At home

I've been mostly resting this week and have enjoyed having time to work on a challenging jigsaw, doing a little crocheting and reading a good book. I have also been out on a few occasions which was very pleasant. I was able to drive myself to one of these occasions. This was only a week after the surgery. The recovery has been quicker than I expected, but I still need to take it easy, so everyone tells me!

This puzzle was given to us by Paul and Jeni. It is a picture of Jerusalem at sunset. It's challenging!




Tonight I finished the city scape. Rick has often worked on it and Cameron has too, when he has dropped in for a visit a couple of times.



Now all there is to do is the sky! It's going to be hard. Lots of pinks and purples!


The crocheted rug is almost finished



Sylvia lent me this book. I am really enjoying reading it!



These activities have kept me interested and have taken my mind off all the normal things I can't do as yet. I've had a good week. I think I could be a "lady of leisure" for a fairly long time, before I got bored!

Monday Feb 21- recuperating well

I am recovering well from the surgery last Thursday. It's great to feel this well so soon after. I do need to take it easy while everything is healing. The last thing I would want would be to land back in hospital..... and possibly meet up with that dragon of a nurse I unfortunately encountered on Friday! I hope she's not terrorising more patients