot or vitals signs.  It was also nice to have some food that actually tasted good.  I am still on a soft diet but at least my food had some flavor.  Although I will continue on a soft diet for a couple of weeks, it's really not so bad.  I mean, how can ice cream and pudding be bad?

So my tasks for the week are to make sure I get plenty of fluids, continue to recover, walk, and just relax.  I think that is manageable!

Star Patient

Carol was nearly back to herself today! When I arrived at the hospital this morning I found her hospital bed perfectly made, and there she was, sitting in the recliner working on her puzzle. The nerve block and dilaudid were disconnected and she was allowed to have a soft diet for lunch. First meal? Macaroni and cheese of course. The physical therapist stopped by to put her to the "test" in the hall and on stairs. It wasn't even a challenge! The staff is starting to question if Carol actually had surgery. Assuming the evening goes well, Carol will receive her training to care for herself tomorrow and then finally head home. I know she is ready for her own bed and I am sure will soon be back to blogging herself!

For The Love of Pants

I am happy to report that Carol made lots of great progress today! The day started with a very important milestone. Carol got to say goodbye to Mr. Foley and hello to pajamas! It seems that putting on pants is often the first step in making one start to feel human again. What a relief it must be to eliminate the fear of accidentally mooning unsuspecting visitors. This new freedom also made laps easier today, which was important as the target was increased to six! Needless to say they are going to have to install speed bumps soon to slow Carol down from flying through the hallways. In addition, Carol's diet has progressed to clear liquids. While she wanted nothing to do with the vegetable broth, the jello and juice went right down the hatch. She also found out if she dials 1-2-3 in the morning, she can order double jello in any flavor! That just might turn out to be the one thing she misses when she is discharged. Finally, I noticed Carol got into her activity bags today putting a lot of time into a new puzzle. We are thinking tomorrow will be a real test as they begin to wean pain medications, but if she keeps improving at this pace I'm sure she'll be on her way home in no time!

Mini Marathon

Tammy here again! I was able to spend a good amount of time with Carol today, while still being respectful of the visiting hours she has set. Seeing it was her first full day post-op and considering the stern warning by her surgeon, I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived. However, I found Carol alert and cheery. First order of business was to get washed up, and then face the task of the day given by her doctor. It was a lofty challenge - three total laps around the wing of her hospital floor. She went right at it and quickly completed round 1. We began a tally on the markerboard in her room. Following this feat, she got to sip some apple juice! Things were progressing nicely. Towards the end of the morning visit, Carol seemed anxious to get back to her assignment, despite the fact she had received several doses of painkillers. Turns out this wasn't a great combination and it resulted in an upset tummy. Minor setback. Nonetheless, we still were able to add .5 lap to the tally board. It was a good thing Carol had pre-planned her visiting hours to allow herself an afternoon break, because she really needed it. She spent the time napping and when we returned that evening she was feeling much better. So much so, she went back to work and completed the final 1.5 lap! Mission accomplished. All of this hard work paid off as we observed the first signs of her GI system waking up. Naturally, Carol and her body are way ahead of schedule. We passed some time by painting Carol's toenails a nice sparkly shade of pink and watching Christmas specials on tv. Before long sleep was creeping in, so we headed out. We've already been making bets on what assignment we'll be charting tomorrow, but rest assured Carol will conquer it!

Surgery Day - A Friend's Perspective

Hello faithful followers! This is Carol's friend Tammy, checking in. I thought I'd take a few minutes to share my account of Carol's big day as she is busy recovering...

Well, the countdown clock to surgery day finally reached zero. At 3 am. I was on the road by 4 to pick up Carol for her big date. When I arrived she was ready to go, her thoughtfully packed bags in hand. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought she was headed to camp for a fun adventure. I won't try to speculate what was going on in her head, but to the outside world she was her normal calm self. We got to the hospital precisely at 5 and were met by a small group of loved ones. Carol was quickly whisked off to be prepped for surgery. After some time, we were allowed to sit with her as she waited. At one point a nurse came in and asked the inevitable question: "What are you having done today?" Without hesitation, Carol spouted off what sounded like a minimum of ten medical terms. For a moment I thought she might even include the CPT code. Even though I didn't understand a word of it, I knew she was spot on. Naturally the nurse appeared shocked commenting that most people respond with "something down here", but I'd expect nothing less from Carol. Finally at 8 o'clock, it was time. There was no hesitation, no sad face, no tears. Just a big high five and off she went. The rest of us reluctantly made our way to the waiting room where time stands still.

At 11:30, the surgeon finally brought the news we had been waiting for. We officially had "the best case scenario". Surgery went as planned, and there was zero sign of any remaining cancer in Carol's body. After a flurry of texts to share the good news, we went off to celebrate with Jack Daniel's burgers in Carol's honor before returning to the waiting area. Due to an unfortunately timed computer crash, there was a delay moving Carol to her private room, so we still had to wait until 4:30 to see her and get her settled. Turns out, she opted for a nerve block, which left her pain free and in very high spirits! We quickly set up a candy dish for the nurses, as well as posted her surgifesto for visitors to read. Before long, she was drifting off to sleep, so we left her to rest (with the Steelers game on!).

Although terribly long and exhausting, this day could not have gone any better. The surgeon warned us that the next three days would be "miserable", but they are standing by with all the pain meds and support she will need. He anticipates that sometime on Sunday, she will turn the corner and will rapidly improve and be anxious to get home. (I won't lie, she did suggest heading out already tonight, but I knew it was the meds talking.) I imagine tomorrow will be particularly tough with pain settling in as well as the adjustment to her new body changes. That said, I know Carol will once again triumph and remind us why she is an inspiration to all!

