PCG'S ROCK!

posted Saturday, 21 January 2006

Again, I under-estimated just how tough surgery would be. Chemo was way easier than I had built up in my mind... but surgery was (yet again) way tougher.

Annette warned me that it was a week before she could lift a jug of milk... Bleh! I figured I'd be up and about quicker than that. I was wrong.

When I got home from the hospital (and for the first week), I was surprised that:


• I couldn't open the sliding glass door to let Otis out into the backyard
• A glass cup filled with juice was too heavy to life -- I needed to use plastic
• I couldn't tilt the glass back to drink -- I had to use bendy straws
• I couldn't put on a button down pajama top without help
• I slept more than I was awake... however, sleep never lasted for more than a few hours before I woke in pain
• Percocet really does help... some
• I certainly couldn't lift a jug of milk!
• Surgical bras may "keep stuff all in place"... but they are not comfortable

I was blessed by the fact that I had friends here 24/7 for three weeks after I got home from the hospital. 24/7. I don't know how I would have managed without them. Whether you stopped by to visit... or stayed for a while as my "primary care-giver (PCG)", it was appreciated. Visitors helped me to forget that I had been sitting on the couch for 15, 16, 17... days in a row, without doing anything... my PCG's were amazing. They kept me hydrated, fed me, wiped down my back and arms with "spa moisture cleansing cloths" while I was unable to bathe, and plumped my pillows to create a "cocoon", enabling me to get comfortable for a few hours. They documented my medicine intake (I was taking 6 different meds for those first few days)... someone even made an Excel tool to document and plot the drainage rates from each of my drains (I love dorks!) People brought me jammies and coloring books and flowers and sudoku puzzles. They cooked me meals, cleaned my house, did my laundry, washed the dishes and walked my dog. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support that I got from my friends over the past three weeks.

I am finally up and about. I can pour the juice and even make coffee and cereal!

Special thanks to my PCG's for putting up with me and camping out at my house for a while -- your sacrifice and dedication to me will not be forgotten and means alot to me:


• Bonny
• Mike
• Nancy
• Abby
• Sara G
• Mom

And to my other friends and visitors:


• Vanita
• Annette
• Charlene & Jeremy
• Heaton
• Suzannah
• Jenny
• Gwen & Lila
• Beth & Terry
• Julie
• Catie
• Biddle & Coyne
• Susan & Brian
• Ken
• Rich
• Jess, Abby & Upma
• Everyone who sent cards, emails & called to see how I was doing
• anybody I might be forgetting (sorry!)