Friday, January 26, 2007

Dear Journal,

Hehehe...yes, I know the blogster thinks it's Saturday, and technically speaking, it is Saturday since it is after midnight now. I should be in bed!! My plan tonight was to actually go to bed fairly early so that I could have the luxury of reading my book and/or watch the news. But did I do that?? Nooooo! I've been puttering around on the computer, getting some emails out and going through others. I was even going to call Melinda tonight (waving to Melinda) which would have been afternoon her time... but did I do that??? Nooooo!! Did I call anyone tonight?? Noooooo!! I think I'm getting very lazy in my recouperation time (grin).

I have had a request to put up a new picture of myself now that I'm at home. This one was taken by my co-worker, Charmaine, when I surprised everyone by showing up at the office on Wednesday for the surprise goodbye lunch for another coworker. Hahahaha... thank goodness the picture is fairly small here on the blog because you can't see the lines and crows' feet around the eyes. Something about losing weight on the face and (gasp) being over 50... you can't escape those lines!! Hahahahaha!

Now, in all fairness, there isn't a heck of a lot to report right now. Things are going well but I don't have any real news to report. The last update was on Wednesday when I went to work to visit the gang and attend the "surprise" goodbye lunch ... and then in the evening had a visit from 3 coworkers who we all worked together 5 years ago. That was a full day for me so Thursday was spent just taking it easy. Heck, even though I was taking it easy, I still managed to walk the dog both in the morning and afternoon AND got a load of laundry done all by myself. So I consider that to be some major accomplishments at this point in my physical recovery.

Today, Friday... was a very lazy day. Yes, I walked the doglet, Miss Bridget, both in the morning and afternoon. Now, interestingly enough, in the morning when I wake up, I take my pain meds, of which there is 10mg of Oxycodone combined with some Tylenol. This med combination now works great... much better than when I was in the hospital. So going for the morning walk is very enjoyable and painfree. I only take the Oxycodone in the mornings now, with the goal being to be off of it completely in the next little while. In the afternoon when we do the afternoon walk, it is a much shorter walk because I do find myself getting more tired. Now I don't know if it's just because I've been up that much longer or if it is because I'm not on the Oxycodone in the afternoon... which just goes to show, those narcotic pain killers can be deceiving. You can feel you are doing so much better, when really, it's just the drug hiding the symptoms. I found that to be quite interesting.

Well, tomorrow is going to be another gorgeous day. We are now going through a nice long period where the forecast is for sun, sun, sun! It may get colder, expecially if there is any kind of wind, but it is soooo nice to see the sun instead of rain, rain, rain and gray clouds. For those of you not in the Vancouver area, you can check out the Vancouver web cam during the day at:

http://www.katkam.ca/

(ok, you are going to have to copy and paste this address into your browser since the coding to make it a clickable link has escaped my mind at this time of night... so just copy and paste it or else type it into your browser address field)

Sooooo, Saturday's agenda, as it stands tonight is that I will just putter around here at home, take the furry diva for her walkies, and then my friend Steve Street will come over in the evening and we are going to have a movie night :)

But that's all I've got to say for tonight... hope you all have a good weekend, whatever you are planning on doing!

Cheryl

Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 - A Social Day

I had a very social day today... and something tells me I'll be laying low tomorrow and just taking it easy :) But this is a good thing. I didn't do anything strenuous... just busy today with fun things.

For starters I took a cab to the office today. One of my co-workers is leaving us to move to the island and a whole new life for her. I am so happy for her, but at the same time, it won't be the same with her gone. Waaaaaaaaah! We had a surprise pot-luck lunch for her and it was so good to see everyone again! Pretty much the whole gang was there as well as the FASB gang (waving to the whole gang at 1050 W. Pender if you are reading this).

I also received, in the mail, the application for CPP benefits today. Arrrrrgh! I so hate all the paperwork that has to be filled out. Yes, I know, I know, it's necessary when dealing with insurance companies, but it's enough to make my head spin (and that doesn't take much these days!). First there is the short term illness forms that have to be filled out by the doctor every month... which justifies to the employer the reason for me being off and they pay my wages/benefits for this time period. But then there's the Long Term Disabilities forms, which need to be filled in for after the short term period. The LTD forms must be filled out at least 3 months before you need them because that is how long it takes to process them and get them approved. Once I go on LTD then it is no longer the employer that is paying my benefits but the Insurance company. BUT, of course, they want you to make a claim with any other company you might have benefits through, which the only one I would have is CPP (Canada Pension Plan). So that was the forms I got today. I'll have to sit and figure out which ones I do and which ones the Doctor has to do. If CPP approves me, then the feds pay part of my benefits and the insurance company pays the rest. LTD doesn't kick in until April 13th, but I have to have all the claims/forms filled in and approved before they are actually needed. Ack! My head is spinning again!! :) Anywho, I made some copies of forms and figured I'll try and decipher them at home.

