| — n | |
| a memorably important or happy occasion. I had to look it up to see exactly what it meant to make sure it fit what I am feeling and I believe it does so this is a red-letter day. It has been a really great day! First off, when I got on the scale this morning the dreaded plateau or stall had finally ended. I was down 3 pounds or so. I am at 185 even and that is exactly 60 pounds lost. Yay, me! On Wednesday I had my 3 month follow up appointment at the bariatric center and I got to see everyone! I didn't realize that I would see them all and since I love them all to death it was great. First Dr. Long stuck his head in Erica my nut's office, (nut,short for nutritionist). He jokingly said, "I understand there is a patient here today that nobody even recognizes anymore!" He is such a dear man and chatted with me for a few minutes. Then I spent time with Erica going over what I am doing, looking at my blood work (which was great except a little high for B12)! Then I met with Kristie, Dr. Long's PA and went over vitals, talked more about blood work and just had an all around great visit. Then I met with Elisabeth, the counselor, and we talked about how I am doing mentally with all the changes and she just kept on and on about how great I am doing! Then she asked me if I would be willing to speak at the class they hold each month for the people who are looking into bariatric surgery or are on their journey with the insurance companies to get approved. I went to classes for 3 months but many, if not most, people have to attend 6 months worth of these classes. I told her I would love to and so I did that this morning. I have to say it was great, at least for me. I really want to be a help and a support to other travelers on this journey to health. I just basically told them a little about me and how poor my health was and then some of the pros and cons of having this surgery as I see it now at 3 months out. They were very kind to me and even gave me some applause. No one looked too incredibly bored and I got a few questions. I stuck around after the class was over and a few people stayed around to talk to me. I gave them all this blog address and I do hope some of them will visit. I will officially be at 3 months post-op on November 27th. A part of me feels like it has been much longer since so much has changed but another part of me says, "Wow! It has only been 3 months!!" That really isn't a long time. Another thing that made today great was I tried something new for my lunch. I have kind of been in a rut with either tuna, or my made up chili or a black bean burger. I took a Mission Low-carb tortilla (the small one) spread 2 T. vegetarian refried beans on it and put it in the oven on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet at 400. While it warmed up I cooked a link of turkey sausage, chopped some red onion and some yellow bell pepper and a mini babybel light cheese wedge. I pulled my tortilla out and put all of that on top, chopping the sausage first. Then back in the oven for a few minutes while the cheese melted. I added a couple teaspoons of salsa to the top and voila! Mexican Pizza! It was really good and a nice change. I seem to want everything spicy and my little pouch doesn't seem to mind at all, lol! Hope you all have a super weekend. It is really cold here in Colorado and I am hoping it will warm up! It snowed Wed. night and yesterday and now it is just freezing!  | |
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.Friday, November 22, 2013
A Red Letter Day!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Pictures, pictures, pictures.
So I haven't posted in over a week because I promised the next time I posted there would be pictures and I didn't know how to do it! I am sure all you tech savvy people are rolling your eyes right now, lol! But I got hubby to sit down and work with me and now I know how to do it. If you want to see them you will have to click on the archives on the right and go back into August. I posted before and after pictures of all 3 of my major weight loss adventures as well as a picture back in October when I was down about 40 pounds.
I am not losing very fast but I am losing. Today I weighed in at 187.6. When I get to 185 I will have lost 60 pounds which is the most I have ever lost on any program or diet I tried in the past. I have set my goal as 145 which will be 100 pounds lost and I don't think it is an unreasonable goal. I think 130 would be just too thin for me. I am not a dainty little girl even when thing. I wear a size 11 shoe and am pretty big boned. I will never be a size 4 or 6 or even an 8 but a size 10 might be achievable. I just had to get some more jeans. They are a size 16, down from my 22's. I saw my grand kids earlier today and I was wearing a new outfit, had make-up on and expected a real double take from them. After quite a while when no one said anything I said to my grandson, Connor. "Hey, can you tell grandma has lost weight?" He looked me over and said, "No, you just look like grandma!" You just gotta love it! I guess grandma's are just perfect no matter what they weigh, lol!
