Hello all
Just a quick update to say that I am doing well and that I am having a good weekend so far! Margaret is here, Cathryn was here and she just left a few minutes ago and Sarah is visiting again tomorrow!
I'm healing little by little, I just bought Anthony Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential" to read (it's really good so far and I'm only 20 pages in or so) and I'm cross-stitching like a fiend. I also got some cool word search/coloring books from Margaret and Nerissa and I'm excited to break those in, too!
That's all for now folks, have a good one!
B
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
This is what my insides look like....kind of.
Hullo dear readers
I had two doctor's appointments this week.
Yesterday was with the Trauma specialists at MHMC, they told me that:
--my incisions look like they're healing well
--my cracked ribs will be sore for months, that is normal
--they took xrays of all of my broken parts and mentioned that my collarbone may need surgery because the broken piece had moved further away from its original spot
Today I saw my Orthopaedic Surgeon who told me:
--my pelvis is healing as expected. I am going back on May 31st and we will see about getting me walking on that leg
--my collarbone has indeed moved, but it will still heal ok. I may have a slight bump on my right shoulder, but that's all. I will take that in lieu of a scar & surgery
--I have to keep on the blood thinning shots for another month
--I don't have all of the hip precautions that I did when I left the hospital, I just need to make sure I'm resting my right leg and not actively trying to lift my hip
--The funny feeling on the top of my right thigh will probably lessen if not go away completely, but the numbness on my outer right thigh may very well stay that way forever.
Here are some photos to show you all kind of how things look inside my pelvis. THIS IS NOT MY XRAY. I FOUND THIS XRAY ON GOOGLE.COM.
I put this image that I found into MS Paint and drew a rough estimate that shows where my "hardware" is. It's bigger than it looks on here and the surgeon referred to it as "major surgery". He said to me:
Dr.: "You did a number on your pelvis"
Me: "Well, **I** didn't do anything to my pelvis, so to speak."
Dr.: "*laughs* Of course not, but, I think you know what I meant."
What I can't show you on here (because I don't remember from my xray that I saw) where exactly all the cracks were. There was also something that went around to the back, like where my butt is, but I can't show you that, either. Sorry!
This image represents where my scars are from the surgery.
I had two doctor's appointments this week.
Yesterday was with the Trauma specialists at MHMC, they told me that:
--my incisions look like they're healing well
--my cracked ribs will be sore for months, that is normal
--they took xrays of all of my broken parts and mentioned that my collarbone may need surgery because the broken piece had moved further away from its original spot
Today I saw my Orthopaedic Surgeon who told me:
--my pelvis is healing as expected. I am going back on May 31st and we will see about getting me walking on that leg
--my collarbone has indeed moved, but it will still heal ok. I may have a slight bump on my right shoulder, but that's all. I will take that in lieu of a scar & surgery
--I have to keep on the blood thinning shots for another month
--I don't have all of the hip precautions that I did when I left the hospital, I just need to make sure I'm resting my right leg and not actively trying to lift my hip
--The funny feeling on the top of my right thigh will probably lessen if not go away completely, but the numbness on my outer right thigh may very well stay that way forever.
Here are some photos to show you all kind of how things look inside my pelvis. THIS IS NOT MY XRAY. I FOUND THIS XRAY ON GOOGLE.COM.
Dr.: "You did a number on your pelvis"
Me: "Well, **I** didn't do anything to my pelvis, so to speak."
Dr.: "*laughs* Of course not, but, I think you know what I meant."
What I can't show you on here (because I don't remember from my xray that I saw) where exactly all the cracks were. There was also something that went around to the back, like where my butt is, but I can't show you that, either. Sorry!
This image represents where my scars are from the surgery.
The dark line on top extends from my right side "love handle" all the way across my lower belly and ends about 3" below my belly button. The whole thing is probably about 1' long. That's where they had to cut me open to fix my pelvis. The other, smaller, dark line is the incision that they made on the side of my right thigh that is about 3" long. I'm not sure why they made that one, but, it's there.