After lunch, I made my rounds to make sure I got to see everyone... and said my goodbyes. Like I say, it was sooooo good to see everyone from work. You all are the best!

I was starting to get a little tired... not exhausted but time to head home and back to the security of my little apartment. Besides, I was going to have 3 friends (again, from work from days gone by) come over later this afternoon. So, I took a cab home and before I took off my coat and shoes, I took Bridget out for a short walk ... just long enough to do her business. Besides, it was a gorgeous day out there and here it is still January and we've had some pretty wicked weather... but today it was sunny and (gasp) the crocuses have started poking up out of the ground everywhere!! Say what??? Spring in January???

Bridget and I got home and got settled in. First one over was Charmaine... Charmaine and I are partners at work. Shortly after Charmaine got here, the intercom rang and Jolanta arrived... and it wasn't too much later and Michael arrived. The three of them bought me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers... gorgeous colours!! Oh my... when the four of us get together, we laugh way too much!! And today/tonight was no different! For dinner, we ordered in Pizza which (grrrrrrrr) the three of them would not let me chip in to pay for, and Jolanta brought juice and diet coke, so we were set for dinner!

I'm now having a hot cuppa tea while chatting here on the blog and watching American Idol at the same time... and just relaxing. I think I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight... curled up to that little furry, in-need-of-a-haircut, diva schnauzer of mine :) It's great to know that I actually could go through all of today, enjoying myself the whole way, and doing well! I purposely have not planned anything for tomorrow... it won't hurt to have a day of quiet, and will probably do good :)

Awwwww... and this just came in from my dear friend, Stephanie.... it is so appropo and what I believe in!!!

How special you are

Your presence is a gift to the world,
You're unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be -
Take it one day at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles,
And you'll make it through what comes along.
Within you are so many answers,
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don't put limits on yourself,
Your dreams are waiting to be realized.
Don't leave your important decisions to chance -
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.


Nothing wastes more energy than worrying -
The longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets.
Don't take things too seriously -
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way -
Remember that a lot goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment,
Life's treasures are people... together.

Have health and hope and happiness,
Take the time to wish on a star.
And don't ever forget for even a day...
How very special YOU are,

by: Unknown


Cheryl

Mon, January 22, 2007 - Appts with Dr. Fay and Dr. Brown

Dear Journal,

Well, could I have picked a wetter day to go to the doctors? I guess it could be worse... it could be snowing. But it's not cold enough for that, so instead we get a day of rain non-stop.

I had an appt. with Dr. Fay (GP) at 11:45am. He wanted to see if the weekend made any difference and if he could take out the remaining staples that were holding the incision together. This is the part of the incision that is taking it's time healing. He looked at them and said, "Nope, they are not ready to come out". He then said he wanted to refer me back to Dr. Brown (surgeon) to see what he has to say. If he says the staples should come out, then he would probably have to arrange for home care nursing to come to pack the wound, then change the packing/dressing daily. So he called Dr. Brown's office, told them he had me in his office and that I would need to see Dr. Brown regarding the incision. Lo and behold, although it is usually a couple of weeks to get an appt., they arranged that I was to come in today at 2:15pm. Great... except I didn't want to hang around the hospital for a couple of hours before my appt (since I was already at Dr. Fay's office which is across the street from the hospital). So I took the bus home... then took the bus back when it was time to see Dr. Brown. I did ask Dr. Fay if my getting out to walk the dog, or walk home from his office or the hospital might be hindering the healing process and ne said, "No... walking is good and if anything, will help the healing process. So I am allowed (and encouraged) to walk... just be careful not to tire myself out."

Soooo, in the afternoon, I caught the bus back up Davie Street and went to the hospital since Dr. Brown's office is in the hospital. First, one of his nurse's took the dressing off the incision and cleaned it. Then, Dr. Brown and one of his associates came in to take a look at it. He agreed that it seems to be taking it's time healing, but there is no sign of infection. So he wants us to keep the staples in for another two weeks to give it more time. If there is any change or I have problems with it, then I'm to get in touch with him/his office immediately, but for now, we will keep the staples in for another 2 weeks. I can then go back to Dr. Fay and he can take the staples out, unless at that time he feels they aren't ready to come out. This is what they mean by "you have wound issues" .

