Why can't I breathe? Surgery Part 3

10 days after I was home from my surgery, something no bueno happened. I sat up one morning after a somewhat good nights sleep, and couldn't BREATHE. It was the scariest feeling! I called my doctor and made an appointment to go see him. (I waited the whole weekend because I didn't want to go to the ER) So monday rolls around, I go to work in my pj's :) During my lunch I head to the hospital to get an Xray. While I was there I chatted with the surgeons assistant and asked her if there was any possible way for me to get a wheel chair for my New York Thanksgiving trip. (because I was NOT planning on cancelling it) So they did the xray and I went back to work. I got a call from the receptionist telling me I was admitted back to the hospital, my lungs were full of fluids. After I hung up I instantly broke down into tears. I called Johnny and told him that I needed to go back to the hospital so he came and got me.

This time around they gave me a hospital suite haha it was a HUGE room. I waited around and some nurses came in and told me that I needed to get and IV. JOY. ugh. I told the nurse NOT to use my right arm in the crease because I had just given blood there that day and it was sore. BUT she decided that was the "best" place for it...and it DIDN'T work. Awesome. So she tried ANOTHER time. Didn't work. Then she decided to try my hand. WORST.IDEA.EVER. The vein "infiltrated" and I had a huge bump which instantly turned into a bruise. She than began to tell that my veins are really "valvey" I then began to tell her she just sucked at giving IV's (ok I didn't really tell her that but I wanted too!) At this time I voted for a new nurse to come in and give me an IV. They brought in this lady who was socially awkward, but she did end up getting the IV in my arm. And then she asked me what they had planned for me. I told her and I had to get a chest tube. She then began telling me that chest tubes are THE WORST, and that I would feel miserable. Wow. you are my new best friend. NOT. I wanted to strangle her.

So right as she left I started balling!! I was not excited for another painful experience :( Not long after that my  PA came in. (LOVE ALL OF THEM) She noticed I was crying and came in to give me more info on what was going to happen. I had told her what the evil nurse had said. She then began to tell me what REALLY was going to happen and that the pain would not be unbearable.

Before I went to bed they decided I need another IV in my arm...really? Ugh.
 They brought in this guy and YAY it worked after like 2 tries.

The morning came and it was time to get my chest tube...here is what a chest tube looks like:

They make a small incision on the side of your chest, under your arm and guide the tube into the lung.

Before they took me down, they gave me a calming drug, because I was so so nervous that I wasn't going to be put to sleep for the surgery. It worked great :) They took me down to radiology. Then they put me on a CT scan bed. They put this sort of stencil thing on my side and then they would slide me into the CT chamber  and slide me back out, make adjustments, in and out, etc. Then they gave me the drug. I remember saying to the doc, when am I supposed to start feeling loopy? (Which I am 100% sure I already was haha) So then he told the nurse to give me more. The only thing I remember is the doc telling me he was going to numb the area and the shot may hurt a little. Then I swear I was eating food out of the sky haha and then it was over!

They took me to a recovery room where I slowly came out of the loopy state. When I had finally come to it, I realized they had me lying flat...which I hadn't done while I was at home, and I went into panic mode, I had a spasm in my back, and I couldn't breathe right. I started coughing and blood started flowing through my chest tube. YIKES! Johnny hurried and ran outside to grab and nurse and they hurried in. They sat me up and gave me some morphine. awwwww. They said that after they drain your fluids your lungs can get sticky and it makes it hard to breathe, which is what happened. During the surgery they drained over 2 liters of fluid.

They moved me back to my hospital room on the lovely 10th floor of the IMC.  My PA told me if everything went smoothly I should be outta there in a few days, and ready for my NYC trip! So after a couple days my output of fluid was minimal. So they took me to get an xray, and whaddya know...my lungs had filled up with fluids again :( which meant that my tube was NOT draining properly. JOY.

They tried using a syringe and squirting some water up in there to try and unclog it. Didn't work. So for the next few days I just waited and waited until they thought of what they should do next.

You know what word I hate? Phlebotomist. They came in everyday at like 4 in the morning to draw blood. And after a few days I was running out of good veins. I HATE getting pricked.