I hope everyone reading this blog is doing awesome or at least hanging in there. Losing weight is a tough road, it is not for wimps and even having bariatric surgery does not make it a cake walk. I wonder why so many metaphors we use are food related. Cake walk. I used to always participate in those at school fairs and I won more than my share of cakes, just as I always ate more than my share of cake but I digress. Anyway, I think of those of you who come and visit as my friends, and when I pray I offer you all up for whatever your need is because I believe God knows each one of you and your needs.
So I haven't posted in over a week because I promised the next time I posted there would be pictures and I didn't know how to do it! I am sure all you tech savvy people are rolling your eyes right now, lol! But I got hubby to sit down and work with me and now I know how to do it. If you want to see them you will have to click on the archives on the right and go back into August. I posted before and after pictures of all 3 of my major weight loss adventures as well as a picture back in October when I was down about 40 pounds.
I am not losing very fast but I am losing. Today I weighed in at 187.6. When I get to 185 I will have lost 60 pounds which is the most I have ever lost on any program or diet I tried in the past. I have set my goal as 145 which will be 100 pounds lost and I don't think it is an unreasonable goal. I think 130 would be just too thin for me. I am not a dainty little girl even when thing. I wear a size 11 shoe and am pretty big boned. I will never be a size 4 or 6 or even an 8 but a size 10 might be achievable. I just had to get some more jeans. They are a size 16, down from my 22's. I saw my grand kids earlier today and I was wearing a new outfit, had make-up on and expected a real double take from them. After quite a while when no one said anything I said to my grandson, Connor. "Hey, can you tell grandma has lost weight?" He looked me over and said, "No, you just look like grandma!" You just gotta love it! I guess grandma's are just perfect no matter what they weigh, lol!
I hope everyone reading this blog is doing awesome or at least hanging in there. Losing weight is a tough road, it is not for wimps and even having bariatric surgery does not make it a cake walk. I wonder why so many metaphors we use are food related. Cake walk. I used to always participate in those at school fairs and I won more than my share of cakes, just as I always ate more than my share of cake but I digress. Anyway, I think of those of you who come and visit as my friends, and when I pray I offer you all up for whatever your need is because I believe God knows each one of you and your needs.
Friday, November 8, 2013
A New Low
And by that I don't mean I am depressed, lol! I hit 188 on the scale yesterday. Went from 193.6 to 188 all of a sudden. Weight loss is so strange, you can do everything you are supposed to be doing and it doesn't move and then suddenly, woosh, 5 pounds gone! I'm not complaining, in fact, I am very happy. For some reason this new number has excited me more than moving out of the 200's did. I stood on that scale for the longest time just staring at that number, having a hard time believing it. So that is a grand total of 57 pounds lost. The most I have ever lost on all the weight loss programs I have participated in is 60 pounds but when I reach my goal I will have lost 100 pounds. I wonder if there is a club I can join, you know, something like the Mile High Club, lol!
On another note, I am beginning to experience the dreaded hair loss. I think I had myself convinced that it wasn't going to happen to me. I take all my supplements, extra biotin, get in lots of protein but I guess it is just an inevitable part of this journey. My son's girlfriend, who had this surgery about 5 years ago says it is at it's worse about 6 months out. So I am only 2 and a half months out now. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy, is all I can say! I will deal with it but I don't have to like it, right? The same could be said for all the saggy, baggy skin I am beginning to see. I promised myself in the beginning that I would focus on all the positive changes in my health and that is what I am trying to do but it is hard! I guess I need to start shopping for my Spanx, LOL!
You may recall me telling you about a young man I know who had wls in September. Clay has had extreme complications, nearly died and is still in the hospital after 6 weeks. He just got out of ICU this week and is finally getting to try a little bit of clear liquids after passing a leak test. It just boggles my mind that a young (30) person would have so much trouble while someone my age sailed through it all with no complications. Is it the surgeon, the hospital, the patient? We'll probably never know but it is a very sobering situation. We take a risk any time we have any surgery. Make sure you check everything out that you can about your doctor and the hospital he operates in. Make sure you tell them everything, any underlying condition you may have has to be taken into consideration.
Gonna try to hijack hubby this weekend and get some pictures posted. Don't hold your breath but I will try!