As for the pains I still get in my left side, my far right side and my lower back, Dr. Brown has said that that is to be expected and these pains could be around for a few months, although they should lessen in intensity as time goes on. Ok... that makes me feel better. If this is common and to be expected then I don't have to worry about them :)

After the nurse put a new dressing on the incision and I got dressed, Dr. Brown came back into the room to go over some of the pathology and what is next in the plan. He explained that he was very happy with how the surgery went and that I am looking wonderful... way better than he expected for this time after the surgery. He said that the results are the absolute best that we could have hoped for and, in all honesty, he thought they were going to be a lot worse.

Because the mass/tumour had perforated the wall of the intestine, he was most concerned that the cancer could have spread and we would have a lot more problems. But, it looks like the tumour was contained and may have spread somewhat into the abscess that was created when the tumour perforated the wall of the intestine. Because of this abscess, I did end up with peritonitis where the infection spread to the tissue of the abdomen (which is why I was in constant pain since September... it was the peritonitis that was causing the pain)... and it was because of this infection that they had me on IV antibiotics for the 2 1/2 weeks before the surgery.

So, going over the surgery, he said they took out about a foot of intestine, which included the tumour, the abscess, and 17 lymph nodes. Pre-surgery, he had said they would probably take out about 12 lymph nodes, but they ended up taking out 17 of them. Of the 17 lymph nodes, 1 of them came back as cancerous, the other 16 came back clear. This is good, although, because 1 of them has cancer, it does mean some of the cancer cells have spread from the tumour... so this automatically means that the followup treatment will be chemo, and possible radiation. They have no way of knowing how many cells have escaped, or if the only ones are the ones in this one lymph node... so they will be zapping me with the hopes of catching any strays in my system.

The kind of cancer and/or radiation treatment they use will be up to the oncologists at the BC Cancer Agency. For this kind of cancer, Dr. Brown says that the chemo treatment has come a LONG WAY in the last 10 years... meaning that it has become better than every at catching any stray cells.

So, he says the referral has been made to the Cancer Agency and I should be hearing from them in the next week or so. He says if I haven't heard from them by the end of next week, then I'm to call his (Dr. Brown's) office and they'll get in touch with them. He does not want this to linger and the sooner we start, then the sooner it will be over. He said that the consultation visit, which will be my first visit with the oncologists, will be a lengthy one and that they will go over all kinds of information about the treatment, how long, what to expect, etc. I asked if it would be a good idea for me to take a friend with me to take notes and be a second pair of ears and he highly recommended this, so that's what we will do.

Soooo... I guess that is pretty much it. It's still very positive and with all your good thoughts, continue positive thinking, and prayers, I believe that I will get through this Chemo/Radiation journey with flying colours :)

I don't have any new pictures to put up at the moment... but I will get the camera taking pictures again soon. In the meantime, I want to thank Chet from San Diego for the gorgeous basket of plants, including my favourite - violets - and a very cute teddy bear! Also, thank you Jim, Cori and Cocoa Maedel from just around the corner from my place for the beautiful flower arrangement.. that even included the beautiful Bird of Paradise!

Ok... I better go feed the furry diva before she starts yodelling that I'm neglecting her :) But I'll be baaaaack!

Cheryl

Friday, January 19th, 2007

Dear Journal,

I missed doing an entry yesterday but then I think that's because I ended up being so tired, I was sleeping more than being up :) I can definitely see major improvements in recovery each day... and this was confirmed by my doctor today (Friday).

But let's go back to yesterday. I felt quite energetic and decided that today was the day I was going to attempt the stairs in my apartment building. So, I headed out with a load of laundry. Now, before anyone freaks out.. it was not a heavy load of laundry and it was in a fabric laundry bag, so it's not like I had to carry it down the stairs... I could drag it behind me, or throw it down the stairs in front of me . So, down I went... two flights of stairs, and did very well, I might add. No problems, although I could tell the legs were not quite used to using the muscles that are used when going down stairs. I put the load of laundry in the washer and felt like I could go up and get a second load. Hahaha... going back up the stairs was... well, interesting. Absolutely amazing how the muscles in the legs have forgotten how to work... well, they worked but they were a little wobbly. Anywho... I got the second load of laundry and down I went again. This time, when I came up, I realized that I had hit my limit... so I called Mimi who lives upstairs and she finished doing my laundry (drying the first load, then drying the second load). I was pretty tired by now, so decided to have a nap... but went into a deep sleep. I didn't even hear Mimi when she came in with my two dry loads of laundry!

