Our Own Dear Fae

[kayc]

fae,

I am so delighted that you are home! I understand wanting to be in your own place, where your life is, I feel the same way.

I am so glad you will focus on healing rather than doing...I will have to follow your example in a short while. I'm glad, you'll feel like a new woman by Christmas!

I don't know what we'd do without each other here. The moral support is so important!

[HAP]

Very good news Fae. Now back to bed and rest, dear.

Peace,

Harry

[enna]

Just a reminder, dear fae. Hope you are feeling better than yesterday and tomorrow you'll feel better than today.

[feralfae]

Thank you each for all the lovingkindness and caring good wishes. For some reason, I feel I "should be" reaching out to each of you in some special way to express my deeply-felt appreciation, but truth is, I have neither the energy nor the motivation to do much yet. Today (Wednesday) I hope that the staples will be coming out, but I am not impatient.

I think I let everyone know that I have dodged the rehab facility, in favor of home rest and self-care. I can tell I am doing a lot better here in my own home, preparing my own meals, sleeping most of the time, and having friends and neighbors drop in to check on me or take me to appointments. Yesterday, I had help changing my bed linens,and had a neighbor/friend here while I showered and washed my hair. It felt wonderful to stand in my own, warm shower and get really clean after the institutional, cold, echoing showers at the hospital. I can tell I am getting stronger every day, and I am being patient with the healing.

Thank you for your caring presence and your heart-felt concern. What a wonderful, supportive place we have here. I am greatly blessed to share this fire with you.

namaste,

fae

[shalady]

Fae, I am so happy and grateful you are home and on the mend. It must be so relieving to be at home and I am glad you can recover there. There really is no place like home. You may not realize it but just hearing you are doing better is all we need to hear. That makes our hearts sing. So you get good rest and stay well. You are in my prayers.

[MartyT]

Well said, Shalady. Amen to that. ♥

[kayc]

fae, I feel the same way. I didn't want to go to a rehab place for two weeks, I'd rather struggle by on my own and do have someone to call should I need it, he can be here in a couple of minutes. Besides, I'm hoping to get a visit from Arlie now and then, I've never been away from him for two weeks! I have 13 days until my surgery, but I'm starting to feel more organized about it. How many days since you got your gallbladder out?

[feralfae]

Hi Kay,

It was a week yesterday, and I am feeling stronger and a bit more normal every day, but still very weak and struggling not to take pain meds, because they make me very dizzy and off-balance. The surgeon said two weeks of bed rest. I see him this afternoon, and maybe the staples will come out, but we will see. I am being patient.

I hope you can have a fun visit with Arlie. Also, I'd advise that you follow what the doctor recommends: I would not have come home if they had said I Should go to rehab, but they said it was my option. Do all you can to rest and heal after the surgery. Do you know yet if you will have laproscopic or open surgery? Open surgery, like mine, takes longer to return to normal, but with either, there is still all the internal healing to do, and one must rest and not lift and behave with gentle care toward one's self every day, every hour.

fae

[kayc]

Mine will be laproscopic. They said the first three days it's imperative to have someone there to help you. They will have several small incisions and they'll have keristrips on them for two weeks. Dressings will remain on for 2 days. I'll probably borrow a moo moo from my sister, it'll be huge on me but I need something that buttons down the front and I only have one dress like that but it isn't loose enough to allow for swelling and dressings.

I have Arlie with me now, I meant when I'm laid up I'll want a visit from him. That's the thing I most dread is being away from him!

[feralfae]

Okay!

The stitches are out and now I have glued-on steri-strips which stay on another week or so, until they sort of fall off on their own.

I have been to Staples to get a new agenda for next year. Hurray!

I have been to Albertson's with Mary, who went in and brought groceries while I napped in the warm car (she has heated seats) and then we went to the PO to get my mail, and Mary brought me home, where we unpacked the car, and now I am in bed, getting ready to fall asleep.

The surgeon doc says I am healing beautifully, and can lift things in a week. Mary says I have my *<twinkle>* back in my eyes. And I have a beautifully-roasted chicken in the refrigerator, all ready to eat, and fresh salad greens and some things to turn into an omelette, too. and more fresh fruits. I am stocked and ready for this second week of resting and getting stronger.

Kay, yes, the three days are key as I understand it, and if you can make it five days of care, even better. Take all the care anyone is offering for as long as you can. It all aids in your healing. I am glad you won't have the open surgery, although now that the staples are out, it is not nearly as bad as it was when they were all lined up like metal zipper teeth, clinking against each other occasionally and snagging on clothes. I feel much, much better without the staples. Now I am really healing!

Actually, now I am off to sleep. I am ready for several hours of rest.

Here is a great Whooooosh! flinging of *<fairy dust>* for all of us who need it today. May we all be smiling for at least a few minutes.

*<twinkles>*

fae

[HAP]

Excellent news from both of you, Fae and Kay. Positive energy headed your way in quantity.

[MartyT]

The *<twinkle>* is back in your voice, too, dear Fae ~ I can hear it! And I can feel the Whooooosh of fairy dust as well ~ nice, strong fling you've got there! Be careful not to overdo, now. ♥

[Wifflesnook]

I'm checking up,on you from England dearest Fae. Keep getting better. Jan

[kayc]

fae, so glad you got your staples out! The doctor told me she'd be using the Keri strips and if they don't fall off within two weeks then I can remove them. I'm to go in for a follow up visit then.

I'm glad you were able to get to bed and rest after being out, I don't intend to go out too soon.

