Archive: May 2004

Today was a gorgeous day. 23°C and barely a cloud in the sky. As a matter of fact, I am sitting outside at 9:30PM, writing this update...

I found from several sources that sweet peas can be planted real early, so I planted twelve this afternoon. I still have twelve inside, so I should be safe. Planting these few plants left me exhausted, a sign that I am indeed not well, and it reinforced what we were told yesterday, that I'm going to have to take it real easy after surgery. I've made arrangements that my son Vincent will help plant things. His only condition was that I'd be there to tell him what to do. I think we have a deal. Thanks, son!

Had the kids and their families over for supper, as well as two special longtime friends (what, over 30 years?). After the mandatory photos had been taken, Alicia had to try my camera and take opa's picture.

We initially wanted to do this family supper on Sunday, but after yesterday's instructions, I thought it better for today. The nurse told us that we should have no kids around because they might get creamed when I had to dash for the bathroom. What a lovely thought.

I asked Cecile to bring me a tulip from the garden every day when she comes to visit. Don't want to lose that connection with the garden, and it will help motivate me to get better.

Bowel Prep day 1.

Well, that was fun... After feasting on jello, tea, and beef broth all day, I drank a bottle of citro-mag (magnesium citrate) over a period of 45 minutes and waited for things to happen. It was not as bad as I imagined it to be, but better safe than sorry.

Bowel Prep day 2...

Spent some time outside today, even though it was cool. Took the laptop and the camera out to take some pictures and write some emails. Even though we're expecting colder weather for the end of this week, I expect the weeds to be a lot taller when I get back home. The marsh marigolds are blooming in the pond. Nice one!

Had a restful night, five hours of good sleep, and it's off to the hospital. "Talk" to you again in one to two weeks.

A tulip for all of you, my friends, and God bless you!

Surgery today at 7:45AM. Have to be at the Royal Alex at 6AM and report to Outpatient Admitting. I guess I go home again today...

For the entries of my hospital stay, there was so much information, that at times I repeat myself. I have tried to write down as much as I could, but the first four or five days I hardly remember, due to heavy morphine medication... I have done little editing, so you'll see a mix of past and present tense.

Arrived at Royal Alex Hospital (RAH) at 5:50am and went through Patient Registration. Then went up to Unit 32 where I changed into a fashionable gown. Some more tests were done and they tried getting an IV started but could not get a proper vein. Unlike the CCI, RAH does not use hot packs as a standard procedure.

Around 7:00am, a porter came to take me to the patient holding area. I felt sorry for Cecile saying goodbye. She looked distressed and was not able to get the words out. In the holding area, medical history was taken again and I got a sexy blue hat to wear. Both Dr. Stewart and Dr. Schiller came to see me. Dr. Schiller was going to assist Dr. Stewart by working on my bottom end.

At 7:30 I was rolled into operating theatre 6. Why do they call it a theatre? There are no movies... First order of business was to insert an IV line, which they could not get at Unit 32. Then the anesthetist inserted the epidural. He said, "you'll start to feel sleepy now," and next thing I know, I'm in the recovery room (around 12:30 if my blurred mind remembers correctly).

While I am coming to, the nurses are looking for my epidural IV bag. They can't find it, so they order a new one from the RAH's pharmacy. I actually overhear a call coming through, asking where I am. That must be Cecile trying to find out at Unit 32 where I am, more than two hours later than expected. Finally at about 1:45pm, everything is sorted out and I'm going to room 3429. Cecile and Vincent are waiting in the corridor, visibly relieved.

When the nurses have settled me into bed and hooked me up, Cecile and Vincent are allowed into the room. It's a semi-private room, and I have bed 2, with the window view. Vincent left shortly after that to go do some work. Dr. Stewart stopped by at 4:15pm and said everything went well, and he filled in the insurance form for my medical benefits. Cecile stayed till about 4:30pm.

Bed 1 in the room was empty until at about 10pm, an emergency patient was brought in. This fellow, 84-year old Mr. Siy Deep, made noises all night, from snoring, coughing, groaning, to talking in his sleep. Needless to say that between his noises and the nurses and doctors attending to him, I did not get a lot of sleep.

