Home again, home again.

I * AM * HOME!!

A quick note to let you all know how much we appreciated your prayers on Monday.  I felt mostly calm and at peace most of the day - especially the couple of extra hours of "wait-time" they threw in there.

In fact, when I turned down the pre-op sedative, I tried to get a sedative injection thrown into the deal for Scott, but hospital personnel seem loathe to make those kind of deals very often.

My surgery was pushed back a few hours, and I literally remember nothing, NOTHING after Scott left and they started wheeling me to the OR.  I was a bit curious, wanted to see it, but I remember nothing after that point until I woke up in my room.  And I know they woke me up before that, but I still remember nothing.

The nurse commented the same comment I have heard quite often this past year - "you seem to be pretty sensitive to drugs".....

But, as the surgery went so well, they kicked me out seventeen hours after I got back to a room.  Since we live a bit further out than most of their patients, I tried to tag on another day or a few more hours at least, but they said I was 'doing too well'.  (don't be too impressed - 'doing too well' meant getting up and walking five steps to the bathroom with help)

The details I am willing to part with at this moment are as follows:

• I have "vampire-bites" going up my back because they staple the surgical drape to your skin. 
• My hips and shoulders hurt the most after surgery, and yes, it did make me think on all of those dogs and cats I helped tie down for surgery years ago.  It truly has come back around to bite me in the butt.  
• I have a nine inch incision on the outside of my body, and what feels like miles of incision in my muscles in my back and underarm.  The nurse said the surgeon was "generous" in taking out tissue "so he would not have to go back in".  I'm all for that as well, but dang it stretching those muscles back together hurts.  
• I have three grenade-shape drains that work with suction coming out of my rib cage that are literally just hanging out under my arm.  They have maybe two miles of tubing attached to them that makes me remember immediately that they are attached to my insides if I sit on any of them wrong.  
• I am particularly tired and tend to fall asleep maybe around 49 times a day.  

There were a couple of good moments - the first time I was introduced to Percaset stands out as one; but the moment that the nurse looked at Scott and told him that I was not allowed to scrub a toilet or sink in the bathroom for over a year comes in at a close second.  

Stack that up with the "no-vacuuming" rule, and I think I better take up a hobby.  

I am sore and hurt and find it difficult to lay down especially - and if I do lay down it is even more difficult to get up - because my muscle wall was cut into in different places, but other than that, I am recovering some every day.  He said "no shoulder activity"and no arm movement over 45 degrees with my left arm and every time I move I have an urgent tendency to agree with him on that idea for the time being.   

Scott is Mr. Super Nurse and is taking care of the drains like a pro.  I've only yelled once when he forgot to hold it while pushing out the blood clots.  

God has so blessed us.  We have felt His presence before us, behind us and beside us.  

Thank you all so much for praying.  We will not know the pathology reports until 5:15 Monday evening when I go for one of my follow-up appointments.  We are praying for no cancer cells and clear margins on the lymph nodes and tissue.  

I have to go now - Scott is making me a spectacular seafood dinner.