Clean Bill of Health: Not Today

What do you think of the new look? Pretty posh, huh?

I had to go see my doctor today. She failed me in my Clean Bill of Health post-op check-up. She is not happy with my level of pain (I still have to have a pillow over my tummy when I wear a seat belt). She also did not like that I've been running a fever since yesterday and how my incisions look. This means I am not healed enough to do fun things like ride my scooter and will have to apply antibiotics in my bellybutton and other incisions.

So, I am going to have keep growing in my boredom because I cannot go to work next week. Ack! What am I going to do with myself? I've already done all the crafty stuff I can think of that I felt like doing. I've completed more sudoku puzzles then I ever have this week than I have in the last 3 years. It's hard to be stuck at home when I like going to work and am supposed to be picking blueberries soon (yuuummmmm!). I'm going to get some magazines. Maybe I'll embroider handkerchiefs.

I miss riding my scooter most of all, especially now that the weather is so nice.

On the upside, the track and field Olympic trials are going on this weekend and those will be featured on TV. Kyle won't take me to Hayward Field because he knows that I will want to look at everything (there will be stands like at the fair) and go everywhere and unintentionally make myself sick. Plus, tickets are sold out to go there.

HA!...?

I sometimes wonder if some people are easily amused if I am truly funny. It is strange to me when I say something, not meaning to be funny, and the person I am talking to starts to laugh.

For example, I was talking to someone today and they asked me about how my belly button looks. I told them I was not sure because I can't see inside of it. Then they bust out laughing, which made me laugh (because I was laughing at them).

Thinking about laughing reminds me of the "I Love To Laugh" song from Mary Poppins and everyone starts to float up in to the air.

Get Well Soon

I got a nice surprise today in the form of a get-well-soon card. Thanks, everyone! I love it.

Recovery, cont.

I thought the pain would be going away more by today, but no luck. I feel like I've been stabbed with a dull iron rod through my bellybutton. If I am perfectly still, I feel okay. Otherwise, I feel like I can't get the invisible rod out of my belly.

A really weird thing happened today, too. After taking a shower, I got very nauseous and turned an interesting shade of whitish gray and got dizzy. I promptly went to bed and started to sweat like mad--dripping sweat. The episode only lasted a few minutes, but I have never felt like this before. I don't know why it happened and it has not happened again. Maybe I stood up too fast.

After visiting the doctor's office I had a little lunch and then got my hair cut (just the dry ends trimmed off) by a girl named Holly as part of my "getting well" treatment. I've known Holly for a couple of years and she graduated from beauty school at the beginning of the year. She took a lot of care and did a good job.

After a nap, I got online to find out a little more about my condition. My doctor is very nice and uses very nice words sometimes and medical words I do not hear everyday. I researched the things I was told and found that I actually had two tumors (benign, thankfully) that were removed in my lower abdomen, not just "blister things" like I was telling everyone else (the doctor did not tell me I had blisters--I said that because that is how I interpreted what I was told). The tumors were pushing up against other organs in my tummy, therefore causing a lot of pain and nausea along with the other scaring and lesions found.

Wow...2 tumors...no wonder I was in so much pain. And it only took a month and a half and 2 appendicitis scares to figure it out.




Pet Peeve of the Day: The neighbor's cigarette smoke stinking up my house.

Pre and Post-Op Pictures

Here I am before the surgery. I pretty much looked the same afterward. Under the blanket is this thing called a "Bear Hug", which is blanket type of thing that is inflated with hot air. You can see the blue machine to the right of the bed on the floor.

This is my "recovery room" at home. The air mattress is set up downstairs so I don't have to go up and down the stairs.









These are flowers Kyle got me.
















These is a bouquet from some friends from Kuwait. This was a nice surprise!










These are some flowers from my neighbor.
















This is my shawl from Guatemala I've been using.











Here is my handy tray.















This is the grabby thing I use so I don't have to bend over or reach far.













The purple thing is my aromatic cozy I got as a get-well gift. The pink pillow is my cat's. It is on my bed and Mango sleeps next to me.












Here she is getting cozy.












...sound asleep next to my pillows.












My recovery food.











More recovery food.













My bathroom kit.












My entertainment kit next to my bed.