So, if you wanted to know more, now you do! If you didn't.....maybe you skimmed this entry? Or didn't read it at all? If you read, thanks for reading! If you didn't...well...you didn't get this far.
B
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The benefits of being in a car accident
What a weird title right?
What it means is that I am always trying to find the big positives and silver linings since my accident. Here's what I've come up with so far:
-- I estimate that I've lost around 20lbs or so and I am super motivated to keep increasing that number and keeping healthier eating habits.
-- Because I am at a bigger risk for early-onset arthritis I am determined to work out daily, or at least every other day (once I am fully healed), to prevent this from happening.
-- If this accident hadn't happened I would be working at Cain Park this summer which would have been really awesome, don't get me wrong, but now if I get hired on a cruise ship I could probably start sometime late July or August, depending on my health.
-- I will be able to go on my little weekend family vacation in June ( I would have had to work before).
Those are the biggest things for now. I will write more as I come up with them!
I had a fabulous weekend with Daniella, we did a lot of sitting around while I did needlepoint (don't judge) and she studied for her final. We also took a trip to the mall with my mom and my sister and they wheeled me around and I got a couple of really cute tops from Torrid and some super comfy PJ pants on sale from Macy's. Mission shopping trip was a success!
I am looking forward to another fabulous weekend with Margaret this week! =)
B
What it means is that I am always trying to find the big positives and silver linings since my accident. Here's what I've come up with so far:
-- I estimate that I've lost around 20lbs or so and I am super motivated to keep increasing that number and keeping healthier eating habits.
-- Because I am at a bigger risk for early-onset arthritis I am determined to work out daily, or at least every other day (once I am fully healed), to prevent this from happening.
-- If this accident hadn't happened I would be working at Cain Park this summer which would have been really awesome, don't get me wrong, but now if I get hired on a cruise ship I could probably start sometime late July or August, depending on my health.
-- I will be able to go on my little weekend family vacation in June ( I would have had to work before).
Those are the biggest things for now. I will write more as I come up with them!
I had a fabulous weekend with Daniella, we did a lot of sitting around while I did needlepoint (don't judge) and she studied for her final. We also took a trip to the mall with my mom and my sister and they wheeled me around and I got a couple of really cute tops from Torrid and some super comfy PJ pants on sale from Macy's. Mission shopping trip was a success!
I am looking forward to another fabulous weekend with Margaret this week! =)
B
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Insurance companies, Doctors and Detectives, oh my!
I am not going to say much about any of the entities named in the title of this blog entry, but I will say that my phone has never rang this much in my whole life I don't think. Same thing goes for my mom's phone. Oy!
A few morsels of good news: I had a great 1st of 3 possible interviews to potentially work for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line! How awesome would that be?!?!?!?!?! Here's hoping it works out!!! =D
Also: Daniella is coming to visit me for the weekend. SO. Excited!
Finally: My favorite author is going to send me a copy of one of her books! Long story but she blogged about how she has all these copies of her books that she was planning on giving away and I commented and told her that I lent my copy of her book to someone and never got it back and never bought a new one because I didn't want the new cover art (my copy had had the original cover art). So I opened my email this morning and had an email from her saying she would "LOVE" to send me one of the books!! SQUEE! I hope she autographs it =D
I know, I know, this entry was short but I'm not feeling too inspired at the moment. Sorry beloved ones! Stay tuned for more!
B
A few morsels of good news: I had a great 1st of 3 possible interviews to potentially work for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line! How awesome would that be?!?!?!?!?! Here's hoping it works out!!! =D
Also: Daniella is coming to visit me for the weekend. SO. Excited!
Finally: My favorite author is going to send me a copy of one of her books! Long story but she blogged about how she has all these copies of her books that she was planning on giving away and I commented and told her that I lent my copy of her book to someone and never got it back and never bought a new one because I didn't want the new cover art (my copy had had the original cover art). So I opened my email this morning and had an email from her saying she would "LOVE" to send me one of the books!! SQUEE! I hope she autographs it =D
I know, I know, this entry was short but I'm not feeling too inspired at the moment. Sorry beloved ones! Stay tuned for more!