Today, I had an appt with Dr. Fay (GP). When I made the appt., I told them that I would like to try coming into the office rather than him coming out to the apartment. He was going to take some of the staples out of my stomach where they were holding the incision together and I just felt more comfortable if we did this in his office rather than at my place (grin). So, I grabbed a cab and off I went.

Wow... taking the staples out was no problem... I barely felt him doing it. He took about 35 of them out, but left a bunch in where the incision has not quite healed. It is still a bit oozy with serum, but no infection so this is normal. We had a good chat while he was doing this staple removal. I told him that he better check my blood pressure too because after the surgery, the doctors there had cut down my Blood Pressure meds from three pills to one pill, but now that I'm up and moving about, we may have to up the meds again. He took my BP and it was a very healthy 125/70 and this is right after he had removed the staples so technically it should have been higher just out of anxiety of having the staples removed. So he said that we are not going to add more BP meds but will monitor it for the next little while and he may take me off the BP meds completely! YAYAYAYAYA!!

Anywho... found out a bit more. Apparently the tumour was considered a fairly large one (2" X 1") and the nodule was in the same area on the intestine. He said that it will probably be some time before my insides completely settle down because the surgeons really went to town inside me. And then, when I do start the chemo treatment, that is going to probably be kind of rough on my system again. But, he said that he has to really commend me for my attitude and how I've faced this surgery. He said most others would not be able to get through it with such a positive outlook and just taking it in their stride. It's a miserable surgery, and in my case, made even worse by the other stuff they also did and yet here it is two weeks later and I've walked into his office and still have a sense of humour about the whole thing. With that attitude and sense of humour, I will probably get through the chemo treatment a lot easier than most others.

Sooooo, I asked him if I were to start walking again, is it too early, or could I start getting back into my walking. He said that this would be a good thing and to just listen to my body. Whenever I get tired, then I'm not to push it... if the body needs sleep, then give in to sleep. If I'm feeling energy and want to go for a walk, then go for a walk. That was like music to my ears! So, here we are, 2 weeks to the day after surgery, and I walked home from the Doctor's (9 blocks)... stopping in at the Urban Animal Clinic to see my friend, Dr. Joan, and the staff there (Bridget's animal clinic). I also stopped at the drugstore on the way home and Safeway. As I walked the last two blocks home, who should I run into but Mimi and Bridget!

So, starting tomorrow (Saturday), Mimi will walk Bridget in the morning. Mornings are still very slow for me as the pills take awhile to take effect. But I will take Bridget out for her afternoon walkie and again, for a quick one outside before bed.

My stomach actually feels a lot better tonight and I'm thinking that's because of the removal of the staples. It's not quite as tender on the outside. Inside... still tender, but we know that will take some time :)

Soooo.... the rest of the evening is just to laze about and watch some tv or read this week's gossip magazines :)

Have a good weekend!!

Cheryl

Wednesday, January 17th, 2007

Dear Diary (grin),

That's exactly what it feels like when doing blog entries. It's like way back when... when the big thing was to have one of those daily diaries that would lock and you would keep the key in a secret place because in the diary were your most important thoughts. Well, now here we are in 2007 and there is no need for a key because one can express their thoughts in an "online diary", aka as a blog. It's kind of amazing to think how we've evolved into the electronic age. I mean, kids nowadays know all about blogs and online communications as soon as they start school... they have never known any different. It kind of makes us baby boomers seem like pioneers of some sort... pioneers of what, I'm not sure, but we beez pioneers (grin).

So, what is there to report today. Well, I can't remember if I mentioned that yesterday, when Dr. Fay was here at the apartment, he brought the prescription 3-copy pad for narcotic prescriptions, but when he opened it to write out a prescription for my pain meds, he realized he had brought a finished book! Arrrrgh! Now, he has warned me ever since he gave me the first prescription for these narcotic pain meds that once the surgery was done, he wants to wean me off of them because the last thing I need is to become addicted to them, then have to go through withdrawal. But, he said he will give me another refill of the med since the meds are keeping the pain under control, but when I've tried to go longer periods without them, it can get pretty rough. I agree with him... the last thing I want is to become addicted to anything and the more meds I can get off, the better!

