Slept most of yesterday. Hubby fixed supper and then cuddled with me while we watched the news. Can't wait to get this neck collar off. Supposed to wear it for 3 months. Yuck. Sipping coffee from a straw.

One of hubby's subcontractors gave us a beautiful poinsettia. It is very lovely. Will probably be our only Christmas decoration this year.

Daughter wants us to come to Louisville for Christmas. Our holidays are always re-arranged to work around work schedules. Don't know if I can make the trip. Four hours in a car doesn't sound like much fun. I also haven't been able to do any Christmas shopping this year. That sucks. Our grandkidlets will understand, but it still doesn't seem fair.

If we had waited to do the surgery after Christmas, we'd have to pay our $4K deductible again.

Anyway, I'm healing, but can see that it will be a slower process than planned.

Afternoon report

I've slept most of today. Feels good to sleep. The pain in my shoulders goes away for that time.

The dog has decided it's best to move her arse out of the walkway. Difficult to do when she's 120 pounds, but she must have gotten tired of being stepped on. She doesn't leave my side much except to go outside to do her business.

I'd actually feel almost good if the pain in my shoulders would go away. It's total debilitation. However, my lower back has eased up some and so has the pain in my hips. That could be due to my lack of walking or due to the surgery. We'll have to wait and see. I'm still too drugged to read much, so if you've sent me an email and haven't gotten a response, that's why.

Fibro sucks. Maybe when my mind is less littered with drugs I'll be able to come up with a better analogy for that.

Day 3

Day two of being home. Day three post surgery. Hate the neck brace, but terrified of taking it off. Wish Jack Hanna would stop by to pick up the elephants stomping across my shoulders and take them back to the zoo.

I'm woozy. I'm exhausted.

Throat felt like I had bronchitis cough for the first two days. That has gotten better.

My plan for using the recliner isn't working out well. To recline, it takes using pressure from both my legs and neck. HA! So, I'm propped up in the corner of the guest bed with about a dozen pillows.

Papa brings me the coffee thermal carafe with creme brulee creamer and a sandwich every morning. It is hard to swallow, even liquids, so this is working well for now.

Thank you to Renee' Barnes and Teddy in Poland for their warm wishes! Audrey Shaffer, Dina Malki, too. If my spelling sucks, it's because my pain level sucks.

If you have nothing better to do, or just 3 free seconds, send a book to Teddy for his library. You'll find the mailing address on the Past Showcase stars at http://www.lindajhutchinson.com. He'll be so grateful! While there, you can also buy my e-book, The Bare Bones Basics of: So You Want to be a Writer. That's all the marketing I have energy for.

Off to take another nap.

First post, post-surgery

Monday, 8th, had surgery. Immediately after time in the recovery room, my hands stopped hurting. So did my wrists. HOWEVER, I had the worst muscle spasms marching from my left elbow, across my shoulders, and down to my right elbow, I could ever have imagined. Should also note that hospital had cut back staff - nearly all aides were gone. Nursing staff was bombarded.

What was planned as a 4 hour surgery turned into 6 hours because of the amount of arthritis in my spine. It took them 2 additional hours to scrape away all the bone spurs that hadn't shown up in the films.

Dr. Mallik rocks! Not only is he easy on the eyes, but he is very personable. When one has a conversation with him, it is clear that we have his undivided attention. He's also very young to be running the neurology department, but he is. He also teaches. And has a thriving practice. Amazing man.

Ms. Audrey Shaffer called me on Sunday so we could talk before surgery. She said she had to talk to me rather than send an email. I'm thankful she is my friend.

Ms. Renee' Barnes called twice post surgery. The first time, I wasn't all that coherent, so she called again yesterday as hubby was driving me home. So nice to have friends who call to tell you they love you.

Daughter called to tell me her brother had done a superb job of keeping family updated. She was so proud of him for doing that.

Poor son had to help me to the toilet and also in removing some items of clothing. It made him very uncomfortable, but he did it because he was helping mama. He talked to the doctors and nurses and had my Michael on speed dial.

Had to spend the night in the hospital because of the extra surgical procedures. I was definitely ready to come home yesterday!