B
Monday, April 18, 2011
Hope
Yesterday was a not-so-good day. My pain seemed greater than usual, even though nothing was different about my pain medications, and I had a small migraine that I couldn't do anything about because taking Excedrin would mess with all of my other medications. Later on, my mom stretched out my bad leg for me and that helped my discomfort and I took some more medications and around 9pm or so I finally felt a lot better.
I woke up this morning and I said to myself "You're going to have ups and downs, good days and bad ones, you just need to accept this, do the best you can, and move along." Then I was thinking about the word "Hope", and most of you won't know the significance of that word in my life, but read on and I will share it with you. I need to hope more, and believe more, that this did happen for a reason and that even though that reason isn't apparent to me now, it will be some day.
Ironically, this afternoon I received a Get Well card from my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Bob, and in that card my Aunt Sandy quoted the very source, the very reason as to why "Hope" is such an important word in my life....allow me to explain.
Many many years ago, a gentleman named Thomas Lanahan and a lady named Hope Kittelsen went on their first date to a local Chinese restaurant. The date was going very well, they were totally hitting it off, and eventually the time came for them to open and eat their fortune cookies. Hope opened hers, her fortune was nothing of consequence, and ate her cookie. But Tom, he cracked opened his cookie, read his fortune, and a huge grin formed on his face. He looked up at Hope and read to her the writing on that small piece of paper:
"He who has hope has everything."
To make a long story short, Tom and Hope were never apart after that, at least not in their hearts. Tom went off to fight in World War 2 and came back a decorated hero, and they were married, I think around 1944, and they were together for 60 years until Hope died of cancer in September 2004 and Tom followed her a few years later in December 2007.
Tom and Hope were my grandparents, in case you haven't figured that one out, and while I don't have a lot of memories of them, my most vivid memory is of my grandpa pulling out his wallet one summer when I was visiting them in New York, I was probably 9 or 10 years old, and showing me the fortune and telling me his story. He kept the Hope fortune in his wallet from their first date to the day he died in 2007. I now have that fortune, which he made into a little collage with two pictures of my grandmother, framed and in my bedroom.
Anyways---the whole point that I am trying to make here is that hope is essential, and I intend to stock up on it and to never run out.
B
I woke up this morning and I said to myself "You're going to have ups and downs, good days and bad ones, you just need to accept this, do the best you can, and move along." Then I was thinking about the word "Hope", and most of you won't know the significance of that word in my life, but read on and I will share it with you. I need to hope more, and believe more, that this did happen for a reason and that even though that reason isn't apparent to me now, it will be some day.
Ironically, this afternoon I received a Get Well card from my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Bob, and in that card my Aunt Sandy quoted the very source, the very reason as to why "Hope" is such an important word in my life....allow me to explain.
Many many years ago, a gentleman named Thomas Lanahan and a lady named Hope Kittelsen went on their first date to a local Chinese restaurant. The date was going very well, they were totally hitting it off, and eventually the time came for them to open and eat their fortune cookies. Hope opened hers, her fortune was nothing of consequence, and ate her cookie. But Tom, he cracked opened his cookie, read his fortune, and a huge grin formed on his face. He looked up at Hope and read to her the writing on that small piece of paper:
"He who has hope has everything."
To make a long story short, Tom and Hope were never apart after that, at least not in their hearts. Tom went off to fight in World War 2 and came back a decorated hero, and they were married, I think around 1944, and they were together for 60 years until Hope died of cancer in September 2004 and Tom followed her a few years later in December 2007.
Tom and Hope were my grandparents, in case you haven't figured that one out, and while I don't have a lot of memories of them, my most vivid memory is of my grandpa pulling out his wallet one summer when I was visiting them in New York, I was probably 9 or 10 years old, and showing me the fortune and telling me his story. He kept the Hope fortune in his wallet from their first date to the day he died in 2007. I now have that fortune, which he made into a little collage with two pictures of my grandmother, framed and in my bedroom.
Anyways---the whole point that I am trying to make here is that hope is essential, and I intend to stock up on it and to never run out.
