2014 Life Verse

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

Man, has it been a while since I have posted here on my blog.  But, at least this time  I have a good excuse. :).  I'm recovery pretty well.  I am still having a little problem with the choking thing.  In my last post I mentioned having some complications at the hospital that caused me to have to stay a few extra days.  Well, one of those complications was a choking experience.  My surgeon had warned me that I would have a hard time eating for a few days so I was prepared for that.  What I wasn't prepared for was almost dying trying to eat an English muffin.  Sunday morning, December 9th, I was eating my breakfast and took a small bite of the English muffin.  For some reason it became stuck in my throat.  I couldn't get any air.  Usually I could pull in enough air to cough whatever was stuck up, but not this time.  The little bit of air I was able to inhale caused the English muffin to move slightly and completely block my airway.  I knew I was choking.  I began to get light headed from lack of oxygen.  Amazingly, I was very calm.  I pushed the nurses button and the aid came in the room and I held my hands up to my throat in the sign of choking.  She yelled into the hallway that I was choking and nurses came from everywhere.  They ripped my neck brace off to try and get some air into my lungs but that didn't help.  They were afraid to try the Heimlich  or whack me on the back because of the neck surgery.  I remember beginning to see millions of little stars exploding and asking God to please take care of Kierstynne for me.  I knew I was going to die.  But still, I was strangely calm.  I knew that many people had been praying for me.  I also knew that God had me in the palm of His hand and that no matter what happened, I was going to be ok and so would my daughter.  Finally one of the nurses, one of my favorites, said, "Forget this crap! She isn't going to die today."  She then whacked me in the middle of my back twice and dislodged the muffin.  Air rushed into my lungs and tears rolled down my face.  I was so thankful to be alive, yet strangely disappointed.  I really thought I was going to meet my maker face to face that day and I was looking forward to seeing Jesus.  But, I was happy to have more time with my family and friends.  It was very strange.  The whole incident from beginning to end took about a minute and a half although it felt much longer.   So, because of that incident, I had to have two more tests so that they could make sure that nothing was blocking my airway or esophagus.  I was able to actually see myself eating food and swallowing it on the x-ray.  That was very cool.  I watched myself eat a couple pieces of a peach from when I chewed it up until it went down my esophagus and into my stomach.  I also had a chance to see the plate and screws that now support my neck.  Pretty neat I must say.

When you have an experience like that, it makes you rethink your priorities.  It also causes you to see life in a different way.  I am thankful for every minute I have here on this earth.  I still can't do a whole lot of anything...no lifting, no bending, no stretching, no lifting my hands above my head, no laundry, no pushing a vacuum, no washing dishes.. the list goes on.  I have to be careful how much walking I do.  I over did it this past weekend trying to get ready for Christmas.  I am paying for it now.  My shoulders are very sore and my  lower back is killing me, but I'm ready for Christmas.  I have been able to do a little cooking and my mom, Kierstynne and I made some Christmas cookies last week.  I do have a prescription for Percocet that helps a little bit and a muscle relaxer, but I try not to take them unless absolutely necessary.  After being on Morphine and Oxycontin in the hospital, I've had enough drugs to last a while.  The Oxycontin scared me.  I can see why and how people become addicted to it so easily.  I can also understand why they would break into pharmacies to steal it.  It makes you feel wonderful.  I didn't know if it took the pain away or just made me so high I didn't care about the pain.  It is a wonderful pain killer, but not something I want to take again.  I do not remember alot from the first three days of my stay.  I didn't remember Kierstynne coming to visit, I knew that my cousin Michael was there, but for the life of me I can't remember our conversation.  My mom has filled me in on some of what happened, but there are still blanks.  She said that my uncle, husband and herself had some good laughs at my expense those three days.  So, I would prefer not to have Oxycontin again.

I really appreciate all the prayers and good thoughts that have gone up for me.  I have an appointment with the surgeon on January 3rd to get an x-ray to see how I am healing.  I am anxious to see how well I am doing.  I still have to wear this neck brace for a little over 9 more weeks.  Boy, I can't wait for it to be over so that I can sleep in my own bed and get back to crafting.  I really miss my crafting and seeing all the amazing creations that you, my crafty friends, have been creating.  I hope all of you have the merriest of Christmases and a very blessed New Year.  God bless you all.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Surgery..done..Recovery..on it's Way

Good morning friends.  How is everyone on this wonderful Tuesday Morning?  I just wanted to post a little here about my surgery and how things went.