And by that I don't mean I am depressed, lol! I hit 188 on the scale yesterday. Went from 193.6 to 188 all of a sudden. Weight loss is so strange, you can do everything you are supposed to be doing and it doesn't move and then suddenly, woosh, 5 pounds gone! I'm not complaining, in fact, I am very happy. For some reason this new number has excited me more than moving out of the 200's did. I stood on that scale for the longest time just staring at that number, having a hard time believing it. So that is a grand total of 57 pounds lost. The most I have ever lost on all the weight loss programs I have participated in is 60 pounds but when I reach my goal I will have lost 100 pounds. I wonder if there is a club I can join, you know, something like the Mile High Club, lol!
On another note, I am beginning to experience the dreaded hair loss. I think I had myself convinced that it wasn't going to happen to me. I take all my supplements, extra biotin, get in lots of protein but I guess it is just an inevitable part of this journey. My son's girlfriend, who had this surgery about 5 years ago says it is at it's worse about 6 months out. So I am only 2 and a half months out now. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy, is all I can say! I will deal with it but I don't have to like it, right? The same could be said for all the saggy, baggy skin I am beginning to see. I promised myself in the beginning that I would focus on all the positive changes in my health and that is what I am trying to do but it is hard! I guess I need to start shopping for my Spanx, LOL!
You may recall me telling you about a young man I know who had wls in September. Clay has had extreme complications, nearly died and is still in the hospital after 6 weeks. He just got out of ICU this week and is finally getting to try a little bit of clear liquids after passing a leak test. It just boggles my mind that a young (30) person would have so much trouble while someone my age sailed through it all with no complications. Is it the surgeon, the hospital, the patient? We'll probably never know but it is a very sobering situation. We take a risk any time we have any surgery. Make sure you check everything out that you can about your doctor and the hospital he operates in. Make sure you tell them everything, any underlying condition you may have has to be taken into consideration.
Gonna try to hijack hubby this weekend and get some pictures posted. Don't hold your breath but I will try!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Time Flies
Where does the time go? I mean to post at least every couple of days but time just gets away!
Interesting week with Halloween in it, lol! I have seen so many people post how hard staying away from all the candy has been for them. I was with my grandkids for Halloween and while everyone ate pizza, Caesar salad and chips and dip, I had some white meat chicken, some grape tomatoes and a low-fat string cheese. The only thing that looked a little tempting was the chips and dip but not so much that I would have some. Then while the mom's took the kids out trick or treating, the other grandma and I did what has become a tradition for about the last 12 years. We sat behind a long table in the driveway with 2 big buckets of candy, our big pump thermoses full of hot chocolate, and a bucket full of mini marshmallows. The kids love it and the adults love it! We had the hot chocolate right at drinking temperature and it was so cold that almost no one turned down a cup. The hot chocolate didn't tempt me, the marshmallows didn't tempt me and the candy didn't tempt me. I am sure it is because I am still pretty much a newbie at 10 -11 weeks out from surgery and next year may be very different but for now the idea of dumping syndrome, getting back into sugar or weight gain are not on my agenda!!
Now I do have to admit to more hunger this last week or so. I am eating very healthy, mostly turkey, chicken and fish for protein, edamame, grape tomatoes (love) cottage cheese, beans, and still some protein shakes. I have gotten bad at eating too quickly and maybe not chewing as well as I need to and I have paid the piper. Twice I have gotten food stuck and it caused me to have to throw it up and a good case of the dreaded "foamies". In case you don't know what that is I will copy and paste a description here from the web. "When you get food stuck (either from not chewing well enough or from eating something that's too dry) -- your body reacts by trying to slide the food through your pouch with extra lubrication. That lubrication is saliva. But since the food is stuck, the saliva can't go down -- and it ends up pooling in your mouth instead. So just grab a tissue and spit (as lady-like as possible). Sometimes when you vomit from stuck-food, you won't actually get the food but just a bunch of saliva that's all foamy looking. "
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4225415/what-are-the-foamies/
Mindful eating is essential for us and what I did was mindless eating, it doesn't work and it is one of the things that made me obese to begin with.
How's my weight doing you ask? I was 191.4 this morning. That is only 3 more pounds in a week and a half but hey who's counting, lol! Seriously, it isn't super fast but hey I did pray it wouldn't be, didn't I? I am losing lots of inches and am going to have to head over to my fancy boutique (thrift store) soon for a smaller size pants. These 18's are starting to hang pretty loose on me. It is crazy but I am a little sad because the 2 pair of jeans that I bought are really nice ones. I hope I can find some cute ones in a 16 or I wonder if I should try to squeeze into a 14 so they will last me longer? Nah, I doubt I could do that just yet and I don't want to be uncomfortable.
