Pageant of Our Lord

From left to right: Taylor, Gretchen, Stephanie, me, Lisa

Today I went to BASIC's (Brothers and Sisters in Christ) trip to see Pageant of Our Lord. The picture above is just 5 of the 18 of us that went to see the show.

Beforehand some of us met for an early dinner at Islands:

Me, Nicole, Lisa, Darcy and Stephanie

It's been 5 years since I've seen famous artworks depicted by live actors. It is amazing to behold. To learn more go to http://www.pageantofourlord.com/. There are several examples of what they produce in the show and they combine it with narration, vocals, an orchestra and so much more!

During the performance there was a really quiet moment in which the ice in my cup decided to collide into my mouth (I still have to have ice to reduce swelling). The noise was pretty loud and tons of people looked in my direction. Nicole laughed at me. :-)

Angie's Belated Birthday Dinner

From left to right: Donna, Tania, Lexy, Gretchen, Angie and Deanne.

Last night I met up with a few friends to celebrate Angie's belated birthday. We met at Chicago for Ribs, which happens to be the restaurant Andy, my bro-in-law's brother, works at. He happened to be working that night, so it was nice to see him again.

This morning I woke up at 9:30am in order to go to my 10am massage/chiropractic appointment. Hey, I needed my sleep! Julie, the masseuse, said that my muscles seemed more "clean" although she said that wasn't the best way to describe it. Ryan, the chiropractic mentioned during my adjustment that my muscled seemed less tense as well. Yay! I guess laying around for a week and only working partial weeks for those weeks sandwiching that week off made a difference. Now if only I could manage that on a regular basis. :-)

After my massage, etc, I went to the beach to walk. I had to get something to eat really quick, so I went to Jamba Juice and decided to try their blueberry and blackberry steel cut oatmeal. It was really delicious!

Once I had enough sustinance, I walked from where I had parked down to Hermosa Pier, all the way down Hermosa Beach and then back again. I was excited because the last time I tried I gave up because of the wind and on the way back I was super winded. Today wasn't too bad. After that I ran a few quick errands before heading back home. It's been a busy day but I seem to still have energy (unlike the last couple weekends).

Here is Hermosa Pier, although when I went today the sun was out and it was pretty hot out!

Besides still cautiously eating soft foods, life is getting back to normal.

Back at the Gym

Tonight was my first day back in the gym. I was able to leave work at 5:30 so that gave me time to do 30 minutes on the ellyptical machine. Originally I thought that might be pushing things....doing cardio before an hour long training session, but I did okay.

Tuesdays is always the leg workout which is more difficult, but my trainer, Mirela, mixed it up with arms and core (ab) work. I am tired and my arms feel like jello, but I am proud that I made it through without too many problems. :-)

Another Recuperation Weekend-Whether I like it or not!

This weekend was another recuperation weekend for me. Not really what I planned, but that's how it worked out.

I went to work Friday, although I slept in a little bit to avoid having to leave early again (I left work on Thursday at about 11am because I was feeling tired and I had a stomach ache). I was able to stay until about 4pm.

I went home and changed and went over to this shopping center near where my bible study meets. I had to find something to eat that was not pudding or eggs. I settled for a small bowl of pintos and cheese from La Salsa and a small cup of frozen yogurt. After eating I went to my bible study. It was our first day studying 1 Corinthians, so I didn't want to miss it. In the middle of study, I went to use the restroom and was almost locked in--it took me a good 2-3 minutes to get the door open. After that excitement, I went back to my seat, but I wasn't able to concentrate on the discussion because I became very fatigued. So, I excused myself and drove home.

I would have slept in but my sister, Samara, had told me she would be getting baptized on Saturday morning at 9am PST so I set the alarm and woke up 15 minutes before that time in order to set up the computer and watch it via podcast. I was really glad to see it. I figured that I could fall back asleep after that, but no such luck.

I went to Old Navy and to Trader Joe's to get some things, and that tuckered me out. I went back to my apartment and watched Twilight online (I got a promotional thing through Amazon.com). That tired me out in the middle, so I napped for a bit, but not for a satisfying enough time. Basically, I stayed in bed the rest of the time, but just resting, not sleeping.

I was able to get a lot of sleep last night. I went to bed about 11:30pm and I woke up at about 11am. I really needed the sleep. I woke up at 10 and tried to convince myself to get out of bed to go to church, but my body was not having any of it.