The handkerchief my mom made me because my meds make me sweat a lot.












WARNING: The next pictures are of my wounded belly and may be considered gross, graphic, and/or offensive. View at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is my belly the day after surgery. The smaller thing on the left side is an incision; the bigger is my belly button (where the camera) was. My belly was pumped up with gas so they could look around, that is why my belly button looks so weird. It now seems like it is deflating.







This is my belly button today. Not so full of air. I still have the other little incision and one on my lower stomach.

I wish you were here, I miss you...""send flowers and feel ok""


Great Flowers, Great Prices





Send Flowers!!


Flowers and Gifts delivered today!

Milk of Amnesia

I kind of fell off the face of the earth on Wednesday. I was having my belly pains, running a fever, had a lot of nausea, etc. I had an appointment to see my doc. for later on in the week, but was told to go in to see a doc because of how bad I felt.

The docs did some more tests and scans and whatnot and found that the fluid I had in my abdomen should really not be there and needed to be out ASAP. Panicked looks on doctors' faces are never a good thing. On Thursday morning I was prepped for surgery and it was found that I had multiple lesions in my lower abdomen along with scar tissues and blister-type things. They had not appeared on previous scans because they were not searched for until then. One of the lesions had even attached itself from organ in my belly onto another one and was pulling it over. There was a lot of relief to find what was wrong and that it was treatable. All of the pain I was having was on my right side, but abnormalities were found on my left side and also fixed.

After surgery, I was given morphine and snacks. Everyone was really nice at the hospital and I got to go home that afternoon. I've had the biggest craving for tres leches cake. My belly was inflated with gas so the camera could poke around and it is still really big and looks funny. I was given pictures of the findings, but I have not scanned them yet.

Some my friends have wondered why I have not called, for which I am sorry. The truth is that I have not really been awake until now to even call anyone. If you read this and have not heard from me personally, please know that I am okay and recovering as expected. I have my downstairs set up as a recovery room with my books, movies, telephone, meds, and computer. My cat has been my snuggle buddy next to me almost the whole time I've been home.

Donald Rumsfeld Owns a Scooter!

(Yes, I made this pic to look like D.R. was at a press conference/BBQ)

While up early this morning due to a war I am having with the internal organs in the gut region, I found out that Donald Rumsfeld bought himself a Vespa Scooter.

This scooter has 150 cc (which required a motorcycle endorsement in some states) and gets about 60 miles per gallon. The sweet thing is that the scooter can go about 60 miles per hour too. Speed and efficiency: a couple of my favorite things on the road.

Some people say this scooter is too sissy for D.R., but I have to disagree. I think scooters are perfect almost anyone as long as they know how to ride a regular bike, know the rules of the road, are defensive drivers, and looks fantastic (but who doesn't on a scooter?).

Scooter Googles & Treats

Kyle and I got some scooter-riding goggles. Here are some pics:

Even the cat wanted to try them on.

This is Mango being scary.

This is a really good cupcake I had last weekend. I got it for free! It is a vanilla batter with a vanilla frosting, topped with shaved dark and white chocolate.































This is a way-too-perfect-looking chocolate I got. I had to take a picture of it before eating it. It has gold leaf on the top.


My tummy has been hurting a LOT. I have been drinking this acidophilous to help it out.

Friday Funnies

Baby Ferrets





























"I tink I'm een loooove."












"Thanks for inviting me!" Nom, nom, nom...






















I think he's mocking me.











An Impossible Itch:


Rocky, the cat:

From Italy, With Love...

My mom and sister are in Italy and they took this picture for me. This place looks good. I want to eat there some day.

Crazy Cat Lady Moment

I saw these funny picture up on the LOL Cats site and decided to put some up of my cat on here.


Etti-cat School--Sitting: Wrong (gray cat), Right (Black cat)

Mango doing it wrong.Mango doing it wrong still.

Mango doing it right in her cat pj's.
Mango doing it right again, posing next to the fish.
Mango blinking in the flash.

Mango in her scary costume.

Mango sitting pretty, looking outside.

Doing sleep yoga.

Mango in her winter jacket, playing in the snow.

Cranky because she is trying to sleep and the lights are on.

Cat in a bag with bunny ears.

Mango antagonizing our piranha, Jaws.