My nurses today, are Kyla and Jessica, with Bev filling in.

Dr. Stewart stopped in at 7am and he mentioned again how pleased he was with the operation. Everything inside felt and looked good. Won't know the result of biopsies (pathology report) until next week. Can't eat or drink. All I'm allowed is ice cubes. I guess they don't want to wake up the guts too soon and possibly damage something.

Walt came to visit around 11am. Must have had a good chat, but all I remember is a Scripture reference to Paul's running the race. I guess in a sense I am running that race too, to the finish. Cecile came in shortly after Walt. He prayed with both of us before he left, which I really appreciated. Cecile stayed around until 2:30pm. Before that time though, I sat up in bed and Cecile gave me a quick wash. Kyla wanted me to get up and walk, but I just could not manage it with the pain. Several times a day, the nurses did a pain assessment and would ask the patient to rate his/her pain on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being no pain, and where the most painful spot was. At that particular moment I rated my pain 7-8. An anesthetist was called in who gave me a booster shot of morphine--great stuff. Half an hour later I got out of bed, with Kyla's help, and walked to the nurse's station and back. When I came back, I sat in the visitor's chair when Ayoma and Lak came to visit. They brought some nice red carnations. They did not stay long because I was anxious to get back into bed--my butt really started aching. It was a very nice visit though, and through the haze I seem to recall they prayed with me.

About 5:15pm a very lovely bouquet was delivered from Catherine, Mike, and Christopher.

Pain management is really the key to getting well fast. Before the morphine boost, I could barely sit up, after it I could walk to the nurse's station. Considering that room 3429 is at the end of that nursing unit, that's a good distance for someone's first walk. It's all about getting the patient mobile, so muscles and nerves are used and do not stagnate. Blood circulation is also an important factor, to prevent blood clotting. And then there's the gadget that helps a person to use his full lung capacity to prevent pneumonia.

I had several "hookups" to help the healing process. There was the regular IV with saline solutions. They also used the IV to feed me with stomach remedies (liquid Tums) and whatever else was needed. Also on the IV pole, but under separate control, was the epidural feed of morphine. There were two outputs, one a urine bag attached to a catheter, and an abdominal fluid drain, or JP (named after the inventors Jack & Pratt).

Today the JP looks a lot clearer, a Kool-Aid colour... It's draining a lot though, so it needs to be emptied frequently. The kidneys and bladder are working well and regularly filling the urine bag, despite the ice cube-only diet.

Coincidences? Jessica asked Cecile if she ever goes to Glimpse, turns out Jessica is a regular there. Bev asked me where Cecile worked, and then where I lived, because Cecile looked familiar to her. Turns out she lives only a few blocks away from us (35 St & 121 Ave).

Maria Smith stopped in for half an hour, just before 8pm.

Even with a few interruptions, I slept well. A dark-skinned doctor--he never introduced himself--came to check on the incision and said the dressing would be changed today. He also figured I should get an increase in epidural painkillers. After he left, the epidural pump went into alarm mode for occlusion. These are the same kinds of pumps the CCI uses for their PICC line pumps. Same manufacturer. Can't get away from that nightmare...

Dr. Stewart came to see me around 7:30am. Still no eating or drinking, just IV and ice cubes. And make sure to start walking.

Joan Youngman dropped in at 7:50am, privilege of being a pastor, I guess. We chatted briefly and after a prayer she left, as there were nurses coming and going doing tests, especially for my neighbour. Jessica and Kyla are back again.

Genevive, an older nurse who reminds me of my daughter-in-law's mother, helped me get washed. In the process she knocked over Joan's carnations. Mind you, Joan had already done that herself too...

Jessica started changing the front dressing under Kyla's guidance. They found that the ostomy flange was leaking, so that had to be changed too.

The abdominal incision has three drainage areas where there are no stitches; this is where gauze is packed into. There is also a drainage line into the inside of the abdomen. After Kyla and Jessica come back from their break, they will change the rear dressing.