Well, I did get a bit of a chuckle this morning. I guess he thought he could call up the drug store that I go to and give the order over the phone, which of course, with the narcotics he can't because they need copies of the prescription request, as well, the person picking it up has to sign for it. So, at lunch, he walked down to my drugstore (8 blocks from his office) and dropped the prescription off, then walked back to the office. I think that was incredibly nice of him to do that. He could have said that he has the prescription ready and for me to send someone to his office to pick it up, but he actually hand-delivered it to the drugstore. Mimi and Nathan are going to pick it up when they take the dogs out for their evening walkies :)

This afternoon, Steve and Don dropped in for a visit. My brother, Don, also came by. He came to get Bridget and the two of them went walking into Stanley Park, our wonderful natural city park that, unfortunately, had a lot of damage done to it during the last two windstorms. My little 13 lbs of Diva Terrier managed to drag my brother to and from the park and was ready for more... although right now, she is all tuckered out and sound asleep on the couch :)

Sooooo... it's now time to make a nice cuppa' hot tea and get all ready for the next round of American Idol. Hehehe... I don't even know why I'm watching the episodes that are the auditions. I can't believe so many truly bad singers even attempt to try out for American Idol. They are soooo bad that I can't help but wonder if some of them are plants, hired by the production company to make a fool of themselves on national television. But, yes, this will be me watching it again tonight!! :)

I have a request: I have been thinking a lot about how all the support, positive thoughts, positive visualizations and prayers that all of you have given to me has played a huge role in boosting my confidence and getting me through this rough time. I have always believed in positive thinking alwas wins over negative thinking but now I can honestly say I have seen the results of the strength of group thinking. We can move mountains if we all have a common goal.

So, with that in mind, I would like everyone to take a moment to send some positive thoughts/visualizations/prayer to Rita Crouch, a gal who is going through a very, very rough time with cancer. Here is an email I received today from a very dear friend, a friend who has seen how I have thrived on the love and support of all of you, my family and friends...

++++++++
Cheryl,
I just wanted to ask if maybe
your very powerful group of friends could take the time
to have a positive thought moment for my friend and co-worker
Rita Crouch
who is very sick
she is a good, kind person who has been hit with a very severe
fast moving cancer
so any help we can give her will be greatly appreciated
+++++++++

Hey, I KNOW that we have a lot of powerful energy as a group and if we all send some of that positive energy to Rita, it can only help her through her journey as well!

Thanks everyone!!

Cheryl

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 - GOOD NEWS!

Today was an exciting day! One that I probably won't forget.

Dr. Fay (GP) came to my apartment today to check out my incision (I was a little concerned about it) and to see what I needed in the way of my med refills. He assured me that the incision was fine and totally normal to be bleeding a little because I'm more physically active at home than I was at the hospital.

He then said that the pathology results are in... and the news is good. When in the OR and having all the bits of pieces taken out, sewed up, rearranged, etc... Dr. Brown (surgeon) found a very suspicious "nodule". Now, I didn't think to ask where this nodule was, but I will when I next see him. So the suspicious nodule went down to pathology along with the other things that had been taken out. I did not know about this nodule after the surgery and it is probably just as well I didn't.

The pathology results came back and the nodule was benign, and all other bits and pieces that went to pathology showed absolutely no signs of the cancer having spread anywhere!! YAYAYAYAYA!! This news is apparently huge because had the nodule come back as cancerous, then it would be a whole different story that the doctor would be telling me. That would mean that, even though the CAT scan had not shown any sign of the cancer spreading, the malignant nodule would mean that it had spread and we would now be talking a serious cancer, possibly even terminal.

I'm still trying to absorb it all. All along, I just assumed that it was a cut and dry surgery... and with all the positive visualizations everyone was doing and sending my way, that the results after surgery would be positive. So it did come as a bit of a shock to me that there was a very real possibility it could have been otherwise. This just confirms my believe that positive thinking, positive energy and yes, prayer from all my friends who have faith in prayer has paid off big time in my situation.

I will be seeing my Doctor (GP), Dr. Fay, on Friday because he will be taking out some of the staples then, so I will ask just where this nodule was that was taken out. Meanwhile, the referral to the BC Cancer Agency will now get sent and at some point I'll get a call to go in for a consultation with the oncologists. It will be the oncologists that will decide on what form of followup treatment I'm going to need. From what I understand, this is a preventative measure to zap any possible single cancer cells that may be roaming around. As careful as they are during surgery, one can not ever be sure that a couple of cells may not have escaped.

