Saturday, July 31, 2010

Hey there folks! I just signed on to see when the last time I was on here, and read my last post, teehee. Apparently my husband had some time on his hands, while I was passed out in the hospital! I love him to death. Life has been super busy since I woke up from the over 7 hour surgery. It was a very painful and slow recovery. And let me tell you, I have a very high tolerance for pain! I have birthed 6 babies at home! I thought I was tough, until this surgery. I don't mind telling you, it flat laid me down. I think, if I had it to do over again, I would have made different choices. What I have been through, in pain, not to mention the inconvenience of it all, is not worth this body part I have now. The doctor says I have two more surgeries to go, but they will not be anything like what I just went through. The next one will most likely be a one night stay in the hospital, and the third one will be an out-patient surgery (same day?). And that I am not to make any "judgements" on his work until after we are all said and done. Yeah, right. I have an incision from hip to hip, that looks worse than Jen's scar from her C-section. And well, the other incisions are just plain weird looking. Keith says I went into surgery on Thursday morning, June 17th, at 6:30 a.m. and didn't wake up and actually talk coherently until Saturday night! Sunday I had to have help to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Monday, I was able to get up, slowly, but at least I got up by myself. I had to roll over, and set up, but I could do it. On Tuesday they brought in my discharge papers and told me I could go home. I walked all hunched over like an old lady! I could not stand up straight, and therefore my back would begin to hurt if I stood up for very long. When I laid down, I had to have enough pillows behind me to keep me in a semi-upright position. Jenna, my daughter, had brought my momma down to the farm to help me in my recovery. Yes, I have a crew of kiddos to get this and get that, but they need a little guidance from an adult to make sure the chores get done, if you know what I mean. They told me it would be a 6 week recovery, with no driving for at least 4 weeks. I still have a weight limit on what I am allowed to lift. But, every day I am feeling a little stronger. I am not quite to the point of getting up and staying up and at it all day until dark, but every day I can stay up and at it a little bit longer! Believe me, I can tell when I have overdone it, too. My muscles in my stomach area are extremely tender. This makes it hard to hold my grand baby, Quincy for very long, but I am beginning to hold her a little more each day. She is such a joy, and I am missing being able to cuddle with her and play with her, and hold her up, and and and and. You get the picture. July 9th, Keith drove my mom and I to Portageville Missouri for my 35 year high school reunion. I didn't do much more than walk in and sit at a table and visit with friends from my past, but I did enjoy getting out of the house and seeing people! My mom got to visit with her BFF Thelma Harmon, which is where we stayed. We are getting ready to leave on Monday morning to drive my mom to Stuttgart Arkansas, because her brother, Henry Carl White passed away. We knew him as Uncle Shorty. It has been many years since my mom has gotten to see and visit with her family members from Possum Valley, and she is actually looking forward to her "White Reunion". I am sure it will be a few days of mixed emotions. Funerals are sad events, mixed with the silver lining of getting to see so many of your relatives and friends all in one place. It is about a 6 hour drive, so it shouldn't be too hard a trip. We will leave on Monday morning, and drive to Collierville, and stop and have lunch with mom's friend, Janice. While there, mom will get made beautiful again! Janice is a beautician! We will get back on the road, and head toward Stuttgart, the duck capital of the world, LOL! The visitation is Monday night, from 5-7 p.m. The funeral will be a grave-side service, per Uncle Shorty's request, on Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock. After that, we are playing it by ear. We may stay in Stuttgart and visit some more with momma's family, or we may get in the car and head at least part of the way home. I am not really sure at this point. I would appreciate your prayers for my momma, as I am sure this is going to rattle her good. I am looking forward to getting to actually meet some of my momma's family face to face. One of her family members in particular, I have been talking to in emails, Facebook chat and on the phone so much in the past three years, I feel as if we are best friends. Yet, we have never met face to face! I am really looking forward to that meeting...Cousin Bill, here I come!!