Random smells and sensations after surgery...

Two days after surgery I had a hard time sleeping, comfort being the main reason. I could only sit up, and I mean "best posture" sit up...if I slouched at all, seemed my missing lower left lobe (lung - not brain!) hurt. So I'd sit up as though Mrs. Grashedge were standing over me with her ruler to slap my slipping wrists as I played my piano lesson.

It was my misfortune to be "housed" directly across from the "nourishment room", coffee, tea, soda, ice, crackers, etc. I love to have a cup of coffee with French vanilla cream in the mornings. Not any more. The smell of the coffee would trigger my heaving and I got to closing the door to my room. I tried coffee one morning; moved it off my tray to the window sill, then down the drain in the bathroom. Water smelled bad, even the bottled water.

Seems the only thing I could tolerate was lemon Italian ice. The broths served seemed horribly salty, and once I was on solid foods, everything tasted stale or just poorly seasoned and prepared. I will say, I went into the surgery weighing 124 and came out (with less body parts, mind you) weighing 132!! How did that happen? IV drips, of course (and constipation from all the pain killers and anti-nausea drugs).

For the squeamish, don't read this paragraph...for those who like gross, join me. After EIGHT days of being fairly inactive in the hospital, drinking Milk of Magnesia, Fleet suppositories, stool softeners, water, water everywhere, I did get to go home even though I didn't have a (here it comes) BOWEL MOVEMENT. Man, was I hurting. Two more days and finally!!! I wished I were a little kid so I could grab my brothers and sisters and BRAG...because let me tell you, I had mighty fine bragging rights. There, that's all I'll say. But if anyone reading this is going through the surgery, don't worry, eventually you too will have to let loose. I must've lost 6 pounds in one FELL SWOOP.

Okay, y'all can read this paragraph. Seriously, nothing tasted good, and the smells were horrible. Cologne, smoke, incense, scented soaps...gag me. A few days after I got home, I developed a little cough. I was VERY UPSET. The surgery had "cured" the cough and here I had a bit of a cough every time I spoke...again. This cough only lasted for a few days...must've still had some fluid in my lung. Also, SNEEZING was like a mini-death. Talk about hurt....ouch! As you can read, I'm still here.

I am taking up the harmonica...that's supposed to be a great breath increaser (Alvin, Simon, and Theodore - move over).

Although I have dreams of getting sick, I haven't thrown up and still (sigh) have my appetite. I WAS TOLD I might lose up to 20 lbs., so made sure I ate to keep my weight up there...and am still at 124 (would like to be at 112 to 114), and still have all my hair.

Please, keep visualizing me with eyebrows; eyelashes would be nice too. I'm really NOT vain, just really like eyebrows!

Will talk about the cost of things later. Today was an "ice day" so no school. I canceled my radiation but will go to chemo which is right down the street.

I will let you know that my first hospital bill came in at over $48,000 (and that was not surgery, just miscellaneous hospital charges and I am assuming, charges for the room and drugs).

January 20, 2010

10:12 a.m.