I'm a bit light-headed from the pain and meds. The meds aren't helping much. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, my pain level this morning is an 8. It's the spasms in my shoulders that hurt the most. Vicadin, Flexerill, and Valium just aren't getting it done.

I'm sitting in the recliner in our guest room. We don't have a TV in our bedroom, so I've set up shop in here. Slept, actually attempted to sleep, in the recliner until about 3 this morning. Tried to get up to go to the bathroom, but our bull mastiff had spread out in the walkpath and nearly dumped me on my arse. Michael heard the commotion and came running to my aid. She's a sweet dog and just wants to be near me, but I can't see well enough with this neck brace on, to step over her.

I doubt Michael has slept much. I doubt son has slept much. I know I haven't slept much.

Pneumonia is the big issue here, also the scare of staph infection. Either of those could prove fatal.

Anyway, I'm going to kick back and rest. Don't have much choice. Sure do hope these pain pills kick in sometime soon.

Dr. Mallik thinks Fibro kicked in with the trauma of surgery. I believe him. Fibro is worse than the surgery pain right now.

Thank you to my friends around the world who have prayed for me. I've heard from Hindis, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians alike. Thank you. Prayer is so very powerful.

Monday is surgery day!

Well, tomorrow's the day. I'll need to be at the hospital at 8:45 a.m. for surgery at 10:45. I was told by my neurosurgeon's office on Friday that I won't be coming home the day of surgery as my son-in-law did after both of his neck surgeries. I may not even get to come home on Tuesday.

It is my plan to chronicle each day of recuperation as soon as I'm able to type. Nothing but gibberish may show up as I'll be drugged heavily to keep me as immobile as possible, but I'm not planning to let that slow me down... much.

If everything goes as planned, my fingers should start working right again. My hands should follow suit. Both should perform better with much less pain.

Pain. I've been told I'll have the worst sore throat of my life, post surgery. Yeah, that makes me really wanna go through with this.

Okay, I'm off to pack up what little bit I'm allowed to take with me and to get a good night's sleep.

Yeah.

Right.

Drugs?? Now! Please.

Life with osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia is just one freakin' picnic.

So, if you're of the persuasion, kind thoughts and prayers are being gratefully accepted. Moral support would be good, too.

After all, I'm only allowing a surgeon I've only met once cut open my throat to rip out parts of my vertebrae while he reams out the spinal cord opening, shaves off bone spurs, and re-builds connective tissue and bone.

I intend to ask him what's in that paste he cooks up with the ground up cadaver bones. If it's silly putty and they try to charge me $50K for it, there's gonna be some very loud yelling.

Once I can talk again.

I may have to wait until getting back home to update this blog for the first time. From my stint in the hospital with home-grown meningitis two years ago I'm fully aware of how snitty they get when I remove that little oxygen monitor from my finger and place it on my toe so I can type.

Okay, off to bed...

Doing business in today's world - when you're exhausted

This week has been filled with frustration. Frustration equals stress. Stress is hard on those of us with FM and/or OA.

The highlight of the week was on Monday when my primary care physician told me that all my tests showed I'm free of cancer, free of high cholesterol, free of RA. WOOHOO~ I was given a go for surgery in December that is supposed to stop my arms and hands from going numb and to get my fingers to stop short-circuiting - and working again.

It went downhill from there.

Tuesday left me with little energy, but projects called. I've been laying a new floor in the kitchen. What would have taken me a day and a half 5 years ago has taken 2 weeks. Two very slow weeks of laying a few 12x12 tiles at a time.

Then the dishwasher would not drain. Took the hose off that attaches to the garbage disposal to see if it was plugged. Not plugged. Dipped what I could out with a measuring cup and then resorted to using the turkey baster. No bad stuff in the filter to keep it from draining. Washed all the dishes by hand. Got done just in time to discuss it with hubby as I lay on the sofa, exhausted.

Wednesday, after 14 hours of sleep I was more tired than I had been on Tuesday. The water softener in the garage began to make funny noises. Checked the salt level, which was fine. Called a repair company for the dishwasher.

The repairman showed up and made his diagnosis: "The pump is bad." The dishwasher is not yet 2 1/2 years old. He said he'd be back on Thursday with a new pump. I did as much as I possibly could before finding the sofa again.

