I thought I would update you all on Loretta’s condition….
She’s doing fine. Of course, that isn’t good enough for her. She would rather be taking 4 mile walks and baking and planning some poor client’s demise for the upcoming week. Instead, she felt okay in the early morning but went downhill with nausea and general weakness. This was really foreign to her so she called the surgical team’s resident on call. Turns out it was the resident that saw Loretta first last Friday when we went in to meet the team and create a treatment plan.
The resident, Laura, is a cute and very personable 26ish newly minted MD who is doing all her rotations in various disciplines while she works towards her goal of being a plastic surgeon specializing in hands. She was the first one to see Loretta at SCCA and was there for the surgery. She called Loretta back immediately after Loretta left the message to contact her. The story was much the same as what I had been telling her – she was under general anesthesia for four hours and that takes a toll. Also, since Loretta is so active, the normal recovery time seems so much longer and harder to her.
At the end of the call she was reassured that everything was okay as long as she continued to feel better. And she does. She felt better today than she felt on Friday. Tomorrow I expect her to actually want to take a walk. I’m hoping that she also gets some sleep tonight. Sleep has been particularly difficult for her.
So, the bottom line is: she is recovering and getting better and stronger every day. Pain from the surgery isn’t a problem (Tylenol is all she has taken and she didn’t take any today). She got a shower this evening (what an adventure that was!) so she’s even kinda clean. She is asleep now and hopefully will stay that way until 6 or 7 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow I will try to get her to post something here. Your response to this blog and to her battle has been amazing, humbling, and entertaining. All of your comments are read and appreciated very much so keep them coming. Thank you all.
Hey-hey Loretta – I know first-hand how depleting surgery is and how frustrating it can be to be still. But it’s your body’s way of telling you it needs time to heal and to be rid of the effects of anesthesia. I finally learned to perch my laptop on my lap (thus the name laptop) and watch movies when I felt tired, or read my Nook, guilt-free. When the energy level was there I took advantage and walked, increasing the distance weekly. It took longer than I thought but I had to let go and let the healing proceed naturally. Very difficult especially for someone like you. Hang in there dudette — from your former partner in fitness 🙂
Ugh sitting around must be tough for someone so active, but tell her to think of it as a mini-vacation. sure, not for the best of reasons, but a little R&R definitely does the body good! If she really gets very bored I could always forward her my school work and she could take a crack at writing some papers on North Korea, various films and their relation to religion, and the occasional book response! That’ll keep her busy and “entertained” (I am using that term extremely loosely!)
Here’s sleep being particularly difficult for me back when I lived in Cancerland:
http://spinningtumor.blogspot.com/2006/11/belly-up.html
You may notice I’m wearing the same bathrobe Brad Pitt wore in Fight Club.
UGGGGGH! This too shall pass!!!! I have a friend who had a very similar situation to yours and when I talked with her she had erased all this from her memory. Sooooo, keep on getting stronger and read lots of good books (trashy ones).
Love,
Aunt M
My mom had a 4hr operation very recently it took a good week for her to flush out the effects of the anesthesia. In my minds eye, I can see Loretta giving me THE LOOK and saying ‘Tim, you still have 30 seconds rest left, why not take it?!’ I know how active she is, and I’m glad you’re there to gently remind her of this important principle, Scott! All the same, it would be really cool if you two could enjoy a walk today.
I’m glad she’s “kinda clean”…lol.
Dear Loretta, I am sad that you are faced with cancer and the struggles to recover. It does not seem fair that someone as health conscious as you would have to deal with this. But, I have faith that you will get well quickly!!
Best wishes!!
I hope you like this one:
A lawyer and a blonde are sitting next to each other on a long flight from LA to NY. The lawyer leans over to her and asks if she would like to play a fun game. The blonde just wants to take a nap, so she politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The lawyer persists and explains that the game is really easy and a lot of fun. He explains” I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and vice-versa.” Again, she politely declines and tries to get some sleep.
The lawyer, now somewhat agitated, says, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $500,” figuring that since she is a blonde that he will easily win the match. This catches the blonde’s attention and, figuring that there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, agrees to the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?” The blonde doesn’t say a word, reaches in to her purse, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to the lawyer. Now, it’s the blonde’s turn.
She asks the lawyer: “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer looks at her with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. He taps into the Air phone with his modem and searches the Net and the Library of Congress.
Frustrated, he sends E-mails to all his coworkers and friends he knows. After over an hour, he wakes the blonde and hands her $500. The blonde politely takes the $500 and turns away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, who is more than a little miffed, wakes the blonde and asks, “Well, so what IS the answer!?” Without a word, the blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5, and goes back to sleep!