Thursday, November 15, 2007

I Can Touch My Feet!!

Yesterday, I put lotion on my feet!!! I haven't been able to do that since my surgery. Bending over puts a lot of pressure on the incision area. There is still a stretch of about one and a half inches that is not totally healed. It is at least scabbed over. That is the area where there seemed to be a minor infection a week or so ago. Unfortunately, the unhealed area is right at my belly button (also my waistline). Pants and underwear irritate it. Every day, the irritated area gets smaller and less red.

Last weekend, I was talking to a friend about the weirdness of having panic attacks. I thought that my first one was the day I had my PICC line inserted, but as she and I were talking, I realized that I had my first panic attack about 20 years ago when I freaked out while doing an obstacle course about 30 feet in the air. I had never been afraid of heights before. Every since, I've had a fear of heights. It's one of those fears that I have been able to control, but not completely overcome. (A couple of years after that first panic attack, I was still terrified of heights, so I went repelling just to prove to myself that I could do it.)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Path-ology Leads Back to Work Soon

I am now officially CANCER FREE. My pathology report showed that I had no cancer in my tubes or ovaries or para-aortic lymph nodes. The endometrial (uterine) tissue was pretty much mush from the radiation, so they couldn't conclusively say if there had been cancer there before. The assumption still is that there was, but they can't be totally sure. Either way, I should be able to go back to work the week before Christmas. It will be nice to have a regular sized paycheck again.
As of yesterday, my surgery was two weeks ago. Monday, I actually felt pretty good for the first time since the surgery. I think I over did my activity. Tuesday, I woke up with sore abdominal muscles.
I am realizing that I use my abdominal muscles for everything. Standing up. Sitting up. Rolling over in my sleep. Unreclining the recliner. Pooping. Laying down. Coughing. Laughing. Picking up anything from below chest level. Standing in one place. Shivering. (I've decided that unlike my norm, I'd rather be too warm than too cold because shivering takes my upper and lower abdominal muscles, so I'd rather not risk shivering.)
I have the beginnings of an infection in part of the wound area. Deb discovered it over the weekend, so I have been extra careful in taking care of it. I think it looks better. Deb doesn't. It definitely feels better. The pain is not from the incisional area any more, it is only from the muscles around it.
I am not as tired all the time now, I don't know if it's because I hardly ever take the Narco now, or if my body is healing better, making me less tired. Either way, I can't decide if it's better because I'm not falling asleep all the time, or worse because I am more bored. I know I'm not walking as much as I should, but I have done some. I've been cooking a little here and there, washing dishes, even doing laundry, one piece put in the washer at a time, with Deb carrying the baskets upstairs for me.
Annie and Ellen want to plant a "Victory Garden" for me since I am officially cancer free. There is an area out front that Ryan is supposed to remove sod from so it can be used for that. Hopefully, he will finish it before the ground freezes.
Deb has been working outside in the cold today, finishing pulling out the dead tomato plants, shredding the leaves with the riding mower, etc. I have been able to use a reacher to place newspapers on the empty raised beds and spread straw over them so that the beds will be already mulched for next year's plantings. This is the first time we've tried this. Hopefully it will work the way we hope it will.