Catch up time and the latest surgery

CATCH UP TIME
So where do I start since I haven't written anything in about a month. I've been busy working full time again. I'm okay at work but when I get home I feel somewhat exhausted.  I guess this will be a long posting since I've got a lot to catch up on.

Last month Tom and I went to Las Vegas for a week.  We went to attend SuperZoo.  We're starting a non-profit and went there to attend the classes.  The non-profit that were starting is called EcoVivarium.  It will be an educational facility that will also be a zoo for reptiles, amphibians and insects. We learned a lot from the classes we took that we can apply to our current business(es) also.  There was an emphasis on using the internet and social networks in your marketing plan.

Since the conference ended the day before Erev Rosh Hashana, we decided we would stay in Las Vegas and go to services there.  My friend from work has a house in Las Vegas.  They drove up to Las Vegas to go with us - and also to see their grandchildren.  We went to Temple Sinai.  Services were so different from High Holyday services at Beth Israel (in San Diego).  The services were in the synagogue as opposed to the Civic Center in downtown San Diego.  It felt very 'haimish'; everyone was friendly.  The rabbi had newly arrived from England; it was interesting to hear Hebrew with a British accent.  I do need to find a different synagogue to join - I've become disenchanted with Beth Israel. 

I finally figured out the name of the 'cap' that I like to wear.  It's a 'newsboys cap.  While we were in Las Vegas, we stopped at one of the outlet malls - we only passed it twice a day. We found a hat shop and I was able to buy a couple more caps.  Mostly, I've stopped wearing my wigs.  I could barely stand wearing a wig for the four hours or so a day that I was working over the summer. I've been wearing scarves and caps.  My office gets cold with the door open so most of the time I have the door closed.  It gets to the point that my head is bothered by headgear so I'll take off whatever I'm wearing and then put it back on when I walk out of the office.

Here's the photo from the bco lunch in August.  Here I'm wearing one of my favorite headcoverings.  It's a print cap.  The one's I don't like - and I have several - are the ones that are like watchcaps.

                                                                               

Here's the photo from our lunch last Sunday.  Here I'm wearing one of my newsboy caps.

Yom Kippur. When I was leaving my friends on Sunday, they told me that I shouldn't fast on Yom Kippur. Well, I had intended to fast but I promised them that I wouldn't.  So I had breakfast on Monday before Deb and I left for services.  Rather than having to leave early to be sure of getting a parking space, which is difficult on a weekday, we decided to drive to Fashion Valley and take the trolley.  This was better for me since I'm not quite as speedy as I was before this journey began.  I find that I'm slower getting ready for the day - or a function.  So I do attempt to start to get ready early enough to be on time  - it doesn't always work.

We left home later than we normally would so it was a good thing that we planned to park and take the trolley.  We got to services about an hour after they had started and sat with Deborah's friend, Dawn, and her family.  Deb and I stayed all day through Ne'ilah which ended at 6.  When we went outside we found that it had gotten cold.  We walked to the Trolley stop and found a couple there that had also been at services.  We traveled with them to our stop - they were going further.

We stopped at home to pick up Tom and then drove to Carmel Mountain to Claim Jumper where we broke the fast with Arnon, Deb's gentleman friend, and his parents. [It doesn't seem right to call him her boyfriend because they're both adults.]  We all had a great dinner and great conversation.  Of course, I took food home - Claim Jumper gives you so-o-o much food.

Time for Surgery

Wednesday, Sept 30th was the surgery to exchange the tissue expander for the breast implant; and also surgery for the lift of my right breast.  I've been looking forward to this surgery for several months.  The surgery was scheduled for 9am.  We needed to be at the outpatient surgery center at 7:30am.  We got there on time.

I didn't have to wait too long until they took me into the prep room.  But I was in there a long time until Tom could come in with me.  They wouldn't let him in until the IV was in.  The nurse had trouble getting the IV in.  It seems that chemo wrecks the veins.  First she tried to insert it into a vein on the inside of my arm - well, now I've got a line of black and blue on the inside of my lower arm.  She was able to get the IV inserted above my wrist.

Tom was finally able to come in and sit with me.  Then Dr. Jones, my plastic surgeon, came in to see me (as the surgeons do now.)  He measured and drew lines on my right breast for the mastopexy (lift) and explained how he was going to handle the exchange (tissue expander for breast implant.)

After Dr. Jones left, Dr. King, the anesthesiologist, came in to speak with us.  He was the anesthesiologist for my last two surgeries.  He was the anesthesiologist for the lumpectomy in March.  I requested him for the mastectomy and for this surgery.  He was amazing this time because I had almost no nausea after the surgery.  He was delayed in surgery so that's why my surgery was delayed.

After the surgery and recovery, we went home late in the afternoon.  I think we got home somewhere around 5pm.  I was so groggy from the pain meds.  I ended up taking the pain meds only that evening.  Thursday morning I wasn't in pain enough to need the meds.  I only had discomfort.

So I hung out on the couch all of Thursday and Friday.  Thursday afternoon Deb came over with Zoe and we watched a couple of movies.  Friday I was by myself until Tom came home.  Yesterday, I did some work on my computer while Tom was taking care of stuff he had to do.  He got stuff that belongs to the Herp Society out of our living room, finally.  Now again we can get to our piano and I can contact a piano tuner.  The one that had tuned our piano has retired so now I have to look for one.

Today, Exchange Club was at the Foster Families Picnic with games for the kids.  Tom went. I didn't. But I did go with Tom to the La Jolla Playhouse this afternoon.  We saw Creditors - an adaptation of a play by Strindberg.  We really enjoyed the play.  It's amazing how powerful words can be. Guess you'll have to read (or see) the play to find out what I mean.

My chest is all bandaged up.  It was hard finding something to wear that doesn't show it very much.  I've been somewhat bothered by the bandages but I've made it this far so I can go another day and a half.  I go back to work tomorrow from this short hiatus.  My post-op appointment is Tuesday afternoon.  Can't wait for the bandages to come off just in time for my birthday (Wednesday.)

I promise I'll blog more often again.  Guess what! I found an app for my Iphone for blogging.

Until the next time!!