Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Judy, this post's for you!:)

Life in the oven is going well. We are out of Popsicles, I'm wondering if I make smoothies, how soon can they freeze into Popsicles? I melt in this weather. An east-coast acquaintance has said us Bay Area types are weather wimps, I confess, I'm a weather wimp, especially in the 87+ side of things.

Malachi spent most of the day yesterday doing an activity book he found amongst the books. Dot-to-dots, counting, coloring, writing numbers. After this, Malachi found a school work book I was given a long time ago for Caleb, and started writing in the letters, tracing, filling in the missing letters. We are working on his letter form. He is willing and eager to learn and enjoys it. 2 days ago he took our letter place mat and wrote out all the capital letters, lowercase letters and even the words to the song that are written on it(we are doing sing spell read and write).

I had heard in a conference on CD, you can teach a child to read in 3 years or 3 weeks, depending on when they are ready. So why force the child beyond what they are truly ready for.

My body is feeling better overall, still have the feeling of tightness like a piece of duct tape is pulling around where the scars are and beyond. Lots of numbness. Please pray my nerves reconnect and heal properly. I am doing more activity, by hook or by crook. Sometimes I pay a little sometimes a lot. I am having a stabbing pain on my lower left rib. I did get to see a body worker, Dave who has worked with me quite a lot before the surgery, before Camille. God has really used him to shrink the mass so that the ribs had to spread less than they would have.

When I originally had the 'information packet' measured the longest measurement was 8.5cm to 9cm depending on which scan we go by. When it was removed, the longest measurement was 5.5cm. Praise God!! I recently was taking in this information, realizing that I would have been in more pain, since the tumor was hard, and not pliable, my ribs would have been pulled apart further. So truly God is good to me!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

All in a Toddlers Days Work

I've been surviving the last 2 weeks. Last week I was beginning to have normal periods of time, feeling 'normal' that is. I went through the baby clothes and Silas' dresser, packed up 5 garbage bags for giving away. Unfortunately, it set me back a week or 2 in healing.

Normal has eluded me since then, I'm surviving. I did however give 3 boys haircuts yesterday. Exhausted afterward. It's great I can do some 'normal' things here and there, but oh so frustrating to have to pay dearly for doing them.

On to the fun events that make up great stories to tell your grandchildren....

Silas put my sewing kit in the washing machine yesterday(another little man had tried out some sewing skills and left it within reach). Lawrence decided the wash had been left too long and re-ran it. Some loud clanging, bumping sounds coming from the garage, he stops the washer and looks in. Needles, thread, scissors. Most of you know what's in a basic sewing kit.

I was told to put Caster Oil on a hot compress on my soar muscles, so last night Lawrence took the boys for a ride to put them to sleep(a sign we're all surviving). He went through the drive-through pharmacy and convinced the clerk to get him some caster oil so he could stay in the car. She looked both ways before leaving her post, wasn't really supposed to do this.

When Lawrence came home, he gave me the caster oil, Silas woke up, I held him in my chair, then didn't get around to using the oil, left it on the desk. When I came down stairs this morning, Silas had beat me down and had emptied the bottle of Caster Oil on the borrowed chair(our only furniture right now, SHHHH don't tell yet, I think I'm going to have to beg to buy this borrowed chair, it has met with a few catastrophes, as far as chairs go). The oil was dumped on the chair and the carpet. Yay. A strong and clever baby!

On to other news, the boys have been banned from the downstairs bathroom, due to out house odors and other bad bathroom habits. They now have an alternating bathroom cleaning schedule so their toilet gets cleaned every day. This isn't completely often enough, but the best I can do under the circumstances.

School has started, well we've met with our teacher and have assignments due on Sept 4th already. We are going to be starting next week.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

hospital charges

Wow!! Just going through paperwork. Getting on top of bills. Finally found the bill from my first hospital stay. Get ready......
100K+ - Surgery and 8 day stay
2nd hospital stay....just under 25K..... - 3 days without food or water! & 1 normal day
then a few misc bills for tests and scans for 2k....2k....1k....7900.....2k...

I mentioned before, can't complain about bad insurance, because no matter what my portion is, it will be a far cry from these numbers!!! ICC/ICU costs 12K+ per day!!!

The regular room charge on the thoracic/cardiac floor is $3400 per night.

Wow again! Health care costs!! I'm blessed with insurance!

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Light at End of Tunnel Shining Through!

Some of you may be wondering if I can feel your prayers, I can. I have been sustained throughout this experience by them. So many of you have said to me you feel bad because you cannot do what you wish you could. Prayer is no small thing! It is more powerful than any of us can comprehend, so don't forget to keep on keeping on in praying! Also, so many of you have brought a meal, vacuumed my floor, washed my dishes, done load/s of laundry, sat with me, hung out with my kids. If you did this only 1x, that has contributed to the whole of having the caregiving I needed. We each have such busy lives, and can do what we can, and I have experienced first hand what one person doing what they can on a multiplied scale can do for me! I have had people helping when I needed, for how many weeks now?!? I am humbled and awed by the blessings of service I have received and continue to receive from God through you.

I am so grateful for what you have done for me as an individual and as a group. I have had my eyes opened to a support system around me that when I fell down, you were there to pick me up. Very Ecclesiastical. The sweetness of life.

Ok enough effusing! Wanted you to know I know and am thankful.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

I saw my surgeon yesterday. I was braced for having to explain myself and prove I was still in pain. I have been so frustrated by my limitations. I feel generally pretty good, but if I do "normal daily activities" as I am supposed to be able to do, I have pain. Cleaning up the kitchen table and loading the dishwasher= 3 days pain. Vacuuming is out. The motion is too difficult still. I can force it, but can feel that I am pulling and not ready. How do I know this, I stopped after a whirl around the living room rug, getting the crouch off the floor.

I have to say, I have had fabulous friends coming over, vacuuming, fixing a meal, hanging out. So valuable.

Back to the doctor apt. She said that most of the patients of this type of surgery are elderly and subsequently have muscle atrophy, muscles turning to fat. The pain is less with less muscle, and being young, I had more muscle to cut through and now heal. Carrying babies for 7 years has kept this muscle strong. So more pain is "normal". The doc said 6 weeks of being on pain meds would have been best, but since I've been weaning off medication since week 2, I haven't had proper pain management to allow healing. Hmmmmmm. Frustrating, but here we are, I have enough pain meds now to not worry about running out, so if I'm legitimately hurting, I don't have to endure pain. This alone has given me a relief. Strange, but now I'm hurting less. It is the weekend and Lawrence is home and taking such good care of me.

But what about addiction you ask? As long as I medicate the pain, rather than the anticipation of pain, I should be OK. I have been at 1 percacet every 20-30 hours most days. I am humbled by the pull of the medication, and can see how I'm walking a line. Sometimes it is work to not take the medication until I'm in sufficient pain, so again, please keep me in prayer to be judicious and wise.