Turning Over My Blog

Well, the time has finally come.  Thank goodness!  I am ready as I can ever be both mentally and physically.  I am wrapping up work today and then getting a massage prior to starting my prep.  My bag is packed, my apartment is ready to be vacant for a little while.  My parents are on their way.  Not much more to do but to just Ride the Wave.

In my absence, I have asked a friend to blog for me.  I will allow her to introduce herself as she wants to.  I hope to be back blogging by the weekend but I wanted to make sure that people following my blog had some updates.

Surgifesto

So I had an amazing last meal last night.  Seven courses overlooking the city that I love on a perfectly clear night.  I could even see my building.  Truly a special night.  I got one last swim in this morning and really enjoyed being in the water.  I plan to squeeze in some Dave and Andy's ice cream today right before I start on clear liquids today.  I am really hoping there is chocolate and peanut butter ice cream today!

As I wrap up today with the fun things, I turn to finalizing the preparations for being in the hospital.  I have been giving a lot of thought to the hospital experience and how I would like it to be.  I was inspired by Alton Brown who wrote a manifesto for when he meets his fans.  I have taken the time to create "Carol's Surgifesto." 

As I prepare to take the next step in this incredible journey, I have been thinking about my life and where I am to date.  I have been very fortunate to have many good times in my life.  I have also had some downs but it seemed no matter what, I survived.  In fact, I think I have more than survived.  Throughout my life, although things didn’t always go perfectly, I think with each adventure I have become stronger and a little wiser. Among the things I have learned are: just breathe, take time to reflect, sit on decisions, keep a positive attitude and ask for help.

I have been overwhelmed by the support my friends and family have provided me along this journey.  It is comforting to know so many people care about me and that help is just a phone call (or text) away.  At the same time, the support can be stressful and difficult to manage at times.  Knowing myself and applying the lessons I have learned, I am requesting the following during this next step of my journey:

•Please limit visiting hours to 11-2 and 5-9.  I need rest, time to reflect and time to learn about caring for myself for when I leave the hospital.  Limiting the visiting hours will help bring a balance between being supported by my family and friends and honoring my needs.

•It is important to me to have a very positive environment in which to recover.  I do not see this surgery as something horrible, difficult or something that will impact my life greatly; it is merely a step along this journey.

•Please allow me to be the only communicator with the nurses regarding my care and my needs.  It is important for me to voice my own needs and communicate with them in a way I feel comfortable with.  Being the sole communicator will also help me feel I have some control of the hospital stay, in which I know I really don’t’have much.

•Please allow me to take care of myself and do things for myself unless I ask for help.  It is extremely important to me to be independent as much as possible during recovery.

•Please mind my personal space.  I am not a person who has a lot of close physical contact when I am well.  When I am not feeling well, close physical contact will make me feel uncomfortable and stressed.

Awesome Weekend

    Well, with this weekend being my last weekend prior to surgery, I made sure it was packed with fun things.  Friday night, I went to Burgatory for the most amazing burger and to hang out with some of my favorite girls discussing a big wedding.  I am so excited to help out with wedding plans.  Saturday, I went to the last Pitt football game.  Not only did they win, I was on the field for pre-game!  It was so cool to see all the players on the field and be standing right next to them.  I felt like a little kid being so excited over college football players.  It was the perfect way to wrap up the season.  Now I don't feel so silly for scheduling my surgery around the game!

Sunday was a great day too.  I had the most amazing waffle at my favorite waffle place.  It was a brownie waffle with chocolate fudge, with a scoop of peppermint ice cream and powdered sugar.  Then topped off with candy canes.  Yum!!!!  It's a good thing I only have 2 more days of work because my work clothes are all getting tight!

After breakfast I went to my friends' house to watch the Steeler game and enjoy cheesy pretzel bites for a game time snack.  After the game, we had dinner together and watched Ice Age II.  The best was sitting by the fireplace enjoying the smell of the fire with great conversation.

The icing on the cake for me was that not only did Pitt and the Steelers win, but so did the Jets!

It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I had the time to spend time with some great friends.  Tonight, I wrap up the festivities with a great dinner with friends on Mt. Washington enjoying the view of the city.

What Next Blog

This week I was featured on the What Next blog:

 http://blog.whatnext.com/blog/peer-perspectives/journey-of-the-week-carollhrn

Check it out!

One Week to Go!

Wow!  This time next week, I will be in the OR having surgery.  It feels like this count down is taking forever!  I know I will sure be glad when next Thursday comes and goes.  I am ready to get through this step of the journey, getting closer to the end.

I have been having a good time this week.  I was able to see 2 Pitt basketball games; the women's team on Tuesday and the men's on Wednesday.  And as a bonus, it seems the NBA will start their season on Christmas Day.  I can't think of a better time for them to start to keep me entertained as I am recovering.  Tonight I will be decorating my apartment for the holidays.  Since I will be home a lot more this year, I want everything to look super nice.  I also have a fun packed weekend ahead of me.  I am glad I am pretty much ready for next week so I can really enjoy my time.  It pays off to be a pre-planner!

Work has been challenging the last couple of days as some new issues have come up just as I am trying to get everything ready to run on auto-pilot while I am out.  I have no doubt that it will all come together by next Wednesday.  If it doesn't, I am sure my company will not fall apart and I will know I did the best I could to get everything together.

I have a feeling this next week is just going to fly by.  I'm going to try to just take it day by day and enjoy my last week.  As a teaser, I will be having some guest bloggers while I am in the hospital.  More information on that to come soon!