The day came when they told me I wouldn't be able to make it to my New York trip. I was very sad, and by this time I had been in the hospital longer than I was there for my actual surgery. :(

Here was my daily routine:
-8 am the surgeon would stop by to make his daily rounds, I was usually half asleep still so he would usually say, "I'll come back later when you are more awake." haha
-8:15 am get my vitals checked
-8:30 am an old LDS couple would come say hi to me (and on sundays bring the sacrament)
-8:45 am try to go back asleep, but then someone from radiology would come take me for my daily Xray
-9:30 am eat my breakfast that had been sitting there since 8:00 am
-9:45 am SLEEP :)
-10:00 am check chest tube and vitals again.
-10:15 am go on a walk around the hospital floor.
-10:30 am watch tv
-12:00 pm eat lunch
-12:30 SLEEP :)
and the rest of the day is basically the same, get vitals checked, watch tv, eat, sleep. Oh the joys of being lazy :)

I was so sad I wasn't going to be able to go to New York with my family :( AND I was going to have to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital.

On Thanksgiving morning Johnny went to play football with Nick. Courtney came over to hangout with me. Oh how I love her. She helped me shower, washed my hair, blow dried and styled it. Shaved my legs, and put some makeup on me. She is the best :)  Later Cami and Chris came over and brought me Thanksgiving dinner and hung out. So nice of them, their food was MUCH better than the hospitals thanksgiving dinner. Its so great to know that I have friends that love and care about me, I am so blessed!

And then, something I thought I would never have to do, spend my birthday in the hospital. I am glad that Johnny, my family, and friends could be there to celebrate with me...here are some pics:

The daily vitals (more like every 2hrs vitals)

yay for bday gifts! Too bad whats in there is pumps and clothes, can't wear them!

Rylee and Katie sent me these for my birthday :) 

My friends that came to visit me on my bday! (I had to hold that stupid tube like a tail haha)

They brought me a bundt cake mmmm and lotions from Bath & Body works!

Balloons!!

The doctors finally came up with an idea...the decided to put in this stuff called TPA...Tissue plasminogen activator (abbreviated tPA or PLAT) is a protein involved in the breakdown of blood clots. It is a serine protease (EC 3.4.21.68) found on endothelial cells, the cells that line the blood vessels. As an enzyme, it catalyzes the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, the major enzyme responsible for clot breakdown. Because it works on the clotting system, tPA is used inclinical medicine to treat embolic or thrombotic stroke. Use is contraindicated in hemorrhagic stroke and head trauma.  

They found out that I was clotting on the inside so they shot this stuff inside me with a syringe, then they would clamp my tube off, and let it sit for an hour. IT WORKED. My tube started flowing properly! So they had to do that  every couple of days to keep the tube from clogging.

One day my IV started leaking...nooooo! I was so angry! I did NOT want to get pricked again. But when it came down to it, they had to re-do it...they were actually surprised out how long my vein had been working, usually with the type of antibiotic I was on, they have to redo IV's every couple of days. Thank goodness I have tough veins! The nurse that re-did the IV did an amazing job. He rocked. 

A few days later they decided that I was NOT leaving anytime soon and that I should get a PICC Line:

I was soooo nervous to have this done. When I was there for my original surgery, they put in a central line AFTER I was put out...and this time I was going to have to be awake.

They had two nurses come in. One to watch the ultrasound monitor and one to put the catheter in. It was way weird.  So first they do an ultrasound on your arm to find the correct vein. Then they do about 4 numbing shots around the area, that's really the only thing that hurt. Then they told me to hold my breath as she injected the catheter and guided it to my heart. And honestly, I COULDN'T even feel it! Crazy! It's because your bigger veins don't have touch sensors.

That procedure went well and I was now able to have my blood drawn through the PICC line instead of  getting a million pokes daily! yay!

(sidenote) When I was getting ready for the PICC line, a nurse from a different department came in and said she was there to remove my chest tube...um WHAT?? I had just discussed with my surgeon that day that I would need it longer. So that's exactly what I told her. It's good to pay attention to your own health and know what is going on. Apparently that detail had slipped through the cracks and no one had told her I was going to need the tube for a longer period of time.

So after the lovely month of November I was hoping I would be able to go home and enjoy the Christmas season. Not happening sista!  I missed our work Christmas party, so my mom came to the hospital and I watched the Polar Express (we do a movie trivia every year) and then I took the quiz. NAILED IT.

