Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Week in Review


The focal point of my life,
for the past 4-1/2 months,
has been my surgery:
bilateral mastectomy.
I had survived the six rounds of chemo,
enjoyed a four week reprieve,
with two beach vacations snuck in
for good measure,
and now it was time to dance with
my surgeons!

Here I was in the surgical admitting area
 on Thursday January 9th,
ready to head for radiology
for the sentinel node radioactive dye injection.


I hadn't had any meds yet,
but I was so relieved and excited
to finally be reaching the next leg 
of my journey.

As soon as I returned from the 
sentinel node procedure,
I was told that my operating room
had opened up early 
and they were ready for me!
I was pretty glad about that,
as waiting around is not one of my strong points.

Next thing I knew,
I was in the recovery room,
and then it seemed like moments later
when I was in my hospital room


Apparently the surgery took less time than
either of my surgeons had anticipated.
I'd like to think that my extended workout sessions
at the gym had something to do with it.
Tami, my personal trainer,
was a God-send.
She was a real cheerleader, but also a taskmaster.
I will forever be indebted to her!

So, I spent Thursday night in the hospital,
and then was discharged bright and early
Friday morning.
Kristin and Charlie brought us lunch


Boy was it good to be with this little man once again!

The Amaryllis I had babied,
in hopes of it blooming on Christmas Day,
opened on Friday!
It had better plans than I did!


Craig brought me beautiful roses
while I was in the hospital


I have a new blog reader, Amalia,
and she mentioned to me that she loves
my Snowdrop pictures.


So, I just snapped this one out in my garden.
The very cold weather that we had last week
did a number on these poor babies.
However, they have survived,
and each year the clump grows a bit larger.
They remind me of my wonderful grandmother
Augusta.

One of the most difficult parts of recovering
from a mastectomy is the drain or drains.
I had heard this,
and now I understand it.
So, I have kept busy over the past two days,
modifying a few old t-shirts of mine and Craig's.
Since it is impossible to put anything on 
that does not button down the front,
I have cut several tees down the center,
and then added buttons and buttonholes.
(The lovely buttons are courtesy of Jeannie,
and I will remove them and reuse them 
when the tees are no longer necessary.)
Then I cut off the short sleeves,
cut the sleeves in half,
and added them as pockets along the lower front.
Now they hold my drains.


It takes a while to do this modification,
but I do have all day with nothing much else to do!

And of course there is always knitting:


I started this sock the night before we 
left the beach,
and knitted on it almost the entire drive home.
I've now finished it,
except for the afterthought heel,
which I will complete soon.
The yarn is lovely:
Classic Elite Yarns
Alpaca Sox.
It feels very nice while knitting on it
and promises to baby my feet.

So, that is it!
This hurdle is behind me
and I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks 
of R&R here at home!

thanks for dropping by

Peace to you!












19 comments:

Ginny Huber said...

So good that you are in R and R phase .. This blog post does cover all the bases beautifully. I do love your inventive tee modification project description.. sending lots of good and warm wishes for this next part of the journey...

deanna7trees said...

so happy to hear everything went well and that you are on the mend. you have a great attitude and i know that helps. lovely to see your amaryllis blooming. a very different variety from mine but so beautiful.

Jeannie said...

And what a week it was!!! I am so happy that you are feeling good and the surgery is finally over. I am hitting myself in the head that I didn't tell you about pockets for drains. I used a flannel shirt for my thyroid drains. My surgeon about died laughing when he looked for them and I told him where they were. Now rest, relax, and be happy. xoxo

Beverly said...

Judy, I'm glad you came through the surgery well. Take care of yourself, know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Carol said...

Dear SuperGirl, what a wonderful blog post this is. Your generosity in sharing this experience is breathtaking. I am sure your description of how you are will be as valuable as your courage and spirit will also be to your readers. Huge but gentle hugs from the hot side of the world. xxooxx

Helen said...

love your smile. and love that you've been stitching and knitting. go well. xx

Linda’s Textiles said...

Judy, have just caught up with your blog again & was shocked to read what you've been going through but very glad you've come through it all.
I wish you a good recovery & will be thinking of you. Look after yourself.

Karoda said...

I do not pop in here as often as I use to, but when I do I am always greeted with the beauty of your spirit! Keep doing what you do best lady!

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

What wonderful news! I'm so glad that phase of your treatment is behind, and look forward to seeing your recovery progress! Love your creative solutions to the drains... keep those creative juices flowing!
Hugs,
Judy

Maggi said...

So glad that everything wired out as well as it did and now you can enjoy your R&R. What a clever idea for the pockets for the drains.

Cate Rose said...

I'm so glad you're doing so well after the surgery! You really are amazing, Judy! Much love...xoxo

Dawn Thompson said...

JUdy, I think your choice of the word STRENGTH was apt. You seem to have so much. Keep strong and keep healthy (which is my word for this year).
Dawn ;-)

Peggy said...

Judy, you are a shining light. You really are. Love and more love coming your way! xoxo

Annika said...

Yes, there's always knitting. Such a soothing activity when your energy levels are low. Take care of yourself!

Connie said...

Hi Judy, I have to agree with Peggy . . . you are a shining light, your positive attitude not only helps you with your recovery, but it helps everyone reading your post. You are such a strong and beuitful woman.
You're in my prayers.
Your blogging sister, Connie :)

Diane Doran said...

Wishing you a very speedy recovery! Your lovely smile in the pictures shows what a wonderful attitude you have about all this - what an inspiration to us all.

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

God bless you and keep you strong! Hugs.

Jeanne

danieladancelli said...

Dear Judy've done a good job with the t-shirt, great idea to use up their sleeves to make the pockets. I hope you will return you back to your time in the best R & R.
PS: the young man is really nice and will be a great comfort to his company.
ciao,
Dany

alexa said...

So glad to see those smiling photos of you and wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of tender loving care :).