While they were changing the rear dressing, Irene Apon came in with a very nice floral piece. Shortly thereafter Ed & Leslie came with a plant and two digital photography magazines. Irene left then. A few minutes later Vincent showed up. Just think, there was only a single chair by my bed...

At about 1:40pm I decided I was going for a walk and called one of the nurses to get my IV pole swung around to the other side. Walked all the way to the elevators and back unassisted. Then it was time to get back into bed. Just as I closed my eyes, Gabriella walked in with the most beautiful yellow roses with baby's breath. Dr. Holmes made a quick appearance too. At 4pm I went for another walk and sat in the chair for 15 minutes. I bet I'll sleep well tonight.

After supper Duncan and Alicia came to visit and then Cecile. Around 7pm Cecile and I went for a walk to the main elevators.

Some students, Aimee and Shelley, changed my dressings between 10pm and 11pm. Yes, it took an hour, but I had nowhere else to go...

Friday, day 4. Slept really well, even an hour on my left side and an hour on my right side. At 4:30am all pouches were emptied and vital signs recorded.

My dressings will be changed and repacked twice a day from now on. The "packing" is a new concept for me. There were four areas left open to heal from the inside out. Three of those are part of the abdominal incision, and one where the rectum used to be. I was later to find out that this latter hole was 7cm (almost 3 inches) deep. The idea is to have the wound heal from the inside out. Will have to do some more research on MedlinePlus.

The dark-skinned doctor came by at 6:50am and said I could have some apple juice today and that likely tomorrow the epidural and catheter will come out.

Dr. Stewart stopped by and confirmed what the other doctor had said, that I'm doing good, the belly is getting softer, can drink juice and tea, and some of the extra plumbing (epidural and catheter) will be removed this weekend. Dr. Stewart is off this weekend, so I won't see him until Monday.

Siy, my roommate, had his catheter removed, had a shower and a shave, and looks like a new man.

I'm waiting for the nurse to come back from coffee break to get cleaned up. My colostomy bag was leaking a bit, apparently popped the seal.

Dressing was changed and I freshened up a bit. Chris, the nurse, has names for everything: the urine bag is Fred, the IV control unit is Harriet. She washed my back and legs but preferred I do buddy and the boys.

As she was finishing up, Jake and Grace Vos dropped in. I went down to the food court with them in a wheelchair. Sitting in the wheelchair was pretty hard on the belly. We went back to the room and Dr. Holmes popped in and said that according to the charts, everything got removed according to plan.

Then Lorna came in to check on the colostomy bag and she left some information and a colostomy bag and pillow to practice. She will be back on Monday for training.

At 3:30pm several students came to take my vital signs. These gals have little practical experience, but they're willing to learn and they know their jobs won't be easy. The nurses here work 12-hour shifts and even at the end of their shifts, they don't just run off. Very dedicated people.

Walt stopped in at 4:30pm for a bit. We talked about my acceptance of the situation and new lifestyle, and he considers my attitude a gift from God. Psalm 34 has some nice applicable verses.

Phil Henry stopped by for over an hour. Good chatting. Was hoping Cecile would be here in time to meet him but that did not work out. Phil left at 6:45pm and Cecile showed up at 7:15pm. We went for a walk to level 2 and level 1. Cecile had brought my digital camera so I took some pictures. Back on level 3 I got a bit dizzy looking into the sun toward my room. So we took it easy going back to the room. Cecile left at 8:15pm.

Another team of nursing students changed my dressings. Wounds are looking great according to the supervising nurse. Went to sleep at 11pm.

At 3:45AM I wake up with a start when my roommate stands next to my bed, talking to me about his brother having cancer. Seems he has written a song "Denied" which he is singing in Calgary to raise funds for the cancer society. Great cause, I just don't want to learn about this so early in the morning, while I was sleeping so well. Called the nurse and she got him settled down. Seems that Siy is a bit confused at times, causing him to see things that are not there and to bring certain events to the foreground of his mind. After about half an hour I fall asleep again. Still, all things considered, this is the best night of sleep since coming to the hospital, about 8 hours.

