I've been slow in putting up the good news. Another good report from Dr. Sardi. I won't need to be scanned again until March. I wish I could say it gets easier each time--but it doesn't. I'll just keep plugging and hoping for the best.
I will need surgery to repair surgical hernia and scar tissue--but that is pending. Believe me, I don't want more surgery. But I don't want a problem and emergency surgery either. So more on that later.
I'll try to update more thoroughly later.
5 comments:
Dear Diana -- I found your blog by accident, and I am very glad I did. My one year anniversary is on Jan. 18. I, too, am a teacher (high school English) and had to say goodbye to the best classes I ever had. I, too, went back to work too soon, but I missed them so much! My husband was (and is) amazing through the whole thing and had to have a heart operation a few months after my MOAS. It's been a strange journey, and I am only now feeling "normal" -- whatever that means. I'm worrying about the scan that will be coming up soon, and it does help me to know that others feel the same way. Take care, Nancy
Nancy, thanks for commenting. I wish you the very best as you approach your first anniversary. I hope you have taken advantage of the "Belly Buttons" support group. It has helped me a lot. You got a double whammy with your husband having to have heart surgery... So support is good!
I don't think you ever feel "normal" again! But it feels so good to still be alive that you learn to live with whatever "normal" turns out to be. I'm actually feeling better than I have in years. I guess I didn't know how bad I felt.
I would be interested in hearing where you had your surgery and how you are doing at school this year.
Mmmm . . . so true. For months after the surgery, I would push myself really hard, because I loved the feeling of being tired -- it proved that I was alive! The stages of "recovery" are so strange and hard to explain to others -- suffice it to say that the entire experience has brought a level of acceptance and calm that I never had before.
This school year has gone well, except that I was shocked by how tired and sore I got during the first quarter. Thursdays were the worst -- I'd go home hunched over and clutching my rib cage : )
I have not joined the belly button club -- not sure why, but I have been hesitant to do much research or get too involved with others until just recently. The entire diagnosis and surgery was a whirlwind, with the usual initial misdiagnoses and perplexity, but by the time I was correctly diagnosed, I was so busy with final exams, semester grades, and creating sub plans that I did very little research and just went along for the ride. I had my surgery in Portland, Maine -- the surgeon seemed very knowledgeable and accomplished, so I (somewhat naively, I now realize), just went along with everything! I had some complications (twisted small intestine), so I had to have a second surgery 1 1/2 weeks after the first. Not fun. But my digestion finally kicked in, and I have recovered fairly uneventfully. Luckily, my ride home was "only" 45 minutes -- I had no idea how awful riding in the car would be. And I didn't have a clutching pillow : )
Here's hoping that we don't have to go through it again! And, hopefully tomorrow will be a snow day -- woo hoo!
Nancy, so did you get your snow day? We ended up with a two-hour delay.
I want to give you my personal e-mail as I think it would be a good idea to keep in touch. dilyloprathotmaildotcom
Insert appropriate characters. I hope you will contact me. I think we have a lot of information to exchange.
You mention clutching your rib cage... just last week I thought to myself, will this rib pain ever go away? It's not constant. But it rears its ugly head enough to make me take notice.
And I wanted to tell you that I didn't really start following belly buttons until this year. I couldn't read the horrible stories... it was just too depressing. But as I go into what will be the third year since diagnosis and surgery, I feel like I need to know what is going on. Though, like you, I hope never to have to have that surgery again. So many folks do though. It's scary.
Let me know how you do next week. I assume you'll have a meeting with your doctor and CT scans, blood work???
I go in March for my next six month. I always get antsy.
I hope to hear from you on hotmail.
Diana
sent a long email yesterday : )
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