Johnny and I had "date nights" where I would go with him down to the hospital cafeteria and watch movies in our room. Its so nice to see new scenery rather than the lovely 10th floor at IMC. But after traveling that far I was always so exhausted...so sad. We watched alot of fun movies & tv shows while I was in the hospital. Mostly Glee, Modern Family, and Friday Night Lights (thanks to Ashley for giving it to me to watch).

It was hard, really hard, not being able to hug and cuddle Johnny like I used to be able to. One night we had a genius idea to have him squish with me on my hospital bed and turn the lights off and listen to Christmas music. BEST IDEA EVER.

I don't know if I already mentioned this in this post...but one night I talked in my sleep to my nurse. Nice. So embarrassing!! haha.

It was not easy being in the hospital for almost a month. I felt like my life was on hold while everyone else was still living life and having fun. It was very hard to not be in control of what happened to me. I was VERY needy, and I HATED it. Every time I needed to go to the bathroom, someone would need to help me out of my bed and help me sit down on the toilet. Anytime I needed ANYTHING someone else would have to do it for me. I felt bad that if something I was hooked to started beeping in the middle of the night, that it would wake up Johnny. It was the WORST if whatever it was had a low battery haha. Or alot of times my oxygen level was too low and I had to focus on taking deep breaths ugh.

Finally December 9th rolled around and after my Xray that day, they told me I would be able to go home!! I was overjoyed! So they took out my chest tube. It was a weird feeling. Johnny was able to be in the room with me. My PA began to cut the sutures, (it tickled and hurt at the same time) Then when it came to pulling the tube out I had to hold my breath. It was a WAY weird feeling. If felt like a bunch of air/gas was leaving my body through my side.

After that procedure, they waited a few hours and then I had my final xray, to make sure there was no build up of fluids. When my PA came back with the results, he had a worried look on his face. He said that my fluids had built up again and that they would need to redo my chest tube. My heart sank. But then he put on a smile and said, "Just Kidding"!! oh boy, I was so mad at him!

My dad came to the hospital to come pack up all my things. (Johnny had school I think) and My mom took me home. We had to stop at Walgreens to get all my meds. It was funny because when I went to pay for them, I totally forgot my PIN# haha. Probably because I hadn't used it in over 2 months. I was out of practice! haha.

***I know I am posting this a year late, but what a better time then on the anniversary of my surgery? haha. Its been a good year. I am healthy. My scar is healing nicely. I can't do sit ups yet...grrr..it hurts, but thats really the only downside. I am so thankful for modern medicine and health insurance. I am grateful I have a full-time job and an awesome boss that gives us health benefits. (My final bills were in the $100,000's) It was over $80,000 just for my one month stay at the hospital. That doesn't include my surgeries and all that.  Thank you again to everyone for all the visits, cards, flowers, and FB messages. It is a good feeling to know you are loved and cared about.

Halloween Couples Contest - The Dating Divas

Hey bloggers! The Dating Divas are having a Halloween Couples Costumes Contest. I need to post it on my blog so they can get the pictures!  Don't forget about my Creative Costumes Rock Contest! We have a few submissions so far, but I would LOVE more!

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY COSTUME!!! When I get the info on where to vote I will post it here:
http://www.thedatingdivas.com/halloween-couples-costume-contest/

Our costume is number *18* Rogue-Tiger Woods-Spiderman

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!

So back in 2009 I was Rogue from Marvel's X-men. Johnny was Tiger Woods. Throughout the night he would tell me he "wasn't feeling good" and that he "thinks he got bit by something" I felt bad but didn't really think anything of it. He told me he needed to go take medicine. But when he came back.....he had "transformed" into your friendly neighborhood Spiderman! It was an awesome surprise, and then everything came together!

***If you want to know how I made these costumes, please visit my costume blog, HERE.
***If you would like to submit one of your homemade costumes, please go, HERE.

4th of July

The 4th of July was a fun day. We started the day out by going to City Creek to do some shopping. Then we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Delish, as usual. Then we hungout with our cousins, Adam & Ali, and their adorable baby, Cohen. We went out to dinner and then met up with my family and did fireworks. I feel like the 4th of July was funner as a kid. Fireworks were so much more exciting back then haha. 