One of the nurses commented that once the epidural comes out and my regular morphine flow no longer exists, I'll still be getting morphine shots every 4 hours, or as needed.

My buddy Siy is enjoying breakfast so I asked for some juice and ice water. Orange juice tastes sooo good...

Washed myself in the bathroom. No hooks to hang anything, no shelves to put anything, no electric outlet for my shaver. Somehow managed anyway.

A bit before noon Cecile came with Jean Payne. Jean brought a very nice fuchsia coloured geranium. About ten minutes later Joan and Maria showed up. Very nice visit that ended up with a circle of prayer. Cecile left at 1:50pm.

About Siy's hallucinations, he sees things move next to the garbage, and bugs on the floor. Just wait for my own account later on...

Got my first "see through" lunch today: chicken broth, orange jello, apple juice, and tea.

At 2:40pm my epidural was removed. One less line to worry about when I turn around. The procedure took less than 30 seconds and most of that time was to remove the protective dressing. It felt good having that dressing ripped off after all that itching. So now my pain management arsenal becomes: morphine injection, gravol, and Tylenol-3 with codeine.

At 4:15pm the crew came to remove the catheter. For the next 24 hours I need to pee in the buddy bottle, so they can measure my output. The IV was also taken off, but they left the IV connector so they can give me pectic or benedryl as needed. Darlene is the name of the nurse who removed the catheter. She and I had a very good conversation about being positive. She thought I was very brave and positive and that I was doing great. There was a bit of fluid in my colostomy bag that she drained. She was surprised that I could put the clip on myself afterward. We talked about taking it one step at a time, even for the "big" events in life; and being unable the appreciate the highs in life, unless we've experienced the lows; not making mountains out of molehills; about the meaning of "love means never having to say you're sorry," i.e., you never hurt someone you love.

Reflection on what would have to be accomplished before I go home, I can think of the following:

• incisions healed far enough for Home Care to take over
• bowel working properly with solid food
• knowing how to care for the stoma
• knowing how to clean and replace bags

We'll see if this is correct when I actually do go home.

5:30pm, supper time. The menu consists of beef broth, raspberry jello, orange juice, and tea.

I can now really begin to feel the pain in the rear. I rate it a 4, abdomen rates 3. After 15 minutes of trying finally produced a minimal amount of urine. At least it's a start after the catheter was removed. Give me coffee and I'll produce...

Told nurse Donna about my pain rating and she gave me a 5mg morphine shot with gravol at 7:10pm. Twenty minutes later the pain had gone way down.

Peed some more at 8:15pm. Lisa, the night nurse figured I was not putting out enough. While Lisa was doing something else, another nurse changed my front bandages. By the time Lisa came back, changed the rear bandages, removed the superfluous IV needle, and gave me a hot blanket, I had produced almost half a liter of urine.

At 11pm I could finally go to sleep, but slept very fitfully...

Kept waking up every 45 minutes while sometimes there seemed to be only 5 minute intervals. Every time I woke, I peed. By 4am I had produced 1.3 litres. No significant pain. Kept waking frequently to pee and had another bottle full by 6am.

Then the routine of the day started with cleaning/mopping, taking vital signs, pain assessment, breakfast, two doctor visits. For all these I needed to be woken up. Breakfast was crappy: jello, apple juice and coffee. One sip of coffee was all I could handle, it made me nauseous. Supposedly I can have a shower today. Wow! And then the shower became reality! Darlene had removed all the dressings and packings, so I got an idea of how deep the wounds still are. No idea how deep the rear wound is, though I assume pretty deep. I did notice a swelling and numbness in both butt cheeks next to the wound. Now I know why I can't sit properly without pain.

Lunch was a bit thicker: strained cream of vegetable soup and vanilla pudding. Perhaps real (solid) food tomorrow...

