At long last... an entry

Greetings and holy cow! There is so much to report, SO much to catch up on.

I actually tried to begin this blog entry earlier this morning, but became really tired from trying to remain upright and forward in the chair (GUT MUSCLES ARE IMPORTANT FOR EVERYTHING!), and then Karl came upon me in the library and sent me back to bed. After watching The View and having a good nap, Karl brought me the laptop and set me up with access in bed - so here I am!

From this morning:

I am feeling up to a few moments of sitting at the keyboard, so I won't waste much time getting down to it.

Harvey, as many of you may (or may not) know, is no longer. Uh-huh. That's right.

In my last blog entry I was just saying how uncomfortable it was (just that morning), and by that afternoon I was actually rolling on the floor. The truth is, for approximately the last year (as it turns out), I was pushing a section of my small - or large bowel - back in through a hole in my peritoneum. It wasn't my intention, it just so happened the herniated sections were small enough and pliable enough to comply. But that afternoon, the tissue that popped was far larger in size and strangulated, so nothing I was going to do was going to help.

Harvey was the first of my body's messages to me that something was wrong (and he appeared on the scene over 2.5 years ago), but because I had no medical coverage to pay for a CT scan Aug/Sept 2007 (and still don't), I was told that it didn't seem life threatening by the physician who first examined it, and to take it easy for a bit and not strain it any further.

The intense pain I experienced at that time was excruciating, but subsided after two days with rest and becoming quite sloth-like in many of my habits. Also, by that time, Harvey and I had been living together quite simpatico-ly, and bouts of discomfort were minimal and easily handled with counterpressure at the sight of the bulge. Beyond relieving pressure and discomfort, I had no idea what it was I was really doing.

Hindsight and all of that.

At any rate, I am recovering from emergency abdominal surgery, and I am resting at home with family and friends nearby. My discharge was last week Tuesday (everything is running together like a bad watercolor painting), and I will be getting the staples out tomorrow in the early afternoon. Yea!!

Getting on with the

Thanks

I would very much like to express my profound thanks to many people for their love, prayers, help and encouragement over the last two weeks, but most especially to:

• Emma (my first roommate - of 30 minutes - at Crittenton Hospital) who said a prayer with me prior to surgery; she was discharged before I returned following the operation. God bless you, wherever you are, and I hope you are mending quickly and successfully.
• Maria, for sending out a note to our classmates and putting out good vibes. I felt it all the way from where you were. I haven't had a chance to really look over my inbox, which is now overflowing, but I owe you. ALSO, for visiting me in Rochester, and chancing getting lost to do so. ;^) Your floppy-haired mascot sits within eyesight, reminding me to be better to myself. Thank you, and God bless you, too.
• To my friends and classmates who've sent email and good wishes as a result of Maria's note, my sincerest thanks for your concern and thoughts, and for taking time to drop me a note. It is very much appreciated; I will be getting in touch shortly to answer your email.
• Jean, thanks for for not laughing at me when you found me on the bathroom floor; for hauling my azz to the ER and staying with me all that time into the wee hours of Friday morning - and for prompting the ER staff into action when it seemed they had forgotten I was there and not in CT; for staying with the boys until mom got into town, and for all of the visits and calls to check on me. Oh, yeah, and for coming back after mom left town; for loading your heavy-azz generator into your car and getting it here after the power went out on Saturday; for keeping things on track and powered up when you could have been comfortably at home instead, studying for your final exam; for dinner and birthday cake and letting my sons vent. And for being there Friday prior to the surgery (especially after so little sleep) - even though I don't think Friday existed - the drugs were incredible!
• Mom, thank you for coming all the way down from Marquette...for taking time off work and driving that distance in a heartbeat. As a mom I know you must have been distracted and worried, and I wouldn't wish that sort of trip on anyone. You stayed an extra day because you were afraid to go home, and I love you for that. Even more so because you drove home for a brief few days knowing in less than a week you would be returning to the 'troll side' of the bridge to stay with Gram for your allotted monthly shift. You spent hours by my bedside in the hospital, even though I slept much of the time, and made that darned nurse take out the IV when it showed signs of infection. And the flowers were very pretty to look at! I love you.
• Last, but not least, thanks to my sons for putting up with all of the inconveniences and disruptions to our daily lives. You know the rest, so I won't put it here, but I love you to death for picking up the loose ends and carrying on with getting to classes and work, and working with all of the curve balls and hassles that happened as a result of my absence. I also know that hospitals are not a fun place to visit, but thank you for dropping in so frequently - I missed you so much, and seeing you made my hospital stay tolerable. Karl, thank you for giving me your room for the past 9+ days to make recuperation easier.

I am blessed and I know it! As things proceed I will be getting back to a more normal routine and will keep this 'issue' updated for you until it becomes a non-issue, but for now I am going to relax and follow instructions. Maybe I will have Karl bring me a piece of birthday cake, too - chocolate makes everything better.