Happy Belated 4th of July!

Moonrise & Sushi

See these fine ladies? Love them. We have known each other our whole lives. We are family. It's crazy when we see eachother and it's been awhile, because it feels like we just pick up where we left off.  I feel like I don't see them enough, but when we are able to get together it is a blast. 

We were at Jordan Commons. Saw Moonrise Kingdom.  I saw fireworks so I started singing the Katy Perry song. Everyone joined in and we sang at the top of our lungs. Good times. 

We had sushi. It was delicious. We were in our own private booth....sooooo we took alot of pictures to remember the lovely occasion.

I love these girls :)

Creative Costumes Rock : My NEW Blog

Hey fellow bloggers! I have recently created another blog :) yay! I have a love for dressing up for Halloween..and if it was "normal" to do it everyday, I probably would :) PLEASE check it out and:
-LIKE it on Facebook
-FOLLOW it
-FOLLOW my pinterest board
-SUBMIT your costumes!

Creative Costumes Rock

Also...here are my other blogs in case you want to follow them as well!

Pickie Eats  recipe blog


HairByJo hair & nails - before & after pictures

Retro Junk -D-

Well bloggers I haven't done my "retro junk" post in quite awhile so I thought I would start it up again! We are on D...so here it goes....

TV Shows:

1980's:

Ducktales : 1987 - 1990

Loved this show! Good ol' Scrooge McDuck! These are the kind of cartoons I will have my kids watch!

1990's:

Doug 1991 - 1994 Nickelodeon 1996 - 1999 Disney

Wasn't Nickelodeon's Doug wayyy better than Disney's Doug? Who is with me on this one?? 

- one outfit, green vest, white undershirt, tan shorts

- Dear Journal....

-Quail Man!

-Do do do do do do do do do do do

Dinosaurs 1991 - 1994

Loved this show! The grandma and the baby were my favorite...

Darkwing Duck 1991 - 1992

Let's Get Dangerous...

Dunkaroos 

These were the best snack ever! I remember  you could only find them at Sam's Club back in the day..so delicious!

Post-Surgery : Surgery Part 2

I had a very different Halloween last year. One I will never forget. The morning was spent watching scary movies (the ones with Jason??) with my mom at the hospital. (I think Johnny had school) When I got home I plopped awkwardly attempted to sit on the couch and started watching Halloween shows. My dad was so nice and went to the store for us to get us all the necessary foods and such that the doctor said I could eat. Basically it consisted of: Boost Drinks, pudding, jello, tomato & chicken noodle soup.

Trick or Treaters came and left...sadly I couldn't get up to give them candy, so Johnny and my parents did it. Rusty & Meaghann came and visited which was so nice of them! When it was time for bed, I decided I was going to crash on the recliner. I got NO SLEEP.

My central line was in my neck, so the whole week that I was in the hospital I would tense up on my right side so the lines didn't feel like they were pulling. I had THE worst sore muscles of my life. So that kept me up all night. A couple nights after that were just as bad. Finally we decided to get some ICY HOT and that helped quite a bit! Johnny was back to school so I just hungout with my mom and watched alot of HGTV.

My mouth started hurting really bad, I figured it was because I was sucking/slurping on everything I ate. But it turns out I had Thrush. ugh. Not a good feeling at all :(

Everynight I slept on the recliner couch in the basement and Johnny would sleep on the couch behind me, so nice of him :) I usually had to wake him up in the wee hours of the morning because I would have to pee SO BAD! And I couldn't get out of the couch by myself :(

I decided to be brave and try to sleep in my bed. When I got in, I felt TRAPPED. The only thing I could do is move my arms around slowly move my legs up and down. Then I would go into panic mode because it was hard to breath :( and then I got this very painful spasm in my back because I was panicking. So I decided to NOT sleep in my bed again. 

My ward & family were so helpful. They came and brought us dinner all the time, and it was so delicious! It was nice not having to worry about making dinner and such.

So after one week of being home I had a follow up appt. with my doctor and everything was looking great! I think I had one more follow up in like a month and then I would be good to go!