At 1:30pm Cecile came to visit and we went for a walk on the main level, where Vincent caught up with us. We then walked down the stairs to the food court and took the elevator back up. Soon after we got back to 3429, Duncan, Alicia, and Monica came also. Alicia brought a large pot of yellow mums. This was a nice and noisy family visit. By 3pm only Cecile was left. I dozed a bit and 3:40pm the nurses came to take vitals. One of the nurses noted "your temperature is 38.4 Mr. Danen" as if it was my fault... They changed part of my front dressing that was soaked.

Cecile left at 4pm and I went back to sleep.

Got a 5mg morphine shot at 5pm.

Dinner was served at 5:15pm: mushroom soup with too much pepper, chocolate pudding that was much too sweet, apple juice that was still frozen.

Of the days I've been here so far, this one feels the worst. Can't really explain why I'm feeling down...

When the dressing was changed this afternoon, the same nurse who accused me of having a high temperature, went rip-rip-rip to get the dressing off (a week later I still have two blisters). As it turns out, she tore part of the ostomy flange loose so the seal broke. Between 6:30pm and 7pm Donna and Darlene (the dynamic duo) replaced the entire appliance (flange and pouch) as well as the dressing. Donna won't be on shift again until next Thursday. She wished me well, should I be gone by then.

At 7:50pm Vyrle stopped by and stayed until 8:30pm. Wonderful to chat with her, and have her pray with me. God sure knows whom to send when you're down. Bless you Vyrle, for lifting my spirits.

My dreams are too vivid to my liking. They include views from my room and the clock. There's a movie running and by pointing a remote control at the clock, I can select past or present. It is so off the wall, yet realistic, that when I wake up I look for the remote control. And I thought Siy's hallucinations were weird...

The dark-skinned doctor was here at 6:30am and I can now go on soft foods. When they took my vitals, I got a gravol pill for my stomach. I just noticed that they haven't been giving me my Diovan for high blood pressure, yet my BP is normal. Dr. Stewart came at 8am and he thinks it's because I have less stress and less activity. He cautioned me to go back on Diovan when I get home. He also checked the ostomy bag and the wounds and thought the belly wounds have healed far enough to get taped today. He checked the rear too, but that one is still too deep. The JP is still draining a lot of fluids so he's going to leave it for now.

Nurse Jessica came to see how I was doing and just to say hi.

After a delicious breakfast (ha!) I washed up while nurse Gwen made my bed. When I came back she was ready to change my dressings. The front no longer gets packed, but steri-stripped. Steri-strips are small strips of tape, reinforced with fibre that does not stretch. So, except for the JP drain, the front has no more bandages.

Pat came by for "appliance change" training. She told me what to do, and I followed her instructions. I passed with flying colours. This is the day that I literally took my lifestyle change into my own hands.

Lunch... My first sandwich, shaved turkey on white bread, a real treat after not having had solid food for 8 days. Mind you, as I come to find out later, this hospital diet is so low in fibre, that combined with the painkillers, it is no wonder my bowels are slow to get going. Perhaps I should have tried that cream of broccoli after all...

As I was finishing lunch, Opal and Lorraine from work dropped in. Very nice to see them both. As I was up anyway, hugs were exchanged, but soon thereafter I lay down. Nice to catch up on some of the news at work.

When Dr. Holmes came by, he reminded me to ask Dr. Stewart about the surgery pathology, something I had forgotten this morning. Had a 5mg morphine shot at 3:30pm.

Fred Apon stopped by at 3:45pm, just as I was nodding off. He was later joined by Harry Huitsing, elder from Bethel church. Nice visit with both of them.

Supper at 5:30pm was very palatable: green beans, mashed potatoes, and roast beef. Good thing there was salt to give it taste.

At 6pm I noticed some steri-strip leakage and a male nurse came to clean it and cover it temporarily with a dry dressing.

Had a neighbourly conversation with my roommate, Siy Deep, now that we're both hallucinating less. ;-) The doctors want to send him home tomorrow but he feels he's not ready to care for himself yet. He should really be in some kind of care facility until his cancer treatments.

Then I went for a shuffle, can't really call it a walk, to the elevator to wait for Cecile. We then came back to the room, 6:45pm to 8:10pm. Got my tax refund! :-)

The rear dressing got changed at 9pm. The front needs changing just once a day now. Got the last IV shunt removed. I can take pills or injections...

