Updating, do not unplug.....

Just as I get the hang of one bit of technology they go and change it, and now it's iGoogle shutting down where I had my blog reading collection.

But, you know what, I've been forced to change and moved my collection to the blogger version and it works even better than what I had before.

Too old for this malarky? Nah not me and not yet :-)
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Measuring....

Healing - skin still sore but trousers comfortably done up now.

Medication - pain killers not needed every day but no more than twice on the days I do.

Blood pressure - keeping a bit of a bp diary as my normally high bp now seems to generally low. Maybe one kidney is more efficient than two!

Mobility - mostly moving about as and when I please. Even drove my car yesterday.

In bed - gone is the pillow pile and can even roll from side to side. Not managing to sleep right through yet though.

Flowers - I've received so many beautiful flowers, at one point they filled nine vases a planted arrangement and a special card with flowers in.

Cards - fill the hearth and coffee table and are still arriving from people that have only just heard.

Presents -. A lovely cross stitch of my initial from a friend that had popped into a charity shop and said it called to her. A neighbour brought a huge tin of chocolates.

Visitors - my children have been around all the time, plus so many friends and neighbours wanting to pop in and wish me well. One neighbour knowing that hubby was going out came specially to make me tea. My ex-boss came too and a cousin is coming to visit on Monday.

Checking up on me - by phone calls, text messages, emails and facebook comments are far too many to even attempt counting up.

Blessings - counting them daily but immeasurable!!!

Progress - I'm out tonight at a friends for dinner and tomorrow back to my art group yaay!
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Loving the ordinary....

Yesterday was so lovely and ordinary.  Daughter came over with the three children, two of which showing off new cat onsies, and brought flowers for me, french sticks towards lunch and a huge apple crumble to cook here and share.  We chatted about who they'd seen and what they'd done, the children did some screen time each, there was Halloween art, daughter made lunch, hubby made lots of drinks, there was some bickering, some stomping, aeroplane/airplane making and debate about who calls it what and why, a grandson sitting close on the sofa playing on my screen and chatting, there was R and O left behind while E was taken for her percussion lesson, O helping granddad to strip our bed, there was a struggle to get them all out at home time, there was hubby texting after they left to say she had forgotten the half a crumble, there was the flying in later by Daughter to collect the crumble and steal a pie out of the freezer as she'd gone to Asda but forgotten her purse! And there was the contented relaxing evening after an ordinary day!
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Take-em-out and take-away....

Definite steps yesterday to getting nearer to normal (whatever my normal is).

In the afternoon I left the house for the first time on the great adventure to our town centre surgery (local nurse fully booked) to have the staples removed. I know I am an over sensitive baby where pain is involved and a few people with their horror stories had made me even more anxious, which didn't help, but they really did hurt coming out and three of the 15 took some extra tugging, ouch ouch ouch! I was amazed they can't come up with a bit of a spray numbing idea first, or an oil softening idea that would help soften and lubricate or at least a soothing wet flannel to take the sting away after, but there was nothing, not even distraction conversion from the nurse! So glad that's over with and so looking forward to being able to do my trousers up again.

Tuesday nights is usually girl's night and even though we used to be five or six of us now it's just three of us that meet for a meal out most Tuesdays. Well they checked with me if I was up for a meal out with one of them driving instead of me, however mainly due to me not being able to do my trousers up, we decided on them coming here and having Chinese delivered.  It was yummy and conversion was totally shared between my medical updates and their news, lovely that it wasn't visitors to the sick it was me nearly normal!
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One week after....

It's now 5:30pm and this is about the time last Saturday I came out of recovery and onto the ward, so it's one week after the op!

So much to be grateful for,
especially that the tumour was discovered at all,
I'm the other side of a successful operation,
it remained a keyhole procedure when the surgeon had warned me the odds had risen to 50/50 that it may end up an open procedure,
grateful too that I didn't suffer the dreadful shoulder pain I'd been warned about that's caused by the gasses they fill you with during surgery,
nor did I suffer the constipation that often is a problem from taking all the post-op pain relief.
What a lucky lucky girl I am!!!

So now it's up to me, trying to stay totally positive, trying to move about in short slow bursts and resting lots too…....but ok I'm bloody human AND IT'S REALLY REALLY SORE!
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A billow of pillows.....

Had a good night's sleep last night, mainly due to getting the pillows just right. There are so many pillows it's like a Sheik's bedouin tent. There are five behind me in the classic hospital armchair formation, so that I can almost be sitting up, but this can sometimes give me lower back twinges so two pillows under my knees ensured total comfort.

This isn't how I would normally sleep of course and after getting up for an early bathroom visit I was sleepily keen to get comfy on my side, so a bit of tugging moved the back down and the knee pillows got fidgeted into one under my top knee and the other rammed into my back. Zonked till gone 7:30am!!!