B
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Shopping adventure
Day one of at-home care looks like this so far:
8am--Wake up (not really feeling like PDiddy, though). Get pain meds, blood thinner shot, and other misc. meds that have been prescribed for me. Lay around in bed for awhile trying to wake up.
8:30m-- Breakfast with mom. This morning it was Honey Nut Cheerios, yum yum yum.
9am-- Do my physical therapy exercises, with some super-sweet iPod jams in the background. Nothing like flexing your ankles to the beat of the GLEE version of "Kiss". (Don't judge me.)
10am-- Get dressed.
10:45am-- Roll into the living room, wait for mom to shower and get dressed herself.
11:30am--Pack up the car with me and my equipment and head out to run errands.
Today during errands, we acquired: a handicap sticker for my mom's car (we get rockstar parking now), a loofah sponge on a stick (so I can more easily wash myself), a lapdesk (so my computer can sit on my lap while I'm in bed and not overheat), Tylenol PM (hopefully to help me stay asleep through the night) and a "Thank You" card for my nurses from the hospital (self-explanatory). We also got my glasses adjusted, yay!
I'm sure you were all fascinated by that story. I know it was quite riveting and filled with action, intrigue, romance and plot twists. :P
I shall probably write again later and give you something more profound to chew on, but for now, Sarah is here so I'm going to go hang out with her!
B
8am--Wake up (not really feeling like PDiddy, though). Get pain meds, blood thinner shot, and other misc. meds that have been prescribed for me. Lay around in bed for awhile trying to wake up.
8:30m-- Breakfast with mom. This morning it was Honey Nut Cheerios, yum yum yum.
9am-- Do my physical therapy exercises, with some super-sweet iPod jams in the background. Nothing like flexing your ankles to the beat of the GLEE version of "Kiss". (Don't judge me.)
10am-- Get dressed.
10:45am-- Roll into the living room, wait for mom to shower and get dressed herself.
11:30am--Pack up the car with me and my equipment and head out to run errands.
Today during errands, we acquired: a handicap sticker for my mom's car (we get rockstar parking now), a loofah sponge on a stick (so I can more easily wash myself), a lapdesk (so my computer can sit on my lap while I'm in bed and not overheat), Tylenol PM (hopefully to help me stay asleep through the night) and a "Thank You" card for my nurses from the hospital (self-explanatory). We also got my glasses adjusted, yay!
I'm sure you were all fascinated by that story. I know it was quite riveting and filled with action, intrigue, romance and plot twists. :P
I shall probably write again later and give you something more profound to chew on, but for now, Sarah is here so I'm going to go hang out with her!
B
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
There's no place like home
Well, everyone, it's official: I am home! I am right now snuggled up in my new bedroom on the main floor, in my beautiful yellow sheets, having had a shower, a nice meal provided by a neighbor, and tried out my wheelchair & walker around the house. Getting around is going to be hard work but essentially that's a good thing, it's basically like it's more physical therapy which is good for me, just exhausting!!
Oh, and just in case you're curious, this is basically what my walker looks like. It has the handle in the middle (only my middle handle is faced towards the left) so that it can be moved with just one hand while maintaining balance on the floor. It's called a stroke walker I think because it's designed for people who can't use one side of their body to move themselves around. Basically how I move is I let my right leg and arm hang there like dead chickens and I hold the center pole with my left hand and I move the walker forward a little, then I hop forward on my left leg. Rinse. Repeat. Hence: I get very tired very fast. BUT at least it means I can move.
I could post a picture of my wheelchair but it's pretty much a standard wheelchair so you all know what that looks like I would hope!
My new schedule is going to have me getting up early and getting to bed early like an adult, it's going to be so weird! But we will adapt. A lot of adaptations are coming my way, but luckily I have a tremendous support system to help me out!
So, now it's bedtime. More tomorrow!
B
I could post a picture of my wheelchair but it's pretty much a standard wheelchair so you all know what that looks like I would hope!
My new schedule is going to have me getting up early and getting to bed early like an adult, it's going to be so weird! But we will adapt. A lot of adaptations are coming my way, but luckily I have a tremendous support system to help me out!
So, now it's bedtime. More tomorrow!
B
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