So I think it was a friday when I woke up and Johnny helped me sit up from the chair and all of a sudden I couldn't breath! I started panicking and my back started spazing out ugh! We decided it would be a good Idea to call the doc. His assistant said that if I couldn't handle it, I should go to the emergency room. But if I could wait til monday, I would have an appt with my doc.

So we waited. Monday rolled around and I went to see him...again.... He thought it would be best to get some xrays and blood drawn.  I talked to his assistant about getting a wheel chair for our New York trip haha oh the New York trip.....

I went into work that day after the doc visit...and maybe only like 2 hours later I got a call from the doctor saying I was being admitted back to the hospital because my right lung was collapsed and full with fluids......

Ashley was with me and I just started balling after I got off the phone. I am supposed to be getting better! and i was thinking about New York :(

Focal Nodular Hyperplasia...Surgery Part 1

Uhhh Holiday Hooty Whatty? Yup thats what I said, Focal Nodular Hyperplasia...I thought I would blog about my crazy past couple of months in the hospital and such so here it goes....

In the beginning of the summer I started having this uncomfortable feeling beneath my left ribs.  It was like if I was sitting for a long time it would start to hurt. It was weird to explain to people, but it felt like something was there that shouldn't be. Like a big air bubble or something.

I let the whole summer go by and then finally, after my hubby and mom told me I REALLY needed to go to the doc, I went.  I was skeptical about going because I was afraid they would brush it off and say, eh, its nothing.

So I went to the doc, explained my issue and she decided to do some blood work.  I got a call back a day later. NOTHING.

She then decided I should go get an xray.  So I went and did that, got a call back a day later. NOTHING.
By this time I was just ready to be done and figured, well, its probably NOTHING.

My doc then said she wanted me to get an ultrasound. So I went and did that. And I am so happy I went. And I am happy that its "procedure" to get pictures of ALL your organs, not just where you feel the pain. (Because if it was just where the pain was, we wouldn't of found anything.

So like a day later I get a call back from my doc, she tells me there is nothing wrong on the left side where I was feeling pain. However, "You have a mass on your liver, and its pretty big." We need to do an MRI to figure out what it is.  I got this phonecall at work, and afterward I didn't know what to do but cry. 

I went up into my dad's office and fell into his arms and just started balling. We instantly went online to look up liver problems.  Which then freaked me out. Bad idea.  The first thing my dad said is, you can't live without your liver. Awesome. But they can cut into it and then it feels back the space. Or ofcourse transplants. Then I thought of my nephew, Kyle, who had liver cancer when he was little. So that was running through my mind. Then the word SURGERY crossed my mind and I was FREAKED by it.

So I had to go get an MRI. Interesting experience, with the loud noises and such, and I experienced my first IV.
So it took a couple of days for my doc to get back to me and those days were killer! Finally she called me and told me that it was FNH. And that she didn't know what to do about it but refer me to a surgeon.  So they set up an appt to meet with a surgeon.  But, they decided they wanted me to get a CT scan also. So I went and did that before my appt. Weird experience. They put this fluid into your IV that makes your body goe really HOT and makes you feel like you peed your pants! Crazy!  

So the day came when I had my appt with the surgeon.  My hubby and my mom came with me. I def needed the support! So he brought me into a room and brought up my CT scan photos on the computer.  He showed me my tumor and i was speechless. It was scary seeing how BIG it was. It was the size of a baseball. I instantly got teary eyed, but tried my hardest to keep it in. 

He showed me that it was pressing on my blood vessels and making them enlarged in some spots and stretched really thin in some parts.  He said that this tumor is NOT cancerous. PHEW! Usually people don't get this type of tumor removed. However, since mine was SO big and putting that stress on my blood vessels, it could cause serious problems in the future. 

He told me the best thing to do is get surgery.  He showed me how big my incision would be (he called it a mercedes and another word I can't remember) and instantly I was thinking of worldy things and thought, "DANG! What am I gonna look like in my swimsuit now?" haha.

He said it was a 4 hour surgery. 1 week in the hospital and 1 week recovery at home. He told me the potential risk, which freaked me out. He also said that you don't usually lose blood in this type of surgery and I would maybe lose a teaspoon of blood. (Keep that in mind while reading the rest of the story)

So after we got all of our questions answered, we felt it was necessary to get the surgery.  So we went to the receptionists desk, and I thought I would have a couple weeks to process everything. NOPE, I was scheduled for October 24th 2011, that was one week from the day of my appt.

