On the one hand, what have I done for the past week besides lie on my back while other people checked my nutritional and other status? They swept around me, checked my vital signs at all hours, gave me heparin shots to keep my blood from clotting, and kept asking if there was anything they could get me. Empty question: you think they were really willing to bring me a full dinner, let alone the cup of coffee I tried to get out of them?
On the other, I have the scar and bruising to show that I really have been through the mill. The scar bisects my belly button (there are innies and outies and splitties?) and is still decorated with bits of tape which somehow seem rather casual to be holding me together. (I'm reminded of one of Dick Brown's parody songs: You gotta have skin, just to hold your insides in....)The bruising is pretty impressive. Apparently once they made the incision they pulled everything out to both sides to get at what they were looking at. I looked in the mirror yesterday and had this epiphany: I was fileted. I'll never look at a trout in the same way again.
So I'm spending most of my time lying down, though now I can lie on my side without getting tangled in the tubes and wires, with both cats keeping me company. I listen to the radio or read. I can eat anything I want, so the past two nights we've been eating mostly from the garden, and I delight in the tastes and textures of food. Now, for a bit, it's mostly a matter of deciding where the dividing line is between sloth and overdoing it.
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7 comments:
Well don't over do it and do too much. Just rest and take it easy and let jerry keep doing what he seems to have a talent for-loving you!
As do we!
Is it okay that I laughed at the title of this post? :)
You have an amazing sense of humor, and I'm sure it is helping in your fight against this cancer.
One of the reasons that pancreatic cancer is scary is because it often is not caught until after it has spread. The fact that they told you it had not spread is very encouraging. Also, since you did manage to shrink the tumor before, you should be able to do it again. It seems weird that they were willing to cut out your pancreas and part of your stomach but not willing to cut one measly artery into your liver. Didn't they ever hear the song, "There must be 50 ways to leave your liver"? But seriously, your doctors will find a way; that's their job. Meanwhile us mere mortal scribblers will do our job by perpetrating more outrageously misplaced modifiers to keep you amused.
So glad your home sweet home! No place like it on this green earth. It is is also wonderful that you can enjoy your garden goodies. Jerry was telling me about your eggplant and I was envious, WE are just starting to get tomatoes and our zuchinni (which on normal years you can't give away)
is very stingy this year. Nature has a way of letting you know who really is in charge!
Thanks to Max and Jerry for keeping the blog going. You are an awesome family!
We are glad you are home and recovering. I've stayed in the hospital (on the cot) with Severine when she had her c-sections and can appreciate how nice it is to get home. It's the getting your innards all messed with that I try not to imagine. Of course, now you are one step closer to winning the coolest scar contest!
Take care of yourself and enjoy those garden delicacies.
Welcome back home!
Methinks having one's insides re-arranged qualifies you for some 'sloth time'!
Wishing you an uneventful recovery from your surgery.
Enjoy the fresh vedgies the rain must be keeping bountiful.
Kudos to Jerry and your family for providing you with the best medicine insurance can't buy.
Hi Lucie,
My name is Justin Guild and I’m a graduate research assistant currently working with Dr. Jeong-Nam Kim at Purdue University on a health communication study.
Specifically, our research explores how information sharing behavior through online communities (such as blogs) influences coping strategies among people with chronic conditions including cancer, diabetes, depression, etc. and their family members.
I’m contacting you to seek permission to place a link to our online web survey on your blog to invite readers and other visitors to participate. The survey is purely academic in nature and takes no longer than 5-7 minutes to complete.
The web survey can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.createsurvey.com/c/70237-Os3LDl/
The findings of this study could lead to better management capacities of chronic diseases as well as an increase in funding for research related to online communities.
If possible, we would be very appreciative if you could please forward the link to the web survey to other people you may know with chronic conditions.
If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jguild@purdue.edu.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Justin Guild
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