I went to go walking after I finally woke up, to get a little exercise in my muscles. I parked at my usual spot on Pier Ave. and walked down to Hermosa Pier (about 1/2 mile). It was extremely windy today, so when I got there my hair was flying all over the place and my decision to wear shorts today was my downfall. The wind was so strong that it was kicking up the dirt and then thrusting it so that it attacked my legs. I was walking towards the beach when I realized that the pain of little needles that I was feeling would only intensify when it would be sand and not specks of dirt that would be the ammunition. I decided it was better to start the walk back at that point.

The walk back is uphill most of the way so I still got a pretty good workout. I ran a few errands before heading home for a shower. After I was all gussied up (in jeans and a red hoodie), I decided I wanted to go see the movie, Knowing, starring Nicholas Cage. My friend, Gretchen met me there. It was a good movie, I thought. Not exactly what I expected. There were actually a lot of Christian themes in the movie--eternal life/afterlife, faith, belief in order, a reason for everything, etc. The ending was unexpected compared to what you would think it would be looking at the movie trailers.

After the movie, Angie met up with us to go to dinner at the Lazy Dog Cafe (fitting considering I was a lazy dog this weekend). I had the spaghetti bolognese and I was actually able to handle it. The recipe adds some Alfredo sauce which is why my throat could handle the acidicy. :-) It's my favorite dish there, so I was delighted that I could still have it. :-) I was really glad to be able to socialize with people this weekend. I need people time to rejuvenate myself.

Post-Op Appointment

I had my post-op appointment with Dr. Rice today. I left the South Bay at 12:30 for a 2pm appointment, not knowing how the L.A. traffic would be. I arrived at about 1:15, so I decided to go to the 1500 building to pay my surgery bill while I was there. It gave me an excuse to work up my endurance, as I've lost that from the effects of the surgery.

It wasn't a long walk, per se, but it was scorching hot, so I was out of breath when I got to the front desk to ask where billing was located. The front desk clerk made a comment about how I didn't look like I had just had surgery. That made me feel nice!

I went to the admissions desk and was helped by a nice woman wearing green in spirit of St. Patrick's Day. It seemed as if there was a problem with my FSA card, but it turned out that she had identified it incorrectly as a VISA card and that is why there was an error! I was in no hurry so it was no big deal. A coworker pointed the mistake out to her so she's most likely going to be made fun of for quite a while!

Before going back, I went to the nearby cafeteria to get ice and I ended up getting a chocolate pudding with whipped cream. One of the benefits of a soft food diet. :-)

I walked back to building 1520 and went to the 4th floor head and neck department just in time for my 2pm appointment. Unfortunately, Dr. Rice was held up in surgery. This gave me an opportunity to look through 2 Cooking Light magazines and read some of the book I brought, "Reaching for the Invisible God" by Phillip Yancey. I waited about an hour and a half, but I was fine. I mixed the whipped cream in my pudding and had a snack. Although it was chocolate, the pudding tasted more like hazelnut. Don't know if the whipped cream had anything to do with that. I never eat whipped cream, but I do like it mixed in pudding. This time off has seemed to calm me a bit because I usually get frustrated at waiting.

I was finally called into exam room but I had to wait another 15 or so minutes. I used this time wisely by doing some leg lifts, calf raises and squats. I was sitting too long in the waiting room and my muscles were turning to mush!

Dr. Rice came in with a nice smile on his face. He started joking with, "You survived!" Yep, I faired very well. He took a look in my mouth and said that I was healing nicely. Before coming in, I had looked at my throat in my car's rear-view mirror and my throat looks like it is trying to form another uvula (punching bag). It looks very strange. I asked Dr. Rice about this and he said, "That's normal. That's the way the wound swells."

He instructed for me to see him once a month. He said that scar tissue can form which creates an obstruction, but by coming in regularly this can be fixed by steroid shots if needed. I asked him about my diet while I was there and he said that if I try it and it doesn't hurt, I can eat it. I told him about my banana fiasco and he said that most fruit, except for watermelon, are not a good idea! Yeah, the thought of oranges in my mouth makes me cringe. Now I look at a banana and shudder.

Soft Diet Experimentations

My doctor put me on a soft diet for two weeks after my surgery. Initially I was able to eat much at all. The day of surgery I didn't eat anything. The next day only a few popsicles. I've been craving more savory dishes (i.e. not sweet) but the only thing that I've been able to really tolerate are eggs.