Right when we walked out the doors, I LOST it. I started balling. (I was so proud of how I kept my composure in front of the surgeon) A million things started running through my mind. And not gonna lie, I was SO scared to be put to sleep! I kept thinking, freak, I shoulda got my wisdom teeth out when i was younger so I know what its like to get anesthesia!!

That was THE longest week. And to make things worse, they called me two days before and had to reschedule my surgery to the following day. So ofcourse on that monday I kept thinking, I really should've been in surgery right now!

So tuesday the 25th rolls around and we had to get up at 4:30 AM We had to be at the hospital by 5:30 AM. UGH!! So we get there get signed in, and basically wait around for awhile.  Then they finally got me a room and I had to changed into the gown, socks, and these super tight nylon sock thingys that go up to your thighs.

Then someone came in to give me an IV. Which hurt like a mother. They put it on my forearm.  Then I just waited around again. Then the time came when I had to say bye to Johnny and my mom and they took me on my bed to the OR.

They had the anesthegiologist (sp?) come talk to me and they kept saying how excited they were?? Ha I guess they don't usually get healthy, skinny, 22 year olds to give anesthesia. They said it was gonna be so simple! Well I am glad I can make your job easier :) They asked me if I wanted to ask my surgeon anything, and I told him NO, I don't want to get more freaked out haha. 

So they roll me into the operating room, everyone is happy and smiling. They move me from the hosptial bed to the OR table and they told me I was going to need a central line (PICC line) and I told them they could do that after I fell asleep, one less thing to worry about haha.  They put a mask on me and said I would be out in about 10 seconds.  The last thing I remember was they said, "We are like vegas, what happens here stays here, now don't go telling us all your secrects while your drugged up!" All I remember saying was, I don't have very many secrets. and the BOOM.  I was out.

Next thing I know I am in a dark room...all I could think is when am I going to hear my hubby and mom's voice? After what felt like an eternity my mom and Johnny came in.

I instantly just wanted them to hold my hands. It really was so comforting.  I could barely talk and I didn't know why? The anesthesia kept me loopy for a LONG time.  The first thing I remember Johnny saying was, "They had to take your gal bladder out." I had no idea they were gonna do that. I guess in the future if I ever had problems with it, it would be hard to get back in that area.

The next thing I asked was what is all hooked to me??
-I had an oxygen mask
-I had a tube that went into my nose, down my throat and into my tummy that would extract stomach bile
-I had a catheter
-I had about 5 different IV's hooked on my arms
-I had a central line in my neck
-I had a tube coming out of my stomach that was also extracting liquids and such from my lower stomach
-I had the thing on my finger which checks your oxygen levels
-I had wires (leeds?) hooked to my chest to check my heart rate and those sort of things

The tube down my throat HURT SO BAD!! I could barely talk with it and swallowing was the worst ever!! Also my throat and mouth was so dry but I couldn't drink anything. All they could do was get a little sponge wet, and wet my mouth. 

The other annoying thing was I couldn't have pain meds yet :( My blood pressure was too low...and  I couldn't fall asleep so I just layed there in pain. I remember thinking, this is going to be the longest night ever.

During surgery the following happend:
-my surgery was supposed to last 4 hours. It ended up being 8 hours.
-when they got in there they realized the tumor was growing through my blood vessels so it was going to be much more extensive then they thought.
-They had to MOVE my ribs out of the way...ouch.
-instead of a teaspoon of blood I lost SIX pints. Your body only holds 8 pints of blood.
-I had to have 7 blood transfusions during surgery. (and 3 more during my week stay) Thank heavens I am not a jehovah's witness or I wouldn't be here.
-When they got in there they realized that the tumor was making all my organs shift around. My kidneys were squished and pushed down and my spleen was being pushed over and was enlarged, which probably was what the pain I was feelin before any of this happened.

Here is me the day after surgery

My body was so SWOLLEN.. Look at my eyelids!! ah! I could feel my cheeks puffed up on the inside of my mouth. My hands were so swollen you couldn't even see my knuckles and I couldn't make a fist AT ALL.