I hope all of you are doing really great and any journey you are on is moving along. It won't always be a smooth road but it is your road and you need to enjoy travelling down it as much as possible.
Where does the time go? I mean to post at least every couple of days but time just gets away!
Interesting week with Halloween in it, lol! I have seen so many people post how hard staying away from all the candy has been for them. I was with my grandkids for Halloween and while everyone ate pizza, Caesar salad and chips and dip, I had some white meat chicken, some grape tomatoes and a low-fat string cheese. The only thing that looked a little tempting was the chips and dip but not so much that I would have some. Then while the mom's took the kids out trick or treating, the other grandma and I did what has become a tradition for about the last 12 years. We sat behind a long table in the driveway with 2 big buckets of candy, our big pump thermoses full of hot chocolate, and a bucket full of mini marshmallows. The kids love it and the adults love it! We had the hot chocolate right at drinking temperature and it was so cold that almost no one turned down a cup. The hot chocolate didn't tempt me, the marshmallows didn't tempt me and the candy didn't tempt me. I am sure it is because I am still pretty much a newbie at 10 -11 weeks out from surgery and next year may be very different but for now the idea of dumping syndrome, getting back into sugar or weight gain are not on my agenda!!
Now I do have to admit to more hunger this last week or so. I am eating very healthy, mostly turkey, chicken and fish for protein, edamame, grape tomatoes (love) cottage cheese, beans, and still some protein shakes. I have gotten bad at eating too quickly and maybe not chewing as well as I need to and I have paid the piper. Twice I have gotten food stuck and it caused me to have to throw it up and a good case of the dreaded "foamies". In case you don't know what that is I will copy and paste a description here from the web. "When you get food stuck (either from not chewing well enough or from eating something that's too dry) -- your body reacts by trying to slide the food through your pouch with extra lubrication. That lubrication is saliva. But since the food is stuck, the saliva can't go down -- and it ends up pooling in your mouth instead. So just grab a tissue and spit (as lady-like as possible). Sometimes when you vomit from stuck-food, you won't actually get the food but just a bunch of saliva that's all foamy looking. "
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4225415/what-are-the-foamies/
Mindful eating is essential for us and what I did was mindless eating, it doesn't work and it is one of the things that made me obese to begin with.
How's my weight doing you ask? I was 191.4 this morning. That is only 3 more pounds in a week and a half but hey who's counting, lol! Seriously, it isn't super fast but hey I did pray it wouldn't be, didn't I? I am losing lots of inches and am going to have to head over to my fancy boutique (thrift store) soon for a smaller size pants. These 18's are starting to hang pretty loose on me. It is crazy but I am a little sad because the 2 pair of jeans that I bought are really nice ones. I hope I can find some cute ones in a 16 or I wonder if I should try to squeeze into a 14 so they will last me longer? Nah, I doubt I could do that just yet and I don't want to be uncomfortable.
I hope all of you are doing really great and any journey you are on is moving along. It won't always be a smooth road but it is your road and you need to enjoy travelling down it as much as possible.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Good Changes Revisited
So let me finally wind this long story down, lol! I spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from the whole thing. And for the last 15 years my health has been going downhill. I was put on blood thinners after the embolism, I started having problems with my blood pressure and went on medication for that. I just never felt well and began to deal with a lot of depression. Then a couple of years later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which explained the lack of energy and the constant pain I was dealing with. I was already on some meds for diabetes and as I wandered through this world of pain and depression I ate and I gained and I ate and I gained and everything became worse. Then the docs determined that I needed oxygen so that added another level to the mix. Having to wear oxygen is the pits. It is like always being on a leash, your nose gets sore, you get deep, ugly lines in your face and it drives you crazy causing dryness and tickling in your nose. Then my diabetes got worse and worse until I was finally on 4 different meds trying to keep it controlled. I was getting to the point where I just wanted to give up. My quality of life was nil. I just wanted God to take me! I had talked to my doctor about bypass surgery but she was very negative and discouraging, saying I just had too many health problems, I wouldn't survive the surgery, etc. Then 2 years later at my hubby's doctor visit they ended up discussing my health rather than his issue and the doc said, "I think maybe Colleen should consider bariatric surgery." When he came home and told me that I was like, "Hello! I talked to her about it a long time ago!" But never mind that, I was on the phone and making my first appointment before she could change her mind!
