Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

I wish I could say I have been away visiting Walt Disney World Resort for these past few weeks, but sadly not so.  After my last post of a beautiful day working in my garden, I did a little laundry on Saturday and that night after supper I got an excruciating pain in my abdomen.  The pain increased very fast, so Bill called the Cancer Center and they advised us to go to the hospital emergency room.  I could not walk, so Bill called our good friends Jean and Serge and they helped get me in the car.  After a CT scan at the hospital, the scan showed that when I had Chemo on the previous Wednesday, the Chemo did what it was supposed to do by killing a tumor on my upper bowel, unfortunately when the tumor fell off it pulled a hole in my bowel, causing all that "poison" to come out!  I had emergency surgery at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning to cut out the bad portion of bowel and sew the good pieces together, I think it is called a bowel re-section.  Anyway, I spent 5 days in the critical care unit and 4 days in a step down unit before coming home.  We were home for 3 days and the pain came back with fevers, so back to the emergency room.  Another CT scan showed a pelvic abscess.  Admitted back to the hospital with more antibiotics and to perform a CT guided drain into the abscess.  Our local hospital was unable to perform the procedure, so an ambulance ride to Greenville Memorial Hospital, about 60 miles away took place.  They successfully put the drain in and we stayed there 4 days.  I am finally home, the drain came out yesterday, Yipee!  I am slowing recovering, but very weak.  My caregiver Bill is not only my husband but what you would call a Saint!

The picture above was taken by my son Michael when he came over from Atlanta to visit me in the Critical Care Unit.  He brought me this hat and some other beautiful gifts.  It was a good few hours for me.  But this is a RIDE I don't want to ever take again!

I wish I could say hospital food is that good, but when you are sick and only on Jello, applesauce, tea, soft peaches and/or clear liquids, it is not what I would call Five Star.  The hospital food was good according to Bill.  He would eat some of the food on my tray.  Bill has done an outstanding job of making my food at home, which is still a soft bland diet.  That's okay though because my appetite is not quite up to what it was before this FRIGHTFUL RIDE!

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me.  I enjoy all the beautiful cards.  My family has given me some beautiful gifts as well.  I enjoy talking with my Mother in Florida, it means as much to me as to her.  I even got to talk with my son in Maryland on his birthday as well as my granddaughter on her birthday.  God Bless all of you, I could not do this with out God's help.  I won't lie, I have had many discouraging moments with tears, but I know that He is always there to lift me back up.  Love to each and every one of you.