Urgent Blog

Hello folks... thanks for stopping!

It pleases me that you did.

Why? Because this post is:

URGENT, IMPORTANT & NEEDED

Abby is a beautiful, delightful, encouraging, young four yr old

who's Love for others is HUGE!

PLEASE see their Family Blog that Abby's mother, Michelle wrote...

...where laughter lives: The Riggs Family Blog

If you'd share this particular post everywhere & anywere including emailing the URL is:

http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/08/update-on-dad-and-abby.html

Thanks so much! Blessings to You =)

~Joni

Last Surgery (?)

From the desk of Joni Sweet

Greetings :-) I'm happy you stopped by & I hope you enjoy browsing around... please, do leave a comment so I can stop by & visit your blog. You see, I've none of those privacy invaders that tell me who's been by [don't believe in em' actually] and to be honest they aren't accurate anyway! LOL
According to most blogs I stop by I don't even live near the town they say I do... which reminds me, no need looking me up on any map living in Taconite, Coleraine, or the other Iron Range towns that the privacy invaders say I'm from... I'm NOT there. :-)

And with that being said, on to the NEW happenings...
[re: Surgery - the rest will follow at a later time]

I'm home from the hospital :-)

Hopefully you'll find this informative if you are facing Breast Cancer Surgery after having a Mastectomy.
(See my previous blogs for previous testings, Mastectomy, etc)

Breast Cancer doesn't need to be frightening & you aren't alone!!!

Monday 08.10.09 I headed out of Grand Rapids for Duluth in the afternoon. A few hours later then planned as I spent the morning at the clinic first having an EKG, Electrocardiogram, Xray done due to SEVERE upper chest pain that came on Sunday Evening. Apparently a disk had slipped in the spine which was causing chest wall [rib cage] problems. Thank Goodness it turned out to be nothing serious & I was still able to stay scheduled for surgery Tuesday morning. So anyhow, Monday I arrived at the motel room around 5pm. It was nice to enjoy the spa & pool that evening. I'd brought some food items with so took my cooler outside & had supper while enjoying the fresh evening air :-)

[I live in an apt complex on 3rd floor so don't get that enjoyment often]

When I finally hit the hay I was well ready for some good sleep!
Tuesday, packed up & ready to go, I headed for St. Luke's Hospital by 0540 - once there things moved along quite rapidly.
Registration, Weight scale [which was the same as the previous few months], Change into gown & get all the necessary Pre-Op Stuff done.
0800 The fine nurses wheeled me into Operation Room & there I stayed for the next 6 hrs. Surgery went well [so I'm told]. The # I'd left for my Surgeon to call was missing the 1-218 in front of it so when he called it, he got a "disconnected message" Opps, Me Bad! Not use to being long distance in the same area code. Ha But that's the way cell phones are when calling from a land line...
Anyway, I don't remember waking up in Recovery nor being brought to ICU bed however I do remember everything once I finally really woke up. The nurse's were all super nice & had wonderful bedside skills. The pain was major so was kept on lots of pain meds. Had 3 JP's in [drainage tubes], cath & IV... wasn't allowed to have NPO ~ not even ice chips [yea right] Ha And beings it was ICU no visitors allowed except family *snicker* [Kev walked down to see me for 10 minutes] then the following day I was doing better than anticipated so was transferred to Surgical Wing where both Kev & Rhonda came to visit :-)
My surgeon also stopped in & removed the dressings which surprised all of us including the nurses!!! And by Supper time I was allowed Clear Liquids. That evening I was up walking [very slowly & lots of pain] so didn't go far. Kev stopped back & visited too.
Thursday was a day I won't forget... Not knowing the fact that when abdominal muscles are cut, it causes EXCRUCIATING PAIN in middle of low back, so wasn't prepared to get 1/2 way down the hall & not be able to make it back to my room! With tears I was given pain pills on top of the pain pump [which to me doesn't work anyway].
Needless to say, I spent lots of time in bed watching TV.

Mom had sent two beautiful cards she'd made that week & called a few times but I couldn't tell you when... Kev visited twice a day since his g.f.'s place was just 3 blks away which was nice! :-) Each time I'd have him 'go-fer' this or that & on one occasion he'd brought some delicious grapes... MMMmmm! The food was eatable [enough said about that].

Sunday afternoon I was discharged. Stopped at Mom's to pick up a handrail that she had bought awhile ago & came home. Kev made me steak & augratin potatos for supper & I was sound asleep by 8 or so.

Yesterday Mom stopped over with a w/c & NEW mattress pad & pillow along with some food which was NICE. They changed my bed too! :-)

Today, Wednesday, I'm to call the Surgeon with the JP counts and find out when the tubes will be taken out. Unfortunately, I have to drive to Duluth just for this but it'll be nice to have em' out!!!

I'd have no problem posting photos here but others would get sick seeing them so I choose not to. LOL
IF you are a Breast Cancer Woman who is thinking about having this type of procedure [TRAM flap], I'd be happy to email you. It's one procedure that I don't recommend unless you have LOTS of TIME to Relax to Recover & can handle tons of pain! I'm not certain how long I'll be needing the w/c for any length of distance but living where I'm at my car is quite far from my apt door. And a shower chair is a must as standing that long is impossible only because the back pain will take you down literally IF it's anything like mine.

So... there you have it, good luck with your breast cancer journey & may you also be Cancer-Free soon!