So what are the good changes I have been alluding too these last few days! I have mentioned some of them in previous posts but I am going to list them all here.
This may not seem like a big deal to some but for me it is an awesome improvement to my life. My family has had to take care of so many things for me and to even be able to take back some of those things is incredible. WLS is not the answer to all my problems but it has been the catalyst to get me to a place where I can take on the challenges that confront me every day. I am looking forward to many, many more nsv's (non-surgical victories).
I hope and pray that there are people reading this who feel encouraged to move forward in their own struggles. WLS is just a tool, as you know, but we need tools for just about any project we take on in life. Use this tool to help yourself change and create good things in your life, too. I am rooting for you!
So let me finally wind this long story down, lol! I spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from the whole thing. And for the last 15 years my health has been going downhill. I was put on blood thinners after the embolism, I started having problems with my blood pressure and went on medication for that. I just never felt well and began to deal with a lot of depression. Then a couple of years later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which explained the lack of energy and the constant pain I was dealing with. I was already on some meds for diabetes and as I wandered through this world of pain and depression I ate and I gained and I ate and I gained and everything became worse. Then the docs determined that I needed oxygen so that added another level to the mix. Having to wear oxygen is the pits. It is like always being on a leash, your nose gets sore, you get deep, ugly lines in your face and it drives you crazy causing dryness and tickling in your nose. Then my diabetes got worse and worse until I was finally on 4 different meds trying to keep it controlled. I was getting to the point where I just wanted to give up. My quality of life was nil. I just wanted God to take me! I had talked to my doctor about bypass surgery but she was very negative and discouraging, saying I just had too many health problems, I wouldn't survive the surgery, etc. Then 2 years later at my hubby's doctor visit they ended up discussing my health rather than his issue and the doc said, "I think maybe Colleen should consider bariatric surgery." When he came home and told me that I was like, "Hello! I talked to her about it a long time ago!" But never mind that, I was on the phone and making my first appointment before she could change her mind!
So what are the good changes I have been alluding too these last few days! I have mentioned some of them in previous posts but I am going to list them all here.
- I am off of all my diabetes medication! Insulin, Victoza, Glimeperide, and Metformin, all gone!
- I am off of Coumadin (blood thinner) a medication I so wanted to be rid of!
- I no longer require oxygen during the day time. And soon, after a sleep study, I may get off entirely!
- I no longer take Celebrex (you can't with this surgery) and my joint pain is manageable without it!
- My evening blood pressure meds were cut in half and if things continue I will probably be able to drop it completely!
- My cholesterol is 120 so I will be able to drop that medicine soon I think.
This may not seem like a big deal to some but for me it is an awesome improvement to my life. My family has had to take care of so many things for me and to even be able to take back some of those things is incredible. WLS is not the answer to all my problems but it has been the catalyst to get me to a place where I can take on the challenges that confront me every day. I am looking forward to many, many more nsv's (non-surgical victories).
I hope and pray that there are people reading this who feel encouraged to move forward in their own struggles. WLS is just a tool, as you know, but we need tools for just about any project we take on in life. Use this tool to help yourself change and create good things in your life, too. I am rooting for you!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Good Changes continued...
Continuing on with my story so I can then explain why I've titled this "Good Changes."
After I was given the TPA, which by the way, did not dissolve the clot, I was moved into the ICU. There I lay for a couple of days being constantly monitored, taken for VQ lung scans, MRI's, X-rays and ct scans. The big event that occurred was my mom coming to see me. Mom was in an assisted living home a good distance from this hospital. She felt like she wasn't being told everything by the family and somehow she managed to get a taxi to pick her up and bring her to see me. I was shocked when she rolled into my room in her wheelchair. She basically said she had to see me for herself to know I was okay :( It was kind of sad, she thought I had died and no one would tell her.
