Happy Thanksgiving 2012

I know I'm not fully up to date with my posts, I still have a few doctors' appointments to post about, but I just had to post today since it's a holiday.

Hooray, run on sentence!

Anywho, this year I ate a few bits of turkey with gravy, two chunks of sweet potato, and a few bites of stuffing.  It was AMAZING.  The food bounced up and down a few times, but settled rather well after about 30 minutes.  I think the Bentyl and Neurontin are actually helping.  I even got brave enough to try a few bites of pumpkin pie!  That didn't go as well, and my stomach is still not too happy about it now, but I got all of the food to stay down.  I am ecstatic!!

Last year, I was in the hospital on Thanksgiving.  I had a doodled turkey stuck to my TPN bag for my PICC line.  This year I ate real solid food.  I still have to hook up to my PICC TPN tonight before I go to bed, but I think today was a huge step for me.  My morale is way up, and now I have hope for the future.  I got a glimpse of normalcy and it was absolutely delightful!!

I just had to share.

I hope your Thanksgiving was as exceptional and love-filled as mine was.  My mother-in-law cooked a fabulous meal and there was a house full of family.  Everyone complemented me on how well I looked considering all I've been through.  Lots of love and hugs were exchanged.  The future is looking a bit brighter.

Hooray!!  I am so thankful that my health is beginning to improve, and that I have such a wonderful support system.

Thank you all for reading my little blog and caring abut me.  It's so nice to know there's love and support for me here, too.  I'm thankful for you guys, and for the people I can support and encourage through hard times after surgery.  You guys are great <3

VaperCon 2012.... with a PICC...

We arrived at VaperCon a day early for the pre-party.  The Clarion hotel in Richmond, Virginia, was invaded by approximately 800 electronic cigarette enthusiasts.  The vapers.  It was a weekend to gather and hang out with people we chat with online daily, but some we had never met in person, and some we hadn't seen since VaperCon 2011.

I survived Thursday-Sunday.  It was a blast.  We met some great people, and hung out with friends, and got to see all the latest wares from the vendors who had booths set up.  There were hugs and squees aplenty.

VaperCon includes an annual Halloween costume contest.  I didn't enter the contest itself, but dressed up anyways just for fun.  NyanNyanNyanNyanNyan...

Yeah, I'm dorky.  I was NyanCat... that's my trailing rainbow in my right hand, and my PICC bag in my left.  I actually made the PopTart, front and back.  It was my first attempt at crafting.  I think I did pretty well  =)

It was great hanging out with everybody, but I had to run back to my hotel room ever 4 hours to get meds, and I went to the hotel room at 7:30 every night to get my PICC bag hooked up.  Thankfully, my room was just a 5 minute walk from the conference room.  I got a LOT of exercise running up and down stairs since the conference room was on the second floor and out hotel room was on the second floor in the adjoining building.  i did cheat and use the elevator a few times when I was just too tired.

We left on Sunday and I slept in the car most of the way home, waking up only to fish out toll money and mumble a few things about how cold it was.  I pretty much slept all day Monday, too.  Being social is exhausting!

It was really nice to get out of the house though.  I'm so glad we went.  I don't get to do to much socializing anymore.  I already miss the lovely vapers we hung out with, and we're already planning on next year's trip.  Hopefully VaperCon 2013 will be the first one that I get to attend while I'm healthy!!

*fingers crossed*

The Further Adventures of Sickly Kiera...

So, I haven't had the chance to update this in sooo long, I have a whole lot of stuff to write.  I'll try to chunk it into bite-size pieces in case you don't feel like reading it all at once  =)

Well, on October 3rd I went to my surgeon for a routine follow up.  I told him things were pretty much the same.  Abdominal pain, vomiting, tired, same ol' same ol'.  He decided that I looked terrible and said he was reserving a room for me at the hospital.  Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.  Go straight to the hospital.

Crap.

I went from the doc's office, hurried home and packed a little hospital essentials bag, and got checked into my lovely viewless suite around noon.  My official diagnosis was "Malnutrition and Dehydration."  I was hooked up to an IV of fluids and settled in for an unknown period of time.  Sine I wasn't there for a surgery or any specific procedure, they let me wear my on pajamas instead of a hospital gown, so I was a little more comfy than the usual hospital stay.

After some tests and a CAT scan, more of my favorite Gastrograffin, and lots of failed attempts at eating hospital food, I ended up getting a PICC line again, and after a few days of fluids and PICC line nutrition (TPN), I was released on October 6th.

Now I have the whole TPN hooked up for 12 hours a day for nutrition and vitamins.  My visiting nurse comes out once a week to change the dressing, check the PICC, take blood work, and monitor my weight and fluid retention.  I seem to be retaining fluids in my lower legs.  Some days I have no ankles.  It's weird, but it doesn't hurt.  It's just annoying.  So, they keep adjusting the fluid levels in my TPN every few weeks.

One week after being release from the hospital, we went on a bit of a road trip.  The hubby and I had been planning this vacation for a year, and I wasn't going to miss it just because I had a stoopid PICC line to deal with.

I called the hotel where we had reservations to make sure we could get a fridge in our room.  The two-bed rooms usually don't have a fridge in them... The phrase "Medical Necessity" seemed to help that process.  My TPN and vitamins need to be kept in the fridge, so it really was a must.  The Clarion in Richmond, Virginia, was really great about it and the fridge was in the room and already cold when we arrived.  Win!

I need a bit of a rest, so the whole VaperCon adventure will be in my next update.  I promise to get this blog up to date in the next few days.