Home Again (Finally)

March 6th was a terrible evening for me. It began soon after I ate a dinner of chicken, green beans and potatoes. I suddenly began to feel very ill. The pressure in my chest had me convinced it was a heart attack and I told Rob that I had to get to the ER. Several hours later I learned that the heart wasn't the issue but it was a badly infected gall bladder that was blocked from two huge stones. I'm not one to take pain meds but I welcomed every shot of morphine they gave me. I was really sick and had to be given IV anti nausea medication as well. I was admitted and for days the surgeon agonized over whether to remove it or not. Firstly, I had to get off the blood thinner which they did immediately but it took 5 days to get out of my system. In the meantime, although on IV antibiotics the white count continued to climb. That made surgery a no go as they couldn't afford to spread the infection. In the end, it was decided that I needed a temporary gall bladder drain until I could have the surgery. I got that two weeks ago. It's a bit more involved than you would think as the catheter is through the liver and gall bladder and collected in a bag. The drain is in my belly and must be kept completely sterile. I have to go to the hospital once a week to have them irrigate/redress it.

My hospital stay wasn't too bad other than the constant labs and Ivs. Days 2 through 8 I lucked into a private room and day 10 I got the best hospital roommate I ever had. She made those last few days fun. Even the nurses commented they had never seen two roommates get along so well and have so much fun.

They finally let me come home day 15. The previous day I developed a cold and have been coughing ever since. I'm still on a lot of medicine. I have to see the surgeon and hopefully I can have the necessary surgery in four weeks. Of course, should the drain fail, I will need it sooner.
Keep your fingers crossed.

Feeling Better

The last post I made was about how tired I was. I am happy to report that I have taken some triple strength, time released iron and am putting raisins in nearly everything I can, and am feeling better.
I am also eating meat, something I had rarely done in the previous six months, with the exception of chicken. I've actually eaten two burgers. My doctor put me on cholesterol medicine anyway so I am throwing caution to the wind now. Not really but I am less concerned about eating some animal fat knowing I am on the medicine.

I have begun reading again. What a joy! In the past few weeks I have devoured many books including several by Jodi Picoult. I first read Lone Wolf, then House Rules and now am reading Songs of the Humpback Whale. Yesterday I received a box of books from my Aunt Judy. She reads a lot and has many wonderful used bookstores in her area. We only have one here. It's not close and the overwhelming mustiness of the place makes me cough and irritates my lung. The prices are high and I had stopped going.
Rob also joined paperback swap online and we list things we no longer want and get points to use for books we would like to receive. You should check it out if you haven't. Amazing way to recycle and not become overwhelmed with leftover books. I cannot stand the thought of throwing away a book. Our library doesn't really want donations anymore and it's a great way to get them to someone who wants them. I was happy to learn you can mail them via media mail which is roughly $2.50 per book.

I feel I have made a graduation of sorts. I turned in my portable oxygen tank. I no longer need it. Yes, there are days where I might need oxygen doing the day and on those days I stay home anyway. I have a copay of 20% and it was costly to keep something I was no longer using. Should I decide I need it again I can have one delivered that very day. Due to the facts that I am controlling my salt intake very well, taking my medicine three times a day for the PH and being careful to avoid getting sick, I am doing better overall.
It's been a long, tough road but I feel that the ground has levelled.....I am no longer constantly climbing a hill. That makes me so happy. My cousin asked me the other day how I could do it. One day at a time I told her. On bad days I have made it one hour at a time.

We have not had a real snow this year. A few tiny inches that melted the next day. I was disappointed. The sun is shining today and I know Spring is not far away. I do love the change of seasons. I am taking out a few things today to decorate for St. Patrick's Day.

For those of you who watch Downton Abbey......
I kept hearing all the chatter about the show and I do love London and most things British so I decided I would give it a shot. I found season 1 on Netflix so signed up for that. They didn't have season 2 so I found that I could get a FREE week of HuluPlus and signed up for that. Yes, I saw an entire season in about four days!!!! Then I watched the last season on PBS within a few days. So, in some ten days I watched all three seasons. Now I see what the fuss was about. It's a great show. The ending of this season was so sad though. I kept hoping that Matthrew and Mary would get together. They finally did. I kept hoping Mary would have a baby, she finally did....and then the unspeakable. My friend Colleen told me that they showed that episode in England on Christmas!!! That was just cruel.

Well, keep calm and carry on.