Finally I was moved from ICU to a regular room. A couple of days went by and it was a Sunday morning. Hubby, of course, was spending all of his free time at the hospital and we were just talking when the hospital Chief of Staff came in, can't remember this doctor's name but Steve was just waiting for someone to pounce on. He told this doc that we had not been given any real info since the night in the ER and that since they had done a ton of tests on me there must be some news. This doc seemed surprised and said, "You have the absolute right to see and know the results of any and all tests that have been performed. I will go round up all results and be back in about an hour." When he returned I was on the phone with my eldest brother, Walt, who was in Mexico helping to set up churches. I told him to hold on and laid the phone down. I then heard again words you do not want to hear from any doctor. The doc said, "Well, we have looked at all of the films and scans and it is not good news. There is a mass in your chest unrelated to the blood clot and from the way it presents we are pretty sure it is cancer. I have scheduled you for a bronchoscopy first thing tomorrow and we will go down the throat and biopsy the mass." I was in total shock. I kept telling God I had only signed up for a minor scope of my knees and that He must have my file card in the wrong slot!
I got back on the phone with my brother and after filling him in on the turn of events, he told me he would start a worldwide prayer chain with his many contacts. Steve got on the phone with church members and family members and did the same. I believe that within hours hundreds of people were storming the gates of heaven on my behalf! Next morning at 7am I was wheeled into surgery for my biopsy but when I woke up I was told that they were unable to reach the mass and they had scheduled me for a thoracoscopy at 3pm. By then it was about 10am so Steve decided to go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast. As I lay there alone pondering the situation I suddenly had a very strange sensation in my chest. The best way I can describe it is an effervescence similar to Alka-Seltzer fizzing except this was inside of me. It tickled a lot. Out loud to myself I suddenly said, "Well, there goes their cancer!"
That afternoon they did the thoracoscopy which is the insertion of an endoscope, a narrow—diameter tube with a viewing mirror or camera attachment, through a very small incision (cut) in the chest wall. When they got to where they needed to be they found nothing there! So they performed a thoracotomy where they cut a very large incision, spread the ribs, and collapsed the right lung only to find - NOTHING! Now don't get me wrong, I believe it had been there but I believe God chose to heal me. The next time I was able to speak to my pulmonary doc and the thoracic surgeon they basically said, "We don't know what to tell you, we have reviewed all of the films and it is there! We even flew in a specialist from CA and it is there but as you know it is not there." They also mentioned that they imagined we would want to sue. Steve told them, "No, we are not litigious people and besides we believe without a doubt that God healed her." They responded with, "Well, we do not have a better explanation!"
Now this was a very major surgery. I had a tube in my side to remove air and fluid from the pleural cavity. I had some major recovering to do and recover I did, however, I have never been the same physically since that day. It is now 15 years later and that surgery has caused me lots of breathing problems and I have always had a spot in the middle of my chest that is very painful. For a long time I really believed they had left an instrument inside me but later tests proved me wrong :)
This is again a very long post and I am going to finish it up tomorrow. Hang in there with me, I am telling it in as few words as possible!
Continuing on with my story so I can then explain why I've titled this "Good Changes."
After I was given the TPA, which by the way, did not dissolve the clot, I was moved into the ICU. There I lay for a couple of days being constantly monitored, taken for VQ lung scans, MRI's, X-rays and ct scans. The big event that occurred was my mom coming to see me. Mom was in an assisted living home a good distance from this hospital. She felt like she wasn't being told everything by the family and somehow she managed to get a taxi to pick her up and bring her to see me. I was shocked when she rolled into my room in her wheelchair. She basically said she had to see me for herself to know I was okay :( It was kind of sad, she thought I had died and no one would tell her.
Finally I was moved from ICU to a regular room. A couple of days went by and it was a Sunday morning. Hubby, of course, was spending all of his free time at the hospital and we were just talking when the hospital Chief of Staff came in, can't remember this doctor's name but Steve was just waiting for someone to pounce on. He told this doc that we had not been given any real info since the night in the ER and that since they had done a ton of tests on me there must be some news. This doc seemed surprised and said, "You have the absolute right to see and know the results of any and all tests that have been performed. I will go round up all results and be back in about an hour." When he returned I was on the phone with my eldest brother, Walt, who was in Mexico helping to set up churches. I told him to hold on and laid the phone down. I then heard again words you do not want to hear from any doctor. The doc said, "Well, we have looked at all of the films and scans and it is not good news. There is a mass in your chest unrelated to the blood clot and from the way it presents we are pretty sure it is cancer. I have scheduled you for a bronchoscopy first thing tomorrow and we will go down the throat and biopsy the mass." I was in total shock. I kept telling God I had only signed up for a minor scope of my knees and that He must have my file card in the wrong slot!
