Hi!

I couldn't think of a good subject for today's post, because I don't really have a theme or a story to relay. Usually, when I send an e-mail to a friend with no purpose, I use a subject of "Hi!" so I figured that would be appropriate.

So much has happened in the last week and a half, and there were several times that I thought something would be really funny to write in the blog, but I was in no mood to be in front of a laptop. I finally feel like things are getting back to normal (as normal as things can be with two tubes and grenade-shaped pouches coming out of my sides). I thought today would be a good day to share some random tidbits from the last couple of weeks.

~ My Boob Casts ~

A couple of weeks ago, remember how I relayed my idea for how to "remember" my boobs? Well, I did it! Rusty and I made two casts of my upper torso area. Some may think that this is weird (and you're welcome to have that opinion), but once the idea was in my head I would never forgive myself if I didn't do this.

When I was in high school, one of the art projects I completed in my senior year art class was a mask. It used basically the exact same procedure and materials as my boob cast, so I was pretty sure it would work well. I did a little googling to refresh my memory, and I found that this is actually a somewhat common project for expectant mothers (except they cast their whole belly, obviously). As neat as that sounds, let's just say I'm not planning to make a cast of my tummy any time soon ;-)

Anyway, Rusty and I began our little art project in the kitchen by placing an old vinyl shower curtain on the floor (it can be a bit messy!). I then put a good slap of Crisco over my skin to prevent the plaster from sticking (imagine pulling dried plaster off your nipples - ouch!). Previously, I purchased a 20 lb. box of gauze strips coated in Plaster of Paris (I can probably make a DOZEN extra casts out of this box). The basic idea is to dip the strips in warm water and place them on the "subject" criss-crossing in multiple layers. After about 30 minutes from the time the first strip is placed, the cast pulls away from the skin and is ready to be removed. Over the next week, it cures, and I will probably coat it with some kind of lacquer and decorate it at some point.

Here is the result:


I hope this doesn't bother you (but it doesn't bother me). Besides, it's not like you're looking at my boobs. Right now I have no boobs. ;-)

~ My Husband ~

Not that I didn't expect this... but throughout this whole wild ride, Rusty has been a true gem. He has worn many hats - cook, cheerleader, chauffeur, personal assistant, blogger, maid, gardener, and nagger (when it's time to eat and I have no appetite), just to name a few. He has had to do virtually everything for me thus far, and he doesn't complain. More importantly, he also is very good at doing all of these things - he doesn't get grossed out when it's time to empty the drains or change the dressings. He also doesn't flinch when we look at my incisions to make sure they're healing properly.

One thing that's kind of cute is he gets mad when my eating schedule gets messed up, so he tries to reserve the right to refuse when people come over, lest they hang around past meal time.

As I'm writing about him, I keep coming up with things he does that should fall under other headings. I could write this entire blog post about all the things he's done, but I guess the best way to do this is just to write about him everywhere :-) He really is a total sweetheart.

~ My Garden ~

One thing I really regret about being in recovery at this particular moment is that my garden is currently exploding with tomatoes and peppers. Normally, this would probably be the weekend when I make "Grandpa's Salsa". It's an all-day affair where I would harvest all of the ripe tomatoes and peppers, chopping about a gallon (YES, a gallon) of tomatoes and about 4-6 cups of hot peppers and make this yummy delicious salsa that gets canned and processed and stored in my basement so I can enjoy the garden all year 'round. My friend Sarah gave me this recipe a few years back. It's her grandfather's salsa and it's the best I've ever had.

