Archive 5

It's been over a week, but I've been a little busy with the surgery and now the beginning of my recovery. The surgery went so well I thought that I had just passed out for a second, but I was out for a few hours being operated on. I don't remember much from the ICU, that's probably good, and I was only there for one night. The morning of the 19th I was moved to the surgical floor and was out of the hospital the morning of the 22nd. I'm taking Percocet for pain and trying not to do too much.

On the 22nd I over did it and paid with an extremely painful neck and being very tired. I think I was just so happy to be out of the hospital and able to be up and about. Thursday night Eric and I went out to eat, it was nice to be out of the house. We borrowed a Play Station 2 for the week and rented a few games, it's been fun to play with and it has very good graphics. We have to return it on the 28th. I think Eric would like to have one, but that will have to wait.

Eric and I will have an extra about $90 a month since we quit smoking, so I'm going to try to budget in a $50 a month payment to take a medical transcription course through the mail. It's a four-month course, but with the medical training that I have I might be able to get it done in less time. We are starting to get our finances in check after going form a two-income house to a one, not an easy to accomplish. I'm sure that I can find the funds some how.

Sorry to put this up so late today, but we got busy with the NASCAR race being very long and taking the Play Station and games back. I will have the post up next Sunday on time!

If you want to see pictures of my hospital stay click on the scarecrow. If you want to see pictures of my scar and the hospital stay please click on the skull. The scar pictures are not bloody, but they are pretty gross. If you are squeamish pleas don't look at them. There are no surgical pictures, just a three day old, healing, swollen scar.

This week has been very restful. I have not done too much; I learned my lesson last week. I spent most of my time on the couch doing cross-stitch. Next week I will probably do the same until my new lessons come.

I received my first set of lessons for my course. I mistakenly signed up for medical claims billing, but I still read about the job and decided that that would be better, since I don’t type very well. If I later decided that I want to do transcription I will take that course, but right now I don’t have to worry about my typing. I finished the first two lessons in about fifteen minutes because they were about the job. I have a third one and then I have to wait for the next set of lessons, I’m hoping that they get harder.

My stitches were very itchy and uncomfortable. I was very happy to get them out on Halloween. I have a little better movement of my neck, but I still can’t look up or down. If I try to bend my neck up it hurts right behind my ears and along the incision and down feel like I’m pulling my neck muscles. I hope to be able to move them better next week. I have a web site for ‘Sit and Be Fit’ (a PBS, senior stretch and work out show); the neck stretching exercises work nicely to get the movement back in your neck.

I received my Chiari pin this week; it is very pretty and so professional looking. I would encourage you all to order one. I have only been asked once about it and that was by Dr. Dennison, Dr. W’s resident. I’m planning on making some sort of card that would describe Chiari and give a few web sites that I could give to people that ask about the pin. I love the zipper, even though I probably won’t have the zipper-like effect with my scar. I think the stitches are the reason for not having the sipper look.

Eric will be part of the advance group when he leaves for Louisiana, he’ll leave on the 18^th and not be back until the 20^th of December. He may be back as early as the 20^th or as late as the 23^rd, either way we are still coming home for Christmas. We are hoping that he will be home on the 20^th. I thought that they might not have the training in Louisiana this year, because of this war, but I was wrong. They are traveling on the air lines so they are helping the airlines with there financial problems, but I’d rather they go by military transport.

The news out here and probably all over the US was saying that there would be less trick or treaters this year, they were wrong at our door. We had about 30 this year compared to the 3 or 4 last year. Eric did candy duty this year.

Eric and I are going to Disney on Ice today at the Tacoma Dome. I have been talking about it since I saw an ad for it a few months ago and on the Tacoma Domes screen. Eric told me to find tickets yesterday and I got tickets for today. Eric will probably hate it, but I’m sure he’ll survive.

Eric was off on Monday and Friday, so Monday we worked on getting the tags for the car and noticed that the car had been vandalized. Right now the car has 'Mexico' spray-painted on the trunk and right rear of the car in blue paint. That will not make it easy to sell the car. We are trying to come up with ways to remove the paint.

Eric had a four-day weekend so I lost track of time. I haven't had a headache for several days and I'm not taking any medication. I feel so good. I can't wait to go to Montana for Christmas. I will probably go to my aunts for Thanksgiving.

Other than the long Monday it has been a relaxing week. I finished my lessons, did a lot of cross-stitch and started Christmas shopping. We are hoping to get most of the Christmas shopping done before Eric leaves on the 18th. Friday and Saturday will be busy.

Eric and I did go to Disney on Ice last weekend. I loved it and Eric didn't seem to mind it, but I'm sure he would have liked to have been some where else. This was the first time I have seen an ice skating show in person. All of the skaters did a wonderful job and I would suggest going if you can.

I've added a new picture of my scar without the stitches; they are on the W/SCAR page