All the lovely things that were hooked to me.  This picture is in the ICU. I was in the ICU for about a day and a half before they moved me to my more permanent room. They didn't have a couch or anything, so Johnny brought his sleeping bag and slept on the floor. Such a nice hubby!

DAY 1 after surgery:

   Finally at about 4 in the morning I was allowed to have pain meds. BEST THING EVER.  I can now see how people get addicted. It just sent this calming sensation through my body and I felt so relaxed and out of pain. Johnny had to go to school during the day so my mom and court came to stay with me. My doctor came in to see me and I told him that the tube down my throught was very uncomfortable. So he decided it was ok to pull it out. So basically he just grabbed the tube and pulled and Oh.My.Gosh. So painful and awkard feeling. And the tube had like green goo on it. Nasty. Next my physical therapist came in. She told me I was gonna go on a walk. WHAT?!? I can barely move and you want me to go on a walk? First she told me to lift my arms..which felt like a million pounds. Then lift my legs into the sit up position. IMPOSSIBLE.. Getting out of the hospital bed was quite the process and walking was so difficult I didn't think I could do it! Then they made me sit in a chair, which I held onto for dear life, and I am sure I looked very uncomfortable.

That day I think I had one more blood transfusion. Total I had like 12 throughout my week stay. I had to have tons of other stuff pumped through my body (which is partly the reason I was so puffy for awhile) My eyes were always goopy and I constantly had to wipe them.  I had these leg compressers on that were kinda annoying. And every couple minutes I had to move my feet, point and flex. (to help me not get blood clots) The weirdest thing is when they pumped calcium into my body. It made me whole body start burning! NOT a fun feeling!!

One of the most painful things is when my doc came in and undid my binder around my abdomen to check on the incision. And when he would touch around the area, I would wimper, yes wimper in pain. Partly because, well, if anyone were to touch my tummy sick or not, I would flex my muscles cuz it tickles. Same reaction, minus the tickling part. So the flexing killed.

That night I finally had the OK to be relocated to the 10th floor. My room was 1022.  Once they got me all situated, everything went out of whack! Way annoying. Nurses were constantly coming in giving me new meds, checking my blood pressure no joke every 20 min. ZERO sleep that night.

For the rest of the week my routine was:

-attempt to sleep in

-check blood pressure and oxygen every 2 hours

-physical therapy 2 times a day

-get a finger poke probably 3 to 4 times a day to check my glucose levels

- Heparin shot TWICE daily. SO PAINFUL. They give it to you in your STOMACH!! I was so bruised

-draw blood like twice a day. Luckily I had a central line, so they could just draw the blood from that. Pain free.

To add to this loveliness..I got SUPER bad heartburn. They gave me this stupid pill at night and ya it gave me heartburn. So it took them an eternity to get me something else to help with that.

Getting my catheter out wasn't bad at all! The thing that sucked was now I would actually have to get out of bed to use the bathroom. Lame. haha. But they don't like to keep catheters in for long because you could get an infection. So since they were pumping loads of fluids through me, I had to pee ALL THE TIME. Which meant getting out of bed. Sucky.

I HATE missing things. Everyone knows this. I love planning parties & never missing things. Well, being in the hospital changed that! grrr!

-had to cancel Halloween party

-decided that instead of our cool "Hey Arnold" costumes, that I would just be a hospital patient. yayy....:(

-I missed one of my best friends husbands baptism

Saturday rolled around and they decided to take out the tube in my stomach. Not a pleasant feeling, or sight (Ashley can agree to that, she was the one holding my hand!)

On Monday (Halloween)  I was really hoping I would get to go home. All my numbers and such were looking better and they gave me the ok to go home! So ofcourse hospital time is NOT normal time..it DRAGS on. They told me at like 11:00am that I could go home that day. And at around 5:00 I was out the door.

All my flowers and cards!

Halloween! Excited to go home!

Driving home was not pleasant, every little bump KILLED. But being home was so much better. I was so glad I was able to spend Halloween at home and watch fun movies.

I had lots of good visits from friends and family. Loads of cards, presents, and flowers. It feels so good to know I have people in my life who truly care about me & love me. So thanks again to all of you!! love you all! :)