I got back on the phone with my brother and after filling him in on the turn of events, he told me he would start a worldwide prayer chain with his many contacts. Steve got on the phone with church members and family members and did the same. I believe that within hours hundreds of people were storming the gates of heaven on my behalf! Next morning at 7am I was wheeled into surgery for my biopsy but when I woke up I was told that they were unable to reach the mass and they had scheduled me for a thoracoscopy at 3pm. By then it was about 10am so Steve decided to go to the cafeteria and get some breakfast. As I lay there alone pondering the situation I suddenly had a very strange sensation in my chest. The best way I can describe it is an effervescence similar to Alka-Seltzer fizzing except this was inside of me. It tickled a lot. Out loud to myself I suddenly said, "Well, there goes their cancer!"
That afternoon they did the thoracoscopy which is the insertion of an endoscope, a narrow—diameter tube with a viewing mirror or camera attachment, through a very small incision (cut) in the chest wall. When they got to where they needed to be they found nothing there! So they performed a thoracotomy where they cut a very large incision, spread the ribs, and collapsed the right lung only to find - NOTHING! Now don't get me wrong, I believe it had been there but I believe God chose to heal me. The next time I was able to speak to my pulmonary doc and the thoracic surgeon they basically said, "We don't know what to tell you, we have reviewed all of the films and it is there! We even flew in a specialist from CA and it is there but as you know it is not there." They also mentioned that they imagined we would want to sue. Steve told them, "No, we are not litigious people and besides we believe without a doubt that God healed her." They responded with, "Well, we do not have a better explanation!"
Now this was a very major surgery. I had a tube in my side to remove air and fluid from the pleural cavity. I had some major recovering to do and recover I did, however, I have never been the same physically since that day. It is now 15 years later and that surgery has caused me lots of breathing problems and I have always had a spot in the middle of my chest that is very painful. For a long time I really believed they had left an instrument inside me but later tests proved me wrong :)
This is again a very long post and I am going to finish it up tomorrow. Hang in there with me, I am telling it in as few words as possible!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Good Changes
I wish I could really express how my life has changed in these last few months. It is hard to explain how bad, how sad my life had become these last few years. Actually if I am really honest the changes began about 15 years ago. I was 48 and having problems with my knees. I went to an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Evans. He told me that he would do arthroscopic surgery and fix both of my knees at the same time. He was highly recommended and I decided to go for it. My surgery was on a Monday and Dr. Evans assured me I would start therapy on Wednesday and I would be driving within 2 weeks. Sounded good to me. I awoke from surgery to hear the words you never want to hear from a doctor. "Honey, I am really sorry but things were so much worse than we anticipated. You are going to be non-weight bearing for 2 months." "You mean 2 weeks", I said. "No, I mean 2 months."
I went home, we got a hospital type bed and put it in my living room. I was strapped in a contraption called an immobilizer that pretty much kept my entire right side from the hip down from moving. My sweet husband began to sleep on the horribly uncomfortable couch in our living room. I had an adult potty chair IN MY LIVING ROOM! And so the waiting to heal began...
About 2 1/2 weeks into this drama, a really good and wonderful friend, Darla, came over to my house to cut and color my hair. We got me into the wheelchair and through trial and error and a lot of laughter, managed to get my hair washed in my kitchen sink. Just after she had finished my phone rang and it was my mom. I told Darla I could get myself into bed, hugged and thanked her and then proceeded to talk to mom. Part way through our conversation I started having this really bad, sharp pain in the right side of my lower chest. I felt just like when you get a stitch in your side from running. I told mom I was going to have to get off the phone and I rolled myself into the living room and got into the bed. Lying down hurt as bad as sitting but I got myself into a half sitting/half lying position kind of on my side and it wasn't too bad.
A couple of hours later another good friend, Teresa, stopped by on her way home from work to visit, bringing me a beautiful gift of 2 little candleholders and candles. We visited and she could see I was in some serious pain and asked if I wanted her to take me to the hospital. I declined, telling her I would be fine. She kept trying to talk me into it and about then my hubby came home from work. He wouldn't listen to my protests that I was fine and he called my PCP, Dr. Greta McClaren. After he explained the entire situation she said, "Get her to the emergency room, immediately!!" I could not climb up into our big van and I could not get down into our little Dodge Charger. I managed to get into the back seat of Teresa's car kind of on my side again.