Anyway, unfortunately, this isn't going to happen this year. BUT, instead of letting the tomatoes rot on the vine, Rusty has been diligently going outside daily to harvest them. BTW, when I'm ready for visitors again, if you see a bowlful of tomatoes and peppers and you want them, PLEASE TAKE SOME! Here is what Rusty harvested over the last couple of days:


We also happen to have an explosion of hops. Taking care of these is a very tedious process (I should know, last year Rusty was away and I had to do this by myself!). The hops need to be trimmed from the vine (they kind of grow like grapes, I guess, but you can't trim them off in bunches) and then slowly dried in the oven. Rusty took care of one of the plants yesterday, and then did the other three today. Here is a pile of un-dried hops:


And here they are after they've been dried and bagged:


I simply cannot wait until we're ready to brew again. Hell, I'd settle for just drinking beer at this point... ;-)

~ My Poopy Problems ~

Anyone who works with me will probably laugh at that heading. I used to have the reputation of being totally intolerant of potty humor (maybe this comes from marrying a man who lived in a fraternity throughout college - I think I heard a lifetime's worth of potty humor in about 4 years). Well, when you encounter everything I have over the last 5 months, you learn really quickly that it does you no good to be embarrassed about the body. You meet countless doctors that want to touch your boobs and talk about them and what you're going to do with them. You sit in a chair with a needle in your arm as a chemo nurse talks about how you may need both a laxative and an anti-diarrhea medication over the next four months. You get hot flashes just about anywhere (boy am I glad THAT's over). Etc, etc.

So, anyway, last week's digestive issues were absolutely awful. I can honestly say that what I endured was worse than chemo. Really. I had sporadic and intense abdominal cramping that was so miserable. I couldn't even sleep through an entire night. And poor Rusty. I can only imagine how helpless he felt as I sat there with frequent abdominal pain, no appetite, and a grimace on my face. (One of the symptoms of C-Dif is loss of appetite or anorexia.) Let me tell you - when I don't want to eat, there is definitely something wrong. He tried to make me eat something, and he was more than willing to prepare anything I wanted to eat if it appealed to me.

On Friday, when I took the first dose of the antibiotic, I told myself that I wanted to start feeling better by today (Sunday). That may sound ridiculous, but it gave me a sense of control over how I felt. I set a goal for myself, just like anything else. To my surprise, I was already doing better by Saturday morning. I slept the entire previous night without having to get up to go to the bathroom (the previous night I had woken up 4 times, which was an improvement over the 10-12 times the night before - I am NOT exaggerating). Today, I'm back eating solid food and I even have a craving for Chinese takeout, which we'll have tonight. Yay!!!!

I also eat lots of yogurt so that my digestive tract can be repopulated with good bacteria to restore order (it's also essential to keep the C-Dif in check to prevent a recurrence). When I'm feeling silly, I give the bacteria a pep talk. Oh yes, it's crazy, but think about it - these are living things I'm digesting and these living things have an important job ahead of them.

~ What Lies Ahead ~

For the short term, I've got a few appointments next week with the plastic surgeon to remove the drains, and with Mr. Wizard to review my progress and to go over the pathology results of the surgery. I already know the size of the tumor, and I know that there were 3 of 11 nodes positive. (I'll write more about that after we have a chance to discuss this with Mr. Wizard.) Before radiation begins, the plastic surgeon is going to inflate the tissue expanders as much as possible to stretch my muscles and skin for the implants. So, over the next month, I'll be like a 13 year-old going through puberty. This is easier said than done - based on how I feel now, I can only imagine the discomfort involved. This has to be done at a pace that I can tolerate. I also have a meeting with The Zapper at the end of September to go over the course of treatment for radiation. Then, 3-6 months after radiation, I'll have the implants put in.

And I think that's about it for today. Oh, actually, two funny things I thought of as I was finishing this off...

My visiting nurse got a real kick out of me the other day as I jokingly read the warnings on my newest prescription to get rid of the C-dif. "Do not take while breastfeeding". ;-)

Also, I got a card from Rusty's parents that made me LMAO (for Grandma - Laugh My heAd Off, sort of). It reads "Get Well Soon! ... the entire beer industry is counting on you!)". Unfortunately, I am not allowed to drink until the antibiotics are done. Sigh. Just when I feel good enough for a beer, I have to wait 8 days to have one!! You should all have one (or two...) for me. :-)