So getting more sleep has also meant I've eaten better, enjoyed visitors, and enjoying these...

A bit less of me to collect......

Just waiting now for hubby to come and take me home. Operation all went according to plan thank goodness. Wounds are healing well, the pain is manageable and I'm moving about without help, so declared fit to go :-)

I have been really well looked after in Ipswich Hospital and no complaints about the food either. The beds are so comfortable and clever how they totally adjust every which way and they constantly give a gentle massage while you're sleeping!

I'd worn my favourite old pajamas so felt comfortable and brought in a dressing gown that used to be my mum's so I could have a cuddle from her too. The best look ever with these surgical stockings. Hubby and my children visited both evenings and friendK came yesterday too. There has been a constant stream of good wishes on text and facebook and promises of help whenever we need it. I'm soooo lucky eh?

I'm dressed and packed and now had my hospital lunch so there was nothing else to do but blog lol.
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Jumped another hurdle....

We are moving on through this hospital saga now. There have been lots of phone calls between me and Tracy in Admissions until she could finally confirm that surgery will be this Saturday morning and my pre-op assessment was yesterday at 10am.

Tracy and I had built up quite a jolly relationship, with her starting with the theatre slot and a consultant surgeon then checking with me that she had a patient that was available then desperately trying to fill the theatre with staff. She started with all this for a Friday op then had to change it for a Saturday op meanwhile keeping me informed as best she could. At one point I even volunteered Hubby "If you're desperate he's pretty good at DIY"......well it's laugh or cry at stressful times eh? The lovely Tracy actually came to find me during my pre-op appointment just to say hi and wish me well :-)

So the pre-op is now done, that included about 45mins with nurse Carol filling in a huge questionnaire booklet then she swapped with Gavin who did the height, weight, MRSA swabs and ECG. Then I was sent to the path lab for them to take gallons of my blood, and for once that went without a hitch too.

I checked with them about my acrylic nails and they said just remove them from one finger on each hand, so I sent a text to my lovely nails technician saying I'll take them off myself and she insisted that she will pop over Friday and do it for me, so kind! I'm so lucky, I'm getting lots of text and email good wishes as well as real life hugs from those around me and last night Hubby brought home flowers and a card from his bowling friend Barbara for me :-)

Nothing more to do now except pack my little bag and turn up on Lavenham Ward at 7am Saturday.
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Chipping away at the calm....

"It is what it is and just has to be dealt with" is the phrase I've been saying and the attitude I'm trying to live by. OK so being told one of my kidneys is full of tumour and has to be removed is not the best news but I'm basically a practical, fairly unflappable sort of person so why waste my energies on worrying. I have to be so very grateful for whatever got me to the point of a diagnosis when there had been no related symptoms and must now put all my trust in the medical system....so far so good!

Telling everyone that matters is never easy but the support I've had back has been amazing. A couple of friends have very recently been through similar experiences and have shared advice on the things perhaps the medical team may not warn me about and always good to be prepared eh.

The only thing I can't seem to prepare my head for is the op itself as I was given the date of 11th October after I had chased the hospital, then on Thursday hubby was told on the phone they could now do it on the 25th,  when I phoned them back that had changed to the 27th and she had the theatre and the surgeon and wanted to make sure I could be there then she was going off to organise a theatre team. She would phone me back to confirm but probably not till Friday.

We were out with friendsL&K most of Friday and I was very aware that the pub in the forest had a very poor mobile signal and kept checking my phone! Later back at our friend's house I did get a call but only to keep me informed as she still hadn't managed to get a full team together but was still working towards 27th. She will have to get back to me on Monday!!!

I made sure my 11th October date hadn't been cancelled yet in case her plan failed and asked her to check if I needed to stop any meds before then and she checked and I do, then there was no more to be said, so we wished each other a good weekend and hung up. So not totally at my calmest just now but working on it.
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Have a date with a surgeon....

It's a shame I had to chase the hospital to get a date, because recently the NHS has been looking after me quite well, however the consultant had told me more than two weeks ago that this was quite urgent and would be done in the next few weeks and definitely within 30 days! But I'd heard nothing since.

It's like the teenagers waiting for the postman to bring their exam results! I've since had two NHS envelopes hit the doormat, each time I felt my blood pressure raise just a little and each time they were nervously opened to find they were unrelated!

Two weeks feels a long time to wait, obviously not just for me as everyone was asking if I had a date yet and some had insisted I check, so I did. I've kept a full list of phone numbers I rang and who I spoke to when and what they said and eventually I was told that surgery will be Friday morning on 11th October with the pre-op assessment the week before on the 3rd.

So almost another month to wait, and it will be much longer than the consultant had originally said, but at least I have a date!
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