I kept protesting about the need to go to the ER but when we arrived at St. Joseph's hospital they took one look at me and moved me to the front of the triage line and then after a pulse ox of 57% suddenly they were running me back to a room and there was a doctor standing on either side of the door. At that point I began to think, "Hmmmm, maybe something is going on!" They immediately sent me for an MRI, x-rays and a ct scan. Turned out I had a massive Pulmonary Embolism. I was given a drug called TPA and we were told it was extremely dangerous and could cause a bleed in the brain. We spoke with our PCP, whom we greatly respected and she told us we really had no choice. The embolism could kill me as easily as the brain bleed so we chose to go ahead with it.
I am going to stop here and continue this saga tomorrow. What you have read so far is the easy part of what happened to me during my 13 day stay in the hospital. I promise I won't leave you hanging, I will continue tomorrow!
I wish I could really express how my life has changed in these last few months. It is hard to explain how bad, how sad my life had become these last few years. Actually if I am really honest the changes began about 15 years ago. I was 48 and having problems with my knees. I went to an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard Evans. He told me that he would do arthroscopic surgery and fix both of my knees at the same time. He was highly recommended and I decided to go for it. My surgery was on a Monday and Dr. Evans assured me I would start therapy on Wednesday and I would be driving within 2 weeks. Sounded good to me. I awoke from surgery to hear the words you never want to hear from a doctor. "Honey, I am really sorry but things were so much worse than we anticipated. You are going to be non-weight bearing for 2 months." "You mean 2 weeks", I said. "No, I mean 2 months."
I went home, we got a hospital type bed and put it in my living room. I was strapped in a contraption called an immobilizer that pretty much kept my entire right side from the hip down from moving. My sweet husband began to sleep on the horribly uncomfortable couch in our living room. I had an adult potty chair IN MY LIVING ROOM! And so the waiting to heal began...
About 2 1/2 weeks into this drama, a really good and wonderful friend, Darla, came over to my house to cut and color my hair. We got me into the wheelchair and through trial and error and a lot of laughter, managed to get my hair washed in my kitchen sink. Just after she had finished my phone rang and it was my mom. I told Darla I could get myself into bed, hugged and thanked her and then proceeded to talk to mom. Part way through our conversation I started having this really bad, sharp pain in the right side of my lower chest. I felt just like when you get a stitch in your side from running. I told mom I was going to have to get off the phone and I rolled myself into the living room and got into the bed. Lying down hurt as bad as sitting but I got myself into a half sitting/half lying position kind of on my side and it wasn't too bad.
A couple of hours later another good friend, Teresa, stopped by on her way home from work to visit, bringing me a beautiful gift of 2 little candleholders and candles. We visited and she could see I was in some serious pain and asked if I wanted her to take me to the hospital. I declined, telling her I would be fine. She kept trying to talk me into it and about then my hubby came home from work. He wouldn't listen to my protests that I was fine and he called my PCP, Dr. Greta McClaren. After he explained the entire situation she said, "Get her to the emergency room, immediately!!" I could not climb up into our big van and I could not get down into our little Dodge Charger. I managed to get into the back seat of Teresa's car kind of on my side again.
I kept protesting about the need to go to the ER but when we arrived at St. Joseph's hospital they took one look at me and moved me to the front of the triage line and then after a pulse ox of 57% suddenly they were running me back to a room and there was a doctor standing on either side of the door. At that point I began to think, "Hmmmm, maybe something is going on!" They immediately sent me for an MRI, x-rays and a ct scan. Turned out I had a massive Pulmonary Embolism. I was given a drug called TPA and we were told it was extremely dangerous and could cause a bleed in the brain. We spoke with our PCP, whom we greatly respected and she told us we really had no choice. The embolism could kill me as easily as the brain bleed so we chose to go ahead with it.
I am going to stop here and continue this saga tomorrow. What you have read so far is the easy part of what happened to me during my 13 day stay in the hospital. I promise I won't leave you hanging, I will continue tomorrow!
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