Getting There...

Lots has happened since I last wrote. I interrupted my winter hibernation for a few hours (for the UM Men's Glee Club concert in Rockford - great show!). I have taken many more afternoon naps than I am accustomed to (I typically frown upon naps, but you know, Dr.'s orders, twist my arm...). We have watched many movies (including Wall Street 2, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, Eat Pray Love (ugh), Harry Potter 1,2, and 3, and the entire miniseries of Pillars of the Earth, which I highly recommend.).  So I guess I've been kind of busy...But the best news is that I am feeling much better compared to last week.

I have started cathing myself through my belly button, which, as you might imagine, is a weird experience, but I've caught on quickly and am pretty adept already. I'm not digging the 3:30am wake-up call to pee, but as my bladder expands, which it will, hopefully that will no longer be necessary.

My discomfort level has gone way down though, thank God, as my guts get resituated and everyone gets their personal space worked out. Everytime I ate or drank, I would break out in my sweat-chill-sweat pattern, which I assume was my stomach pressing on my bladder or vice versa. Either way, that hasn't stopped completely, but is greatly reduced, and I'm no longer sweating through 3 shirts per day.

Videos of the week:

Fascinating.


I feel like this is a movie about my life.

Frustrated...

At this point, I'm officially sick and tired of being sick and tired. There's been good news and bad news since I wrote last. Which do we want first? Let's go good news.

The good news is, per my doctor appointment last Friday, which represented the 2.5 week mark since surgery, everything looks good. My Dr. filled my bladder while simultaneously looking at it under x-ray (an odd experience I would not recommend. An observing nurse commented my new, uber-bladder looks like a lopsided snowman. Gee, thanks.) It filled properly and is significantly larger than before. It will continue to stretch out and enlarge over the next 6 months. Like everything in America, the bigger, the better. She then took out the tube that was in my new stoma, in my belly button, and showed us how to self-catheterize through the new opening there. This also was a weird experience. Basically I push a lubed-up red tube into my belly button and ten or so inches later (is there a 'that's what she said' joke in there somewhere?) and pee starts to come out (Nope). During this whole process, I've tried to maintain the tact that it will be 6 weeks of hell followed by total awesomeness and convenience. And therein lies the bad news.

This hell sucks. If it's not the constant sweating, followed by shivering, followed by more sweating, it's a non-draining bladder and the resultant discomfort, all for reasons unknown and unfixable, besides a little word called patience. Easier said than done, my friend. The healing process is a rollercoaster, peaks and valleys swiftly trading places without rhyme or reason. That's one of my favorite Spanish expressions, 'without rhyme or reason'. Sin ton ni son. This whole flipping process has been severely sin ton ni son.  

This also is sin ton ni son.


I love the reactions.

Feeling Better, Thanks to Night-time Big House Photos

Felt a bit better today. I think I'm improving one percentage point at a time, so this upward swing on the comfort trajectory spectrum will be slow and arduous. Good things come to those who wait blah blah, more vicodin please.

I'm passing the time looking at these.

Gorgeous. Can't wait for the night game in September versus Notre Dame. A little scared about the potential outcome of that game but that's another story.

#6 killed me and the reaction of the guys in #5 is priceless.

Staples Gone!

More staples than Office Max...30 in all.

Feeling pretty good today. We removed the remaining 15 staples this morning and I think I'm more comfortable as a result. It's been a struggle to find an ideal position for draining my new and improved bladder, so I've been alternating between 3 different chairs and the bed every few hours for the past couple days. Let me tell you, that gets old quick. I'm fed up with this 'resting' garbage and ready to get back to my normal routine, but I think it'll be a few more weeks before that is possible. In the meantime, I'm trying to empty out my Tivo backlog, while working on resolutions for the upcoming year. Suggestions?

"When your reality changes, your dreams don't have to."

Great Video

Here's a video to accompany the earlier post regarding Eric LeGrand.

Believe...it's a powerful mantra.

Home Sweet Home!

Great to be home...I've been feeling great today today; going to hit the sack a bit early though. Hopefully I can stay up for the college football championship tonight. Prediction: Auburn 41, Oregon 37.

My doc said I tied the record for shortest stay after this particular surgery, at 6 days. The average is 10 days, which I can't imagine. That would get boring. I'm all about resume boosters, so I was pumped when she told me that.

Maybe we'll be in the championship next year...Not likely.

Going Home Tomorrow...

Going home tomorrow! For once, I will be glad to see Ann Arbor in the rearview mirror. In honor of the conclusion of this visit, here are some C'mon Man's:

- Having to sit in an ugly, uncomfortable, poorly reclining La-Z-Boy recliner for a week? Shoulda bought Nurture recliners, U of M. C'MON MAN!

- Sending in nurses to wake me up and poke me all night? Don't you know I gotta sleep? C'MON MAN!

- Only 45 channels on the TV, 10 of which are hospital channels playing bad music and offering cheesy health tips? How am I gonna watch my Jersey Shore? C'MON MAN!

- It's January 9th, National Signing Day is February 2nd, we are hemorrhaging recruits and Michigan has NO coach? C'MON MAN!

- Everything I am forced to wear, sleep on, and sit on in the chair seems to be made out of a sort of synthetic plastic substance, resulting in a sauna-like effect and much sweating. Much sweating+no showering=awesome hair and enviable B.O. C'MON MAN!

Barring any unforeseen complications, we'll be GR-bound tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for all the prayers and support from afar; can't wait to get home!