Thursday came and went without a peep from the repairman. No phone call. No show. The garage began making clicking noises again. Clicks like a circuit is not connecting right to turn on the water softener, however a lot louder than the circuit-breaker in my neck that turns on whatever it takes to make my swollen hands and fingers work. I watched Survivor from a prone position and then went to bed.

Today, Friday, after 12 hours of sleep, I crawled out of bed (with hubby's help since I had no feeling from the elbows down and my right hand was about half again as big as it should be) and had 4 giant cups of coffee before calling the repair company - to be informed the repair was scheduled for "before noon today". The repairman showed up on time and went to work on the dishwasher.

I called the company we had ordered our pellet/corn burning stove from three weeks ago, only to be told that it is now on back order until March.

The repairman put the new pump in and got the dishwasher all back together and full of water only to discover that he'd forgotten to put the flange back in. Good thing he'd brought his shop vac to suck up the water that was now all over my new floor.

Waited until the bookkeeper came in so I could request a refund for the pellet/corn stove. She put me on hold and then said she'd have to call me back. That was an hour ago. In 10 minutes I will be back on the phone to her. If she gives me a song and dance rather than telling me a full refund check is waiting, I will drag myself out to my car and drive over there in a much less happy mood than I'm currently in. We need the refund to pay for another stove from another vendor who promises they have 16 in stock in their warehouse.

Hubby took a good look at my hands this morning and told me he will bring home KFC for supper tonight. No wonder we've been married so long.

I could go to bed right now and wake up sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'm too tired to deal with the noise in the garage. Come to think of it, I've been too tired to mention it to hubby ...

However, rather than the rain-mixed-with-snow that was forecast for today, it is sunny and 60 degrees. Certainly a mood-enhancer.

Just a little less stress ... please.

Stress and Fibro don't go well together. I've been real worried about my friend, writer/editor/author Ed Easley, who's been in a Seattle hospital for 3 weeks, has undergone 3 brain surgeries, and seems to be recovering well enough to be moved to a hospital closer to home soon. Thank God! It's been a rough road for Ed, his wife Patti, and their family.

Ed swears he's agnostic. Wait until he fully understands just how many dozens, if not hundreds, of cyber-friends have been praying for him. I think he'll come around. He walked today! What more might it take to convince him? We'll wait to see.

We're tryng to get our floors re-done in the kitchen, dining room, and back foyer before Thanksgiving. Because of the arthritis in my spine, hips and knees, it takes me a very long time to do these things. Michael helps a lot. In fact, Michael does all the heavy stuff, the tugging and pulling, the hauling, and the prying. We decided to go the easy route and use commercial tiles. (Only because they don't look like what you'd find in a grocery story or hospital.) It's much easier on me to complete small areas at a time.

The whole crew will be here for Thanksgiving. Sounds like there will be around 20 for supper. No problem. Uh-huh. Would be a huge problem if hubby, son, son-in-law, and my two great-cook-grandsons, weren't planning to help me in the kitchen. For all the barbs I withstood when Jeremy, now 19, was two - and insisted on helping me cook every meal - we'll just BBQ those barbs and call it a day. He was destined to be the one who helps me in the kitchen now that I can't do it all by myself. And Nick is well on his way to being the best kitchen helper in three states. We'll do just fine.

Stress. The MRI from what appeared to be nasty infection/cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck turned out to be not so nasty. However, it gave us some ugly pictures of my neck. Now I understand why my hands aren't working well, or often.

My primary care doc sent me to a neurosurgeon. Surgery to replace C-4/5/6 is scheduled for early December. Then I'll be in a neck/collar brace for three months. It's amazing what can be done these days with ground up cadaver bones and silly putty. Sure will be nice to have a few less bone spurs poking at nerves, and for my spinal fluid and cord to not be pinched. (Bonus: Some chiropractic circles believe that treatments to repair/place C-4 in optimal mode is the cure for Fibro.)

One of the things I had to NOT tackle right now was Karina Fabian's Leaps of Faith Virtual Blog Tour. If you like sci-fi, you'll love this anthology. If you believe in God, you'll like this anthology. Check out the schedule at The Review Hutch.