At 10pm I asked for some Tylenol-3's and a hot blanket and the nurse blocked the cold air vent. Slept great--no cold hands or feet.

At 2:45am I asked for two more T3's and another warm blanket. Hoping for another couple of hours of sleep.

At 6:30am a lady doctor came by instead of my dark-skinned friend. Everything up front looked good, but the JP is still draining too much to be removed. Stitches will be removed in the next few days. No BM yet. She ordered a laxative to get the bowels kick-started.

Dr. Stewart stopped in at 7:30am:

• pathology report was excellent; no signs of active cancer cells, lymph nodes clear; excellent response to radiation and chemo treatments

• JP will be taken out before I go home; reason for discharge is internal oozing from the healing process

• rear wound will slowly heal over the next two months; this wound cannot be steri-stripped; Home Care will change dressings

• I MAY GO HOME TOMORROW!!!

Readings at 7:45: blood pressure is 123 over 78, oxygen is at 99. These are good vitals.

Dr. Holmes came by at 9:50 echoing Dr. Stewart's positive outlook.

Second shower with my new companion, the ostomy bag (I need to think of a name for this thing). Sure feels nice and clean.

Poor Siy. They want to send him home, but he does not feel ready. He lives by himself at the York hotel. Social Services will need to help him get that sorted out. At 84, he seems to have all his faculties, but he's not optimistic he can survive.

The nurse brought some videos from Hollister to watch:

Managing Your Colostomy

• as the body adjusts to new functionality, adjust your lifestyle

• no need to change lifestyle

• annual check with ET nurse and doctor

• sources of info: pharmacist, UOA

• your life is not over, it's just beginning

CenterPointLock Two-Piece Ostomy System

• instructional video with good info

At noon I asked for two T3's and got an anti-nausea pill as a bonus.

Lunch included a ham sandwich, potato chowder (not bad), and canned peaches.

Not much happening this afternoon. Almost 5pm and not a single visitor--nobody to share my good news with. Rather disappointing, but I'm getting lots of rest.

At 5:10pm, Walt Opmeer is the first to hear the good news. Isaiah 55, "My ways are not your ways," says the Lord. Walt had no time to explain how that applied to my case because he had to run. After offering a prayer of thanksgiving, he quickly departed.

Supper was diced carrots, mashed potatoes, and grilled chicken breast.

Cecile visited from 6:30pm to 8pm. Leni had sent a very nice card. Cecile took a plant home in anticipation of my release tomorrow.

The nurses came just after 8pm to record our vitals. I asked for two T3's and a hot blanket. Got the T3's half an hour later and the hot blanket will come after my dressing change, sometime after 9pm.

At 9:30pm Jacqueline changed my dressing. The packing in the back is down to 18" of the one-inch wide ribbon gauze.

After 8 days of rest and relaxation (!), I'll be going home today. The doctor figured on 7 to 10 days, so 8 is a good deal.

Slept half decent but the rear wound was packed too tight and made me uncomfortable. Had two T3's around 2am and another warm blanket.

At 5am the JP output is still pretty high. At 5:30am, I'm ready to go home NOW...

The dark-skinned doctor is back at 6:50am. "DC the JP," I think is medical jargon for "disconnect the Jack&Pratt receptacle." Stitches will also be removed before I go home, and I'll get a prescription for T3's and a laxative.

Dr. Stewart comes by one last time at 7:25am. I am to call his office for a follow-up appointment in 2 or 3 weeks. He has removed one ft of colon including part of the sigmoid colon. That means my stools should be fairly complete. He said to go easy on the T3's, rather take extra-strength Tylenol. He wonders whether Dr. Pederson will order more chemo, considering the results of the operation and the pathology report.

Vitals are good at 7:50, BP is 113/77. Breakfast came and went, nothing to write home about.

Anita will remove the stitches and JP, then shower, then Pat's ostomy lesson (with Cecile in attendance), and then home...