I have tried a few things, thinking they would work out. I had my bible study over yesterday to hang out which was a lot of fun. I was starting to feel very isolated, so their visit cheered me up. I served Trader Joe's spinach and artichoke cheese dip which is delicious. I tried it, thinking "hey, the dip is soft, I can have that". I didn't realize that it's not just the softness of the food that matters. That dip had some spicy bite. I am a spice whimp, so it surprised me because I had never noticed any spice before, but the dip made my throat burn.

Prior to everyone coming over I tried baked beans, thinking that the beans would be soft enough. They were, to a point (although I had to chew more than my mouth wanted to) but the sauce burned my throat as well.

This morning I thought I would be safe by having a banana. I sliced the banana and put it in my magic bullet blender with some lowfat milk and a little sugar. I could only handle two spoonfuls of it because it burned my throat something awful! Who knew banana's were acidic!

I had to go to the bank today to set up my bank card (I was given another one and wasn't able to go to the ATM before surgery). That trip took a lot out of me. I went to the bank ATM, then I went inside to get some quarters because I will need to do laundry before I go back to work and I didn't have any quarters left.

Once my ATM card was working I was able to go get gas for my car. Never realized how dependent on my bank card I was! Target was next door so I took advantage and went straight to the concession area and asked if I could fill up on chipped ice. I need the ice to reduce the swelling. While I was there I got a new laundry basket (mine broke a week or so ago).

I was starving by the time I got to the grocery store where I bought more pudding (which I seem to be able to tolerate). I wanted to get this flavored ice I've seen before but they didn't have it so I'll just have to get out a hammer to chip the ice I have in my freezer. :-)

The trip took me several hours and I went straight to bed after eating a pudding cup since I had left the house after attempting the banana shake without luck. I'm still very tired, but I'm managing okay.

Back in Apartment

Today my friend, Stephanie, met me at Scotti and Rich's to follow me home to my apartment. Driving was okay, but I was glad Stephanie was there just in case. I am pretty fatigued and my throat is still a bit sore (I definitely watch the clock for medication time).

Stephanie took me to Trader Joe's to get a few things (mainly soft foods). Thank goodness TJs had their mashed potatoes! They are really good and I just had some and I can swallow them. Yay! I was a little embarrassed because I hadn't reactivated my new ATM card and my credit card co. had to issue me a new card because of fraudulent charges, so Steph had to pay for me and I just wrote her a check. Thank God she was there with me! God really had provided for me with good friends and good timing!

I'm going to take a nap now. I'm pooped and it seems I didn't do much all day! Steph did all the heavy lifting of my bags, etc.

Post-Op Experience

Most people have told me that they do not feel a passage of time when they go in for surgery. Although I have no memory of being wheeled out of the O.R. or anything, I was aware that some time had passed, I just didn't realize how much exactly.

I was semi-conscious for about a half hour and the nurse noticed that I was moving around a little bit but my eyes remained closed. My head was quite itchy for whatever reason so I kept scratching it. I had the energy for that, but I still could not bring my eyes open.

Finally I was able to crack them open and the nurse took the opportunity to ask me how my pain was from a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most painful. I was able to answer, in an extremely scratchy voice "Six." She nodded her head and gave me some more pain meds. She gave me liquid Vicadin, Larpral it's called or something like that. This stuff knocked me out for another hour! I was out of it, for most of the time, but I would go in and out of consciousness frequently--still needing to scratch my head!

Scotti had gone out to get my prescriptions while I was in recovery, which was very nice and convenient so I wouldn't have to wait in the car or anything if she had gotten it after I had been excused from the hospital. When she arrived back the nurses said I was ready to go, but Scotti looked at them inquisitively as I looked like I was ready to stay in bed all day. They assured her that I would wake up.

I had been given water and several lemon-flavored mouth swabs that stung (which I found out later was because I had gotten a tiny cut on the side of my mouth from having my mouth open during the surgery). Before I could leave I had to take a trip to the rest room.

Scotti helped me dress and we walked across the room. This was difficult for me since I had been lying around for several hours and my legs felt like mush, but I leaned on Scotti and I was able to make it.

We walked back across the recovery room to get my things, which included my jacket and a packet of those lemon swabs for the trip home. My mouth felt extremely dry. In fact, I didn't feel nauseous on the way home in the traditional sense, but Scotti had brought a pot just in case and I held onto it, but I only felt unsettled because my mouth was dry. I just kept swabbing it and I was able to make it back to Palos Verdes where Scotti's house is.

I went straight to bed and I slept off and on that day. I did wake up to take my medicine (I have Tylenol with Codeine and an antibiotic that is supposed to be strawberry flavored but tastes like mangos to me) and I ended up having a few hours here and there where I was awake but not well enough to get up. So I read "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. It was a good book with a lot of good lessons. I had so many ice chips, it is unbelievable! They help reduce the swelling.