Soooooo... this is definitely a good news day!!

It's getting late here so time for me and the little Diva to head to bed. Hopefully I can stay awake to watch Jon Stewart on The Daily Show tonight, but I am starting to nod off :)

Cheryl

Monday, January 15, 2007

Hi everyone,

Well, there's not a whole heck of a lot to report just now, so I thought I take this opportunity to add some more of the hospital pictures to the Blog. It's hard to believe that I only came home on Friday. I feel like I've been home for a long time, even though I am still trying to get myself on a routine. Overall, I think I'm doing really well. When I get tired, I take naps. I'm still working on a regular routine for the pain meds, but haven't quite mastered that yet.

I called my doctor's (GP) office today and don't feel that I'm up for getting into/out of a car and going to the doctor's office, so he is going to come to my apartment either today after his office closes, or tomorrow at lunch. He has to keep an eye on the incision, as well, we will discuss pain levels, etc. I also have some questions that I'm sure the surgeon answered, but darned if I can remember asking them or getting answers.

Bridget came home from Ladner yesterday (Sunday). Thank you Judi and Darrel (and Lluke and Ellmo) for taking such good care of the little diva while I was out of commission. She is so totally secure in her routine in Ladner and her routine at home... she settled right back into apartment life when she got home. Of course, any of the neighbours who came over after she got home, she just assumed that they had come over to see her! I mean, isn't that the motto of ALL divas??? "It's all about ME!" (grin). Well, Bridget is definitely a purebred Diva.. she has been taught well! LOL!!

Ok... the following are some more pictures. Now it's time for a nap. The clouds are starting to roll in and they say we are going to get about 10 cm of snow (approx. 4 inches for those of you who speak American) by tomorrow. That means some areas of the city may get a foot, some may get 2 inches. :)

Will be back later!


Here we have part of the infamous "Friendship Wall". We couldn't get the whole wall in one picture, but you get the idea.


Here I am with Don. Don makes me laugh so much, which is NOT a good thing after surgery (grin), but this picture was taken pre-surgery, so laughter was not a problem :)


Not a good hair day nor a good vein day ;) My hair was in braids, which is very convenient when in hospital, but they were all falling out and looking quite messy. Meanwhile, my arms were on strike and had decided not to let the nurses poke any more veins... all my veins went into hiding. So they have both arms wrapped in warm compresses to try and encourage them to surface (grin).


Here I am with two of my good buddies (and neighbours), Scott and Tomas. It does make it convenient having the hospital basically in one's own neighbourhood. This way my buddies could all walk up to the hospital to visit. :)


Here we have Steve, who is a phenomenal caregiver! He was at the hospital pretty much every day and took charge of decorating my room, bringing me anything I needed and just being there.


This was a great visit!! Dad and his little Pedro came to visit at the hospital this one day. Pedro is quite the little traveller and is quite content to go everywhere and anywhere with Dad in his little travel bag. While we were visiting, Dad's sister, my Aunt Eileen arrived! What a great visit we all had. Aunt Eileen lives on Saltspring Island. For those of you who know the Vancouver area, Saltspring is one of the Gulf Islands, so for her to come visit and Dad was already at the hospital, it was great timing!


This was on my birthday, 3 days after the surgery. Although I was hooked up to the various pumps on Molly the IV pole and was on the morphine drip, I was feeling pretty spunky (or was that the drugs??). As you can see, I was having a good time even if I couldn't move very well. In the background is my friend Jo and my sister (in green), Erin. I am holding birthday gifts, the beige Gund dog from my sister, the pretty bathrobe from Jo and the brown teddy (that everyone wanted to steal) that came in the middle of the Palm Tree from my friend, Christina in Chicago.


Here's the view from the first room I had. This happened to be on a clear day so you could see the mountains. On cloudy days, the mountains are hidden ;)


Here's the view from my 10th floor room, the last room I was in... and left from when I left the hospital :)

Ok, this is back at home, but I had to show you a picture of the infamous Palm Tree that was delivered to my room at the hospital. My neighbours, Fern and Eric, who have a large van had to come to the hospital to pick it up (grin) to bring it home. It now has a place in the apartment thanks to Tomas, who rearranged a few things so all the plants have room (grin).

Cheryl