Cecile and Vincent came to pick me up. Sitting in the van was the most uncomfortable experience. Every bump in the road, sharp corner, sudden braking, made me cringe. I was so glad to be home and able to get out of the van.

Vincent, Angela, and Jayden came to visit later in the afternoon. Nice to have family around where everybody can sit down. Jayden sure likes toy tools.

After supper I had my first bowel movement, so no more need for a laxative.

I'm back home, safe and sound. Everything went as planned and even my surgeon is tickled pink that the radiation and chemo were so effective resulting in NO live cancer cells in the removed tissue, which is almost a 100% indication of NO cancer left in this body! Praise God!!!

It's very nice to wake up in my own bed, even though I was awake from 1:30am to 4am and posting the entry for May 4th.

Had the first visit from Home Care. Two nice ladies, one a student. We even get to make our own saline solution and sterilize our own equipment. Great way to involve the patient in his/her own care.

Boy, was I ever surprised this afternoon, when I received a visit from Ed and Leslie from work. I am handed this bag with a lot of green paper in it. First a book comes out, then a boat load of movies, all of which I like, and none of which are in my collection yet. These materials will be very useful to help me get that much needed rest. (Even a shower wears me out...) A very big thank you to the other staff for their generous contributions.

I won't disgust you by describing the new and improved way of bowel movements, just that they are happening...

Upcoming appointments:

• Dr. Stewart - June 3rd at 2:45pm
• Ostomy check-up at RAH - June 17th at 1pm

Had my first real workout today. Walked to Zellers with Cecile. Good thing the mall is across the road. Nevertheless, I was pooped. Then plumbers came to replace a tap, and when they were gone, I was glad I could go to bed for over an hour.

Later in the afternoon Walt paid me a "welcome home" visit. Among others he shared a bit from Psalm 25 where David says, "don't let me be ashamed..."

Took it easy today, just spent some time in the garden, checking which lilies are coming up, and pulling some weeds. Doesn't wear me out, yet allows for ample movement to flex the abdomen. Speaking of abdomen, around to area of the incision, my belly is hard as a rock. Would that be because I no longer have a JP to drain fluids?

Entries for May 4 to 12 are now complete.

Jackie, the Home Care nurse, changed my appliance this morning. I thought I was supposed to do this myself...

Walked around the block with Cecile. That was enough for today.

Could not sleep at 2am. Not being able to sleep on my back causes backaches, but it wasn't time for T3's yet. Need 4 hours between doses...

The Home Care nurse did a swab this morning so we could find out what that greenish discharge is. If it's infection, then better get some meds now. Walked to the lab to drop the swab off. Abbottsfield Mall is not such a bad place to live next to... :) I never appreciated how many abdominal muscles are used when walking. Of course mine still hurt, so I walk a bit bent over, compensating with my back muscles, which in turn hurt like heck.

Slept a wonderful seven hours on a couple of Ibuprofen. Today I want to keep trying that as it takes care of my back muscles too, and is not addictive.

While trying to find out more about my Suncrest lily, I came across The Lily Garden. Check out the catalog with pictures and see why I fell in love with lilies.

Thanks for lending that "lap desk" to me, Leslie. Works much better than having the laptop on a pillow.

Lost 15 pounds since May 2nd. Let's see if I can keep that off...

Slept really well, with only a single bathroom/painkiller break.

Started taking off some steri-strips from the abdomen. Some still look a bit wet, but Dr. Stewart said I could take them off today. About half of the strips will have to wait until my next bag change because the flange part is taped over some of the strips.

Moved a few of the younger goldfish into the pond. I'll leave the older ones and the koi till after the (cold) long weekend.

Well, at least two nights I slept well. Pain woke me up at 2:30, and I'm back trying T3's. At least they help against yesterday's diarrhea. It's weird, having diarrhea, and not having to spend a lot of time on the john. Wonder what caused it, maybe the ice cream?

Was just reading the Canadian Cancer Statistics for 2004: One in every 2.3 Canadian males and one in every 2.6 Canadian females will develop some kind of cancer during their lifetime. If you can't get the report from the above site, try here. Just be warned that it is a large file.

