Friday, April 3, 2009

Damn Drains!

I was praying (even bullied) my nurse to take my last drain out - she said no. Even though the rule is that if the draining is less then 30C, the doctor should take it out (mine are draining 20c in a 24 hour period). But nurse Sharon said "no" because the stomach area is so big, she would rather be safe then sorry. If she took it out and I get infected I could end up in the hospital....which I do not want to do. So I have to live with this last drain until Monday. I told the nurse she was on my hit list....she didn't care.


Definition of a Drain: A surgical drain is a tube used to remove pus, blood or other fluids from a wound. Drains inserted after surgery do not result in faster wound healing or prevent infection but are sometimes necessary to drain body fluid which may accumulate and in itself become a focus of infection.




Yesterday was a good day. I was able to walk around my development without being totally out of breath. I have a bad headache today. Yesterday and today, I sneezed and OMG did it hurt. I felt like the "fake" belly button they created for me was going to pop out! I also cooked for the first time yesterday - Barb (my neighbor had made some turkey meatballs) so I made spaghetti and meatballs last night. Of all the 33 homes in this neighborhood, she the one person I am very close to. I am friendly with all the other ones but she and I have no limits.

On the home front - Nina had her 7th birthday on April fools day. She was so excited. She told her Baba that he doesn't have to carry her anymore because she is a big girl. As a birthday gift, he told her that he was going to carry her for one more year -- she was thrilled. She is throwing herself a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. I told her that I may not be able to go and she said that's okay because BEBE Khala will do it. So long story short, my sister got her invitation and she handed them out to 9 little girls and now we are having a party for her on Saturday (can you tell she is my daughter - no is not an option for her). Chuck E. Cheese's is a chain of restaurants here that serves Pizza (bad pizza) and has arcade, small rides, climbing equipment and slides inside. Kids and parents get stamped on their hand and then you let them run around in this restaurant while you sit and listen to hundreds of kids screaming, running and coming and asking for more tokens for the rides.......can you tell how much I love this place (NOT!).

My cause - I want to open a Cancer awareness center in Afghanistan. I wrote to a number of organization including the White House - but disappointing no one has answered. There is not a single Cancer center in my country.....what are these people to do??? I need help, advice, money to make this happen. Family friends tell me if I build it, some stupid fundamentalist might blow it up (realistic but I should at least try).

4 comments:

  1. I am very happy that you are doing better day for day. I appreciate and admire your feeling and plans about opening a Cancer Center in Afghanistan to help the people there.
    Take care of yourself and enjoy every day as a good day :-)
    Allah bless you

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  2. Thank you so much for the words of encouragemen on my blog! It's always interesting to read about other young women's experiences through this crazy cancer journey. Glad that you came through your surgery and hopefully every day things get a bit easier. My DIEP surgery is just over a week away and I'm so excited/scared/nervous/anxious . . . you name it, I'm feeling it! I'm having my surgery 2.5 hrs away from home, in Boston, so I think I'll be a week in the hospital and then another week staying with friends in the city. NOT looking forward to the whole drain experience again!
    Well, take care!

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  3. This is bookworm mama - I want those drains to come out for your sake! I'm not looking forward to that part of the experience at all.

    Your idea for a cancer center sounds wonderful. Every day I am thankful for modern medicine and for all the choices available to me now - choices my grandmother and great grandmother didn't have.
    Take care.

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