Hospital stay/recovering

Take Note: I appreciate ALL the flowers and gifts I was given while recovering from surgery. However....and this may be a little prejudice, this quilt is my FAVORITE!

Yes, my FAVORITE gift! It is officially my "treatment" quilt. I take it with me everytime I travel to Anchorage for Chemo. I take it to the infusion center, and I sleep with it no matter what other blankets are nearby.



My good friend Audrey Curran made it for me. She made it in 3 days....she is always complaining about how she did the binding with the machine in order to get it finished. Normally she would do it by hand. I love it though, and Can't find a thing wrong with it. To me it's the thought and the time that count. I wouldn't have it any other way. She took time to consult my family and friends regarding what I liked, colors, animals, etc...There is green Minky on the back and it's lush!







I used this quilt the rest of the time in the hospital. The nurses were constantly commenting on it. It helped comfort me while I lay there alone in between visits from My John, Damon, and my Mom...as well as friends. It was a long week. Amazingly I was able to just let go of what was going on at home, and rest, heal, pray, and sleep.
I had several reactions to my medications and had to get those changed. I think by day 3 or 4 I was out of bed and sitting in a chair. I even attempted a short walk on day 4. It was really painful to get in and out of bed as my stomach was in trauma. I had to hold a folded blanket against my stomach and try not to strain too hard with my abdominal muscles. It was a hard place for me to be as I had been working out all winter and was used to being physically strong.
I was not allowed to eat for the first several days, only what they could give me via IV. Once I was allowed to eat it was liquids only!
Broth, juice, water, popsicles.
The popsicles were my favorite.
I was losing weight though. I had already lost 22lbs over the course of the winter, and now was losing more...not the way I wanted, but hey!
Once I was able to walk down the hall, my only request was for a scale. The nurse was happy to oblige me and rolled one out into the hall for me to step on. Wow, I was down 10 lbs.
I wasn't really suprised.
Eventually I was able to start eating more solid food.
Mashed potatoes, jello, chicken noodle soup without the chicken.
It took my system a day or two to get used to that food.
Once I started walking up and down the hall, I was hard pressed to want to stay in bed, though I did get tired very fast. Naps were always right around the next corner for me.
Eventually I was able to put on baggy sweats and a zip up sweatshirt. The Doctor came in one day to remove my staples. That was not painful at all. It felt good. He said I was healing well and we talked a bit about the plan for the next several weeks.
He wanted me to heal enough to travel to Anchorage for a P.E.T. scan. This, to find out what was going on in my lungs. The CT scan I had had prior to surgery showed nodules in my lungs. Our prayers were that it had something to do with having own exotic birds, or pneumonia, or even TB. Anything but Cancer.

While I was in the hospital my mom had come to town and was a tremendous help to John and Damon at home. I got to spend time with her at the hospital too. One morning I was feeling exceptionally sad and Called my mom early. I knew John would still be sleeping. I asked my mom to come see me and bring cream of wheat. She asked me if I wanted her to wake up John and Damon. Without hesitating I said, NO. I wanted her to come alone. It was one of those moments when you want only your mom.

Only mom will do, know what to do, all without having to ask.

So we spent the morning together. Talking, crying, walking, and just being together.
It was nice.

I cannot express well enough all the gratitude in my heart for my mom, my John, Damon, Kaili, and all my many friends! Most of all my Heavenly Father. While He has given me this challenge, He has also blessed me beyond words.

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)