Hospital Photos

I think I look too good for surgery!  Are we really doing this?  Did I mention it's my anniversary?  Can I get the honeymoon suite?  Jess weighed in at 279 after her "cleaning out" the previous night.  (Why do I look so good?  HAIR GEL!!!)

Sadly, I wasn't at Red Lobster.  I was waiting to be admitted. 

I kind of wish they'd take me to the Operating Room BEFORE surgery, not during.  Yikes!

Here are the volunteers that got me flowers for my anniversary.  

My sexy toes!  

My legs were ready for take off! 

 Jeff and I were trying to remain in good spirits, though we were scared. 

Me after surgery.  Unconscious.  Will I wake up?  You'll never know! 

Oh!  I did wake up!  Phew!  I don't know how you made it through that cliffhanger.  The fact that I'm writing this didn't give me away, did it?  

I kept trying to keep my glasses on, but I was soooo drugged up I could hardly stay awake.  

My post-op bandages

Yes, they meant staples when they said it.  

Here's my inflated post-surgery stomach.  They have to pump you with air during surgery and it makes your belly expand a bit.  The air has to come out from your top or your bottom! 

Visitors, Calls, and Gifts... Oh My!

I want to give a special thank you to my friends visited me in the hospital or at home.

On Monday I got the "dead person's flowers" from the volunteers. Suzana from New York sent me flowers. That was VERY thoughtful! Collette came by on Monday, not that I really remember that much of her visit. She brought me a Hoops and Yoyo toy that tells me that I "smell good" and a cute card with HER VOICE on it telling me I'm FANtastic.

On Tuesday Brandy visited! I could not believe my eyes when I saw her! She just had her surgery on FRIDAY! Wow! She looked good too! Gloria stopped in and gave me some love. We talked about something what was going on in her life and that took my focus off myself (which was really good!). Then we received a rosebush from Cheryl in Ohio! I can plant this at home and it'll grow every year! It was so kind! Next, I got flowers from JEFF! I jokingly accused him of buying them downstairs in the gift show so he wouldn't be up-shown, but he assured me he ordered them a bit ago. After that Shannon came by with a really funny book of odd family portraits! I LOVED IT! Sadly, I couldn't read it in the hospital because it hurt so much to laugh. I'm saving it for any day now. Collette came back with 20 balloons to cheer up my room. She had a vision of putting 5 in each corner, but the wind messed them up and they were all tangled! I loved them together! They looked so beautiful! She kept trying to separate them, and I kept telling her to stop. Being that I had six holes in my stomach, and she had none, I won. haha I also got a phone call from Mari who was on vacation. It was SO NICE to hear her voice. Collette came by again. Last, Thierry and Lianne stopped in to visit. I felt very loved Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I was discharged. Before I left, Rebecca (my teammate) and her fiance' Nehemiah stopped in. They brought me a very sweet book with daily prayers. I reminded me a little bit of the books my dad gives me around the Catholic holiday seasons. While Jeff was out of the room, Collette's minister, Kirk came by to visit with me. He was very kind and wished me well. We talked a little bit about my Christian experience, my husband's experience, and his wife who I used to work with.

On Thursday, I got another card from my parents and I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from work! I wasn't sure with all that was going on at work they would remember me, but Jeff told me I was silly and just needed to be patient.


The week before my surgery, I told Jeff I thought that Collette would be the only one to visit or think of me. I was really wrong, and it was really affirming. I am so glad that I have so many people who care about me. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

I'm home and apparently a dog.

I returned home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. At first I was very confused by the directions. They said I was supposed to drink up to two ounces of protein shake an hour, but get in 60grams of protein in the whole day. If I stayed on the shake they were giving me in the hospital, I'd have to drink for 22 hours a day! Certainly that can't be right?!

So I called my nut. and my surgeon's nurse and left messages. The nut. called me back and told me that powdered protein drinks were much more protein potent. We had some and she was right. If I could drink 8 or 9 two ounce servings, I can make my requirement. Phew!

Next is water. I'm supposed to drink 60 ounces of water a day. I can do that... right? We're going to start measuring that more carefully tomorrow.

Last is walking. I'm supposed to walk for 2 periods of thirty minutes. This wasn't a problem, until the temperature decided to stay between 90 and 103 degrees this week. Dr. B. told me I should walk INDOORS because he didn't think my water intake could keep up with dehydration from being in such heat! This was not the best news! As I was simmering over this (pun intended), a volunteer at the hospital told me she's a member of Pitts Baptist Church with is right down the road from my development (like two-tenths of a mile!). She said they have an indoor track that I could use. I asked her if she was sure it was open to the public. She said it was. Well, I called yesterday, explained my situation and what the volunteer at the hospital had said. I was promptly told by the lady who answered the phone that it is not open to the public. I must have a member with me to use their indoor track. Apparently Jesus only shared with the people HE broke bread with? Oh well. There's still the mall. They let vagrants like Jeff and I walk there.

Today, Jeff drove me to Concord Mills. We walked a lap and stopped into a store and bought a few gifts for people. I posted on facebook and a few text messages today that I am looking for someone to come and walk me. Yes, walk me. I'm like a dog. I need to walk twice a day for at least 30 minutes a time and I can't drive yet, so I need someone to take me there. Email or call me if you want to join the Jessica walking team!