Recipe for Blog Hop

This weeks Blog Hop Topic is Recipes
One of my favorites that I was introduced to was made for the week our church hosted the luncheon held after our weekly
"Community Tuesday Summer Concert Series"

Chicken Pasta Salad

Ingredients~

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• Lawry's Garlic & Herb Marinade
• 1 box Rotini Pasta
• 3 C. Hellman's Mayo
• 2/3 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 C. Sugar
• 6 Tbsp. Milk
• 2 bags Dole's Salad Mix [mostly Romaine]
• 2 Jars of real bacon pieces

Instructions~
Marinade Chicken for 2-3 hours in refridgerator
Grill Chicken, cool, cut into cubes

Cook Rotini Pasta, drain, cool.

Dressing: Mix Together & Chill
3 C. Hellman's mayo
2/3 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 C. Sugar
6 Tbsp. Milk

Right before serving toss 2 bags Dole's Salad Mix [mostly Romaine], pasta, chicken, 2 jars of real bacon pieces in large bowl.
Slowly add dressing while mixing.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

of course you may want to alter the amounts used for
your particular need
this is SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE & DELICIOUS!!! :-)

Encouragement Blog Hope - Not Alone

Blog Hop - Encouragement 8/3/2009 - Begins 9pm Central

This week's blog hop is all about being an ENCOURAGEMENT to everyone who visits your blog. Each week a "Community of People" create their own blog in regards to a choosen TOPIC for the week and we join together by linking our blogs "Together" using the MckLinky System that Brent Riggs created, owns and operates. This is in effort that each individual is able to "HOP from BLOG to BLOG" with ease & simplicity meeting new people &/or in the visiting someone's blog you may have recently met or may have known for a long time within the "community".

Not only is it EASY but it's FUN, SUPPORTIVE and ENCOURAGING but it also brings traffic across YOUR blog. Many have businesses &/or products they sell on their blogs which one like me may never had even thought about and it's an awesome way to get references through other grand folks.

Doing this also gives a sense of 'responsibility' & helps those [like me] that needs a little push to regain a character asset that may have fallen to the wayside by whatever means... mine I've RECENTLY found is "OVER booked" myself which has taken my mind for a Roller-coaster Ride. And now that I SEE the defect I'm able to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! And I've got the best people around that are full of "ENCOURAGEMENT".

Which brings me to my sub-title under this week of ENCOURAGEMENT...

"NOT ALONE"

When life seems to get chaotic, when your mind seems to clog and when your head seems to spin faster and faster picking up momentum every minute... please don't fret, worry or anger. There is a WAY OUT off this roller-coaster ride! You are NOT ALONE! There's so many people that you'd may not have even thought possible who care about you. Who love you for you, who will be there for you when you think there's no one. All you need to do is open your mouth [or in my recent case - type it out] to whatever it is that has you going.

Within hours & sometimes minutes :-) Someone will be there with you to listen, give their ENCOURAGEMENT, share their experience, strength, hope and walk with you through whatever the situation may be. Now granted, you may not like what is said nor may you want to do what is suggested but I will guarantee that the roller-coaster will STOP! The head will stop spinning out of control, the mind will become clear and life will run smoother [notice I didn't say smooth but smoother].

God didn't promise us a Rose Garden [nor does one grow over night Ha] But he did promise us a life full of gifts if we allow time to harvest. So all you need to do is plant that seed, reach out for help so others can help water it, and in time you will SEE a beautiful person become like a rose.

Remember my friend, you are NOT ALONE for a Rose cannot grow on it's own.

"To admit that I have been wrong is but saying...
that I am wiser today than I was yesterday"

"We learn wisdom by failure much more than from success."

"We are the branches, He is the vine."

Pre-Op Done.

If you've been following along you'll know that I'd be having one more surgery... [If you haven't I'll be having reconstruction tram tuk] since I'm doing well & ready for it; it's been moved up from 6 months to 4 months.

So..... it's scheduled for AUG. 11th! [was Aug 4th but I'm helping VBS instead]. I'll be leaving G.R. on the 10th w/a friend who will stay w/a friend for the week and I'll stay at a motel with a pool, sauna & SPA for a day! :-) Been quite some time since I've relaxed in the comfort of Spa & Sauna so I'm "splurging on ME" for a change. :D I'm thinking it'll relax me enough after driving the distance and before this MAJOR Surgery that I'll SLEEP great before my week stay in the hospital with NO smoking. [I know, that stinky habit, yah yah yah enough already] LMNBO Because this is a MAJOR surgery I'll be spending the first cpl in ICU [no visits].

Had Pre-Op Thurday w/lab which went well however, still waiting those lab results. I highly doubt there'll be any issues that arrive to post-pone surgery since I just had lab done not too long ago. Btw, I'm still OFF the Insulin for Type 1 Diabetes too :D Been 4 1/2 months now and doing great w/that. Kewl eh'

I'm expecting to be back home on or about Aug. 17th with NO MORE SURGERIES!!! 4 in 9 months is plenty for me thank you very much! [more than enough really but that's life & acceptance is the key]

All in all ... I'm excited that I'm now cancer-FREE!!! This has been one journey I don't wish on anyone. Too many cotton picking decisions that one just does not want to deal with but must! If only God talked directly to me saying THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY... ha When it comes to "the future"; I tend to start 'surveying' ppl who've been down that road before me & compiling all the answers while praying for the knowledge of God's will.

And that's a wrap! Thanks for stopping by & enjoy :-)
Peace, Joy & Love,
~Joni

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