Everytime I would wake up, it seems like I would find another electrode that they left on my body from the surgery. They are throwaway electrode stickers, but it was like a hunt to find all of them, especially when I would come across them when I was only half-awake. It's amazing how much energy it seemed to take for me to peel them off.

Wednesday I had enough energy to shower and that made me feel so much better, you have no idea. I was expecting to have so much more pain, as Dr. Rice had said the day after surgery would be the worst day. That Tylenol with Codeine must do the trick for me because I felt pain, but it was managable. I layed on the couch most of the day, watching "Australia" and "The Majestic". I had ice chips most of the day, but I was able to have a few popsicles.

I felt well enough to sit with Scotti and her husband and one of her sons for dinner, although I ate a popsicle instead of a real meal. There is no way I can have regular food. I am on a soft food diet for 2 weeks and even yogurt seems too thick for me to want to swallow. We'll see how I feel.

Today my throat was in more pain than the day before and I am more fatigued. I've been keeping up with the ice chips, which help to keep the swelling down. It feels as if there is something in the back of my throat but that is just the swelling. I felt very weak this morning, but I figured it was that I hadn't had anything to eat, so I had a raspberry flavored popsicle and felt better.

I'm going home tomorrow. My friend, Stephanie, will be coming to help me home. I'm not sure if I'll be up to driving so she'll either drive me or she'll follow me home. We'll see how I feel.

I really feel that I am blessed by so many people who have offered to pray for me. I truly believe that is why I am doing so much better than expected. I am still tired, so I'll be heading to bed soon.

UPPP Surgery Experience

Yesterday I had the UPPP surgery. I stayed over at Scotti and Rich Steip's on Monday night because we (Scotti and I) had to leave at 7am to get there by 8am, for a scheduled surgery time of 10am.

Traffic wasn't too bad on the way there, which was fortunate for us. Right after we got there, my sister, Erika called me and the kids each individually prayed for me and Erika ended the prayer for my quick healing. It was really sweet. Erika's children are such prayer warriors!

We didn't have much of a wait before I talked with the surgery clerk, who went over my costs for the surgery and other odds and ends. They put a medical/hospital bracelet on me and had a guy lead me and Scotti up to the 4th floor pre-op room. I had to get changed into the hospital gown and then I talked to the pre-op nurse who asked me a ton of questions.

I felt really confident in Dr. Rice (who was performing the surgery) because several nurses asked how I was referred to him and confirmed that he is the best surgeon in the area.

I then talked to the attending doctor who went over the surgical procedure with me again so that it was apparent I was well informed. Next was the anesthesia doctor, Dr. Daniel, who was a nice older gentleman who sort of reminded me of the quaker oatmeal guy (can't remember his name) but with whiter hair. I also had a chat with his attending who had a cute ladybug patterned surgery cap.

Finally Dr. Rice was out of the surgery right before mine and we chatted for a bit. He told me I'd have a blazing sore throat for a couple of days but that I shouldn't try to be a hero. It doesn't heal faster without the pain meds.

The anestheia attending and the surgical nurse wheeled me to O.R. 24. On the way, the attending asked if I wanted some "happy meds" on the way. I said "Sure." She asked me to tell her when I knew it was working and I answered "Well, I'm smiling for no apparent reason so it must be!" We arrived at O.R. 24 where the attending surgeon and the anestheisologist were already prepping. I said a prayer before I moved to the operating table and realized Erika was right--it is a very thin table!

As they strapped me in and attached electrodes to me, they discussed Avalox, the antibiotic that gave me hives a few years ago. They were discussing how they wished all these drugs were generic so they didn't have to figure out what these fancy marketing names really meant! Then the anestheisologist commented that I had very fair skin and that's the last thing I remember!

I'll post how post-op was tomorrow. It's medtime which means bedtime!

Insurance Issues

Monday night I had a last minute problem with insurance approval process. I had turned in my sleep study to the scheduling nurse and when she talked to Blue Shield they told her she didn't need to fax the report over to them. That was two weeks before the surgery, so they waited until the day before to tell the scheduling nurse that I wasn't approved. Mona called to tell me that I'd have to reschedule if she couldn't convince them to expedite it.

Thankfully right after I got off the phone with Mona, my sister, Erika called. She has had to deal with a lot of insurance people over the years and so she gave me the advice that I should call the insurance company myself so that there are two people making the request so they can't ignore you.