Yesterday I was tired, due to lack of sleep, so I had a real good 6-hour sleep.

When I got up this morning, I flipped some channels and ended up watching a medical show "Medical Intelligence" on TechTV. Featured was Dianne Mowat, a breast cancer survivor. An incredible lady who saw her time of treatment as a marathon to be won. She is now a spokesperson for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. They also mentioned a good information website, the Medical Posting.

The rear end must be getting better. Using the rubber donut and a beach towel, I could sit in a lawn chair by the pond having coffee. I did not last long, about five minutes, but it's a start!

Walked around the mall today, well...shuffled really... Afterward I was so pooped, I kept falling asleep, but it felt good.

Today was pretty cold, so I stayed inside and started adding some more medical information. Came across some interesting websites during my research.

I did not understand why my behind was so sore yesterday until I took the dressing off today. A piece was all bunched up, so it was pressing on the wound. Told the nurse about it and I feel a lot better today.

I wonder what people are thinking about my situation. I had lots of visitors in the hospital, but now that I'm home, all but three must think I'm well again? Not until I can sit in a chair and drive myself somewhere, do I consider myself "fairly well"...

Cecile is putting in veggies today in her community garden plot, which is just two minutes walking. I went along, but quickly came home, as we disagreed on how she was measuring plots for other people. She's in charge of the community garden. One plot is 2 rake lengths by 4 rake lengths. Very professional... I'm removing myself from that discussion. Now that my blood pressure is normal, I'd like to keep it that way.

Planted one flower box yesterday. That was enough. I'll try another one tomorrow. Good thing I started my seedlings.

Nice iris in bloom today.

It's now 1am and can't sleep. Had two hours of sleep, but it'll be 2am or 3am before I go back to bed. So much for wanting to get into a routine. I guess my body will tell me when to sleep and when not. Took some laxative to combat the constipation caused by codeine.

As the pump filter in the pond was clogged, I took the opportunity to put the big filter in so I'm ready for the summer.

My Lee Valley order came in, so I tagged a few more of my lilies.

Enough exercise for today...

Up at 3:30am... Finished the pages on high blood pressure, now starting on the high cholesterol information. The two together are sure a deadly combination. Of course as soon as the cholesterol info was published, Gabriella pointed out that Canada uses a different scoring system. Back to more research.

Today the ostomy was scheduled to be changed. By the time nurse Holly came, I was almost done. If you can stomach it, here are pictures of my stoma and the ostomy.

Today was the day things did not work. I unplugged my Bluetooth mouse and no matter what I did, it's no longer working for me. Back to a wired mouse.

This afternoon I tried starting up the van, but the engine did not even turn over. Dead battery. Had to get it boosted.

Vincent figured (correctly) that I might be going stir-crazy at home. So he took me to Greenland Garden Centre, rubber donut and all. I'm glad he has this handle in his car that I could pull myself up with, to lighten the load on the rear end. Glad to be home again, no car rides until next week's doctors appointment...

The last of the goldfish and koi went into the pond today. They seem to enjoy themselves.

Had a bit of a fever last night. Probably too much physical activity yesterday. Slept really well though.

Had a great visit with Paul this afternoon. Felt very tired afterwards, but very satisfied.

Tonight is the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life, a 7pm to 7am event to which I was invited to take part in the Survivors' Victory Lap. In about three weeks I might be up for it, but not now. I can't sit in a car long enough to get to the event. But there's always 2005.

At last a rainy day. Things were getting pretty dry in the garden, and Cecile's veggie garden needs the moisture too.

I wonder how Nancy and the gang did at the Relay For Life last night...

Good to find out that certain nerves are starting to work again. I was told that it could be up to a year before all nerves, the ones that were not cut, would be functioning again.

Watched The Hour Of Power this morning, and surfed their Canadian site later on where I found an interesting message, "Courage: The Big C."

May seems to have gone by in a flash. Sitting at home, with one day flowing into the next, I seem to lose my sense of time. No project deadlines, no meetings to prepare for. Good thing my computer has a calendar...