Tuesday Morning, 12/4, we had to be at the hospital at 10 am.    My surgery was to take place at 12 noon.  After a three and a half hour wait, I finally got into surgery around 3:30pm.  I ended up coming out of surgery at around 9 PM.   I spent from then until around 3pm the next afternoon in recovery waiting for a bed so that I be moved  to a room.  Originally I was to be moved to ICU, but I was doing so well, I ended up not having to go the ICU.   My incision is about 4" long and goes horizontal across the bottom of my neck in the front.  Dr. Campos went in and moved aside my trachea, esophagus, and voice box to get to the vertebrae in my  neck.   My throat is really sore and swollen, but, that is to be expected and is perfectly normal.  The surgery took about 6 hours to complete.

I  moved to Room 640 B which was right next to the nurses' desk.  I have come to the conclusion that having a wonderful  nursing staff is half of the battle when in the hospital.  I had some of the most wonderful nurses imaginable.  Christine was my night nurse n Recovery Tuesday night.  She was really nice and helpful.  Then  the 7am nurse was Rose.  She was a very nice woman.  She took really good care of me that day.  She worked really hard to get me some lunch and into a room.  I hadn't eaten since 8:30pm on Monday and she made sure I had some lunch on Wednesday.  I hated to leave her and the second shift staff in Recovery, but I was really  happy to get a room.

I wasn't allowed to eat anything hard and solid because my throat is so sore.  I ate some pudding, applesauce, milk, and soggy cornflakes.  I had to let them sit in the milk so that they got soft so I could eat them.  I added a couple packs of Splenda and a banana and it was actually pretty good.  After that first morning, the "lunch lady" would come around and get our menu for lunch, then again after lunch to plan our meals for dinner and breakfast the next morning.  Shockingly enough, the food was pretty good.  The only thing that I really didn't like was the meatloaf because it tasted kinda like dog food.  :)

I want to give a shout out to some of the nurses that I had:  Christine-night Recovery nurse.  What a phenomenal  nurse.  She was very attentive to my needs.  She never once got frustrated with any question that I had or aggravated with me.

Rose: First shift Recovery Nurse (Wednesday, 12-5-12)  Rose is from the "old school" nurses league.   I really enjoyed having her as my nurse.  She pushed for patients rights as wells as for what they need.  Rose is one who kept fighting to get me something to eat and a bed.  Thanks, Rose.  You rock!!

Liz and Rachel: MRS 6 floor nurses;  These two sweethearts are roommates here in Wilkes-Barre.  One is from Quaker-town and one is from the Phili area.  These two chicks rocked.  They were very attentive and careful.

Kevin: MRS6 overnight nurse.  Man, for a guy, Kevin was a wonderful nurse.  He made sure I had the things I needed like my pain meds and food for snacks.  It was great.

Nayda, Kim, and all the other nurses I had his past week:  Thank you guys for all the hard work and dedication to your profession.

So, having a good nursing staff is already half of the battle you will face  while having surgery and then afterwards during recovery.

I was supposed to come home on Friday, Saturday morning at the latest, but ran into a few complications which prevented me from leaving until Monday evening..more about that to come.   just wanted to let you guys know that I am home and beginning my recovery.

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts that you guys sent my way.  I truly appreciate them.  I love you guys.





Monday, December 3, 2012

Surgery Tomorrow

Hey Peeps!  Well, tomorrow is the big day.  Surgery day.  Am I nervous?  Nope.  Am I worried?  Not a bit.   Ask me tommorrow morning and my answer may be different.  I know that there are tons of people praying for me, for the surgeon, the nurses.  I know that God is holding me in the palm of His hand and still has plans for me that I haven't completed yet.   My mom will be here with me during my recovery and for that I am truly thankful.

My daughter is staying with my very good friend this week and she is helping Kierstynne do her school work so that she doesn't get behind.  I miss her already.  It's so dang quiet here.  I'm not used to the quietness.  It's a little disturbing.  I have never been away from Kierstynne for more than 2 days.  This is going to be tough.  When we were saying goodbye last night after church, she hugged me at least ten times and gave me about twenty kisses.  I can't wait to call her later this afternoon and see how she is doing and yes, just so I can hear her voice. :)

So, my plans for today include packing my bag for the hospital, going to the library to pick up another Alex Cross novel to read while I'm stuck in the hospital, going and doing a little grocery shopping and just relaxing.  I think I am totally ready for tomorrow.  I'm at peace and it's all good.

Thanks for all the prayers that are going up for me.  Keep 'em comin'.  I will be back to blog as soon as possible.  Take care and God bless ya'll.