[feralfae]

Dear Kay,

Yes, rest is soooooo important after surgery. I am feeling my body healing—slowly, but healing—after these last two back-to-back surgeries. I think the first one, with the nick and all the internal bleeding, was actually more of a challenge than the open second surgery. But in any case, I am slowly healing, and that is wonderful, to know our bodies have the wisdom and ability to heal after so much trauma.

Rest as much as you can the first couple of weeks, and remind Arlie that this is the season of no jumping dogs!

*<twinkles>*

fae

[kayc]

Arlie will be farmed out for two weeks. He wouldn't jump on me but I won't be able to take care of him, take him outside on a leash, for fear of his pulling...it only takes once to tear the wound open, I can't take that chance.

[feralfae]

Kay, I am glad you have made arrangements for Arlie to keep you safe. Good plan.

[feralfae]

I am happy and celebrating gently and quietly today, as this was my first day of driving since the surgery. Not much, but I did drive to the Post Office to pick up some of my mail (not the packages-they can wait until I can lift) and so got to open cards from friends around the world, which was a fun and cheerful way to begin the day.

I am drinking lots of water, tea, and apple juice, the apple juice diluted with two parts water to one part juice.

It is wonderful to feel a little stronger, to be off pain medications (I hope that I won't need any more to sleep at nights) and to be able to have the awareness and consciousness to take good care of my precious body. I am going slow these days, not pushing anything, but gently allowing myself to do a bit more each day as I slowly return to a more normal and active life -- very slowly.

Last night, I had three beautiful white tail bucks in the yard, nibbling on the organic grapes that I had put out for the deer, since the grapes were getting a bit dried out from neglect. Today, it is about 50F and raining, so it was a nice day to drive to town on wet, but not slippery, roads. A good day to drive a short distance. And be rewarded with pretty cards and smiling faces of friends.

It feels so very good to have my body begin to return to something close to normal. I am just going to celebrate today by doing little bits, then resting a half hour, then doing a bit more.

Thank you all for your continuing prayers and caring. I can tell they are helping tremendously.

*<twinkles>*

fae

[MartyT]

♥

[shalady]

So glad all is going smoothly. Good to hear you are feeling better and stronger. It must so liberating to be able to get in the car again and go for a ride. Remember to rest and take it easy. Sending you positive thoughts and energy as you continue to recover.

[kayc]

I'm so glad to hear you were able to get out, the independence is irreplaceable! I know all too well the blessing of having deer in my yard. They're predicting snow this week, hoping it doesn't materialize, I'm not up to dealing with it.

Hearing the noise in my truck again.

[feralfae]

Kay, this is not the tailgate problem with the truck, right?

If I get a heavy snow here, I am not sure what I will do. I know I cannot shovel, or even sweep right now. Does your neighbor Rich shovel snow? I can usually power my 4WD honda out of the garage and through the drifts to get to the road, but I cannot clear the walks or decks. If it snows, I will try to keep the decks open by sweeping gently and often.

But if the driveway gets drifted in very deep, then I will need to call the snow plow guy to come out and plow the drive and the road. One of my neighbors is only up here for summers, so their house sits vacant through winter. One neighbor is gone until February. I think they are in Arizona. So, the road plowing over here is on me because there are no other houses around on this side of the road/circle, although one house right behind me up the hill a bit..

Let us hope we don't get very much snow for another week or so at least. When are you supposed to get home from surgery, and then I know we need to add at least a week of resting before you are ready to take on much beyond walking from bed to sofa.

I am so glad to be home and feeling stronger. Each day I do feel better, but then I look at photos from friends of climbing and I remember that wonderful tired feeling of working muscles and pushing bones to get up some steep place, and the wonderful feeling of a well-used human body that is also well-hydrated and rested and ready to go again, and I miss that healthy feeling, and then I know I have a long way to go. But I hope to be in Wyoming a lot this year, down in the Winds, Laramie, just messing around a lot of the old family stomping grounds, including TenSleep canyon and the middle fork of the PopoAgie, where I spent a lot of time learning how to conquer boulders as a youngster. I am glad I am feeling well enough to remember and long for those days. I don't know if I will come back far enough to do any more serious climbing, but I can walk into some great areas and celebrate being alive and well enough to put myself in some beautiful spots, even if I cannot make it up (send) the boulders.

nattering. I guess that means I am getting better.

*<twinkles>*

fae

[enna]

This is good news, dear fae ~ "nattering, I guess that means I am getting better."

[kayc]

I, too, smiled at the nattering remark.

No, Rich doesn't shovel, he can barely walk, he's 370 lbs. He'd probably have a heart attack if he shoveled. The neighbors stay to themselves and no one offers help, ever. It's very different than when I was raising my kids, we always helped the elderly in our neighborhood. How times have changed!

I will come home same day as the surgery...next Tuesday. Nothing exerting for 2-3 weeks, everyone is individual in their recovery, but it will be enough for me to walk Arlie after two weeks, shoveling will be out of the question, unless it's a light powdery snow, with lots of resting inbetween, but even then, I should wait a while. If snow piles up bad, I will call a neighbor I buy firewood and eggs from and hire him to do it with his plow (he just got it last year and thinks it's a new toy. )

[Queeniemary]

Glad you are doing so well Fae, it is wonderful to hear. Kay, sounds like you have all your ducks in a row. Arlie will be cared for, and someone is close should you need them. Do not even think about shoveling this winter!!! I had the laproscopic also. One suggestion, move as often as you can. They pump in air or gas in order to be able to see inside to do the surgery, and that can create some painful gas problems if you don't move enough. Trust me....I know!!! They will probably tell you that. Kay, I may have missed who is taking you for the surgery and bringing you home....is your daughter going to be there? Will be praying for you.

QMary