So, that's what I did. The first woman I talked to, Lorraine, who Mona had talked to earlier in the day, was very rude. I started explaining the situation and she said in a snotty tone, "You are my 86th call so you're going to have to give me your ID number." So, I gave it to her, even though I was taken aback. I asked to speak to a supervisor and her response before transferring me over was "If it makes you feel better."

Instead of getting angry I stayed calm and was transferred to a woman named Sue who was very professional. I explained the situation and she asked for my number and asked whether I wanted a call back or to be put on hold. I opted to be put on hold, since that would be added pressure to look into my situation immediately.

Mona was on the line with another insurance woman--reading the sleep study results over the phone before that woman finally had her fax it to her. They were able to get me the confirmation code at 4:45pm and let me tell you how relieved I was!

Since I am a single woman, I had to arrange for someone to take care of me (my sister's mother-in-law, Scotti) and she is going out of town on Friday. I don't have a spouse or close family that can use sick time to take care of me so rescheduling the surgery would have been inconvenient. Not to mention that I timed my surgery so my absence at work would be felt minimally by my coworkers.

I was saying thank you LORD when I got the approval!

Finally an Official Church Member

Even though I've been attending King's Harbor Church since I came back to California (Sept. 2002) tonight was the first time I ever signed up to be a church member (at any church) and actually attended a church meeting.

It was a really good meeting. It started with a pot luck dinner and then the meeting portion was fun and informational.

The new group that I started with Nicole, Lisa, Darcy and Bryan, B.A.S.I.C. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, was introduced tonight. We all stood up and Chris (the pastor) mentioned some of the events we are doing. It is very grass roots but we are all excited about it!

Tuesday is my surgery and although I am a little fearful of the pain, I feel very blessed by the community that has surrounded me during this time. Thank the Lord Almighty!

Tax Revolt 2009 Rally

Today I met up with my friend, Angie, and her friend, Paula, to drive to Fullerton (about a 45 min. drive east from where we live) to attend the Tax Revolt 2009 Rally by the Slidebar Cafe.

It was a miracle that we were able to find a parking spot--the traffic was crazy and there were limited spaces so close to the rally. According to the police, an estimated 10,000-15,000 protestors attended the rally.

Angie and Paula had created the greatest signs for us the hold up. One said "Turncoats" with cutouts of coats and teabags taped to the banner and the other one said "Terminate the Terminator!" There is an effort here to recall Schwartzenegger.

Here we are exercising our 1st amendment right!

There were so many creative signs that people brought:

This person took old movie posters of Arnold and changed the names from "Last Action Hero" to "Lip Action Zero". It also has a fake pig's head stapled to it with money sticking out of it's ears and snout.
This crazy picture was the biggest sign out there:

This one was my favorite, even though I couldn't get a full shot of it. It says "Americans: believing and achieving not deceiving and receiving" So true!

Protesting is hard work because I was starting to get back pain, so I had to sit on a curb to rest it. Because my back was hurting, I decided to brave weeding my way to the outer area through the crowds. After about 10 minutes, I finally made it to the outside where I found several informational booths as well as fun and games booths.

Here is the Political Trader Shoe Toss:
The original campaign was called "Heads on a Stick" so that is what you are seeing here. Arnold, however is skewered by the Conan the Barbarian sword. He's special. ;-)

Here is the Flush-a-Nator, where people went in, sat down and got soaked!

This is a game where you have to try to get over the hump (of taxes) without having the bowling ball come back!

Saw this guy on the way out:

We heard later, he was beheaded with the sword.

Here we are

Nervous

I'm starting to get nervous about my surgery. My friend, Seona, shared her experience getting her tonsilectomy and it scared me half to death! I pray that I am a quick healer!

Smile Detection

A few weeks ago I went to Griffith Park for a hike. While we were at the highest point with the "Ollywoo" view, my friend, Darcy was about to take a picture when Chris asked if Darcy's camera had a smile detector. Nicole immediately said, "You are kidding around! There is no such thing!" Darcy concurred and asked me and also Gretchen. Neither of us had heard of it. Chris kept saying "No...really it's available now." Nicole's response was "I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb!"

Darcy looked through all of her camera options and discovered she does have a smile detection option. So, she tested it out. After putting it on that setting she didn't touch the camera and had us frown and then smile and sure enough it took a picture when it detected smiles! We have no idea how it works, but it does!

I was laughing at Nicole (next to me) and Darcy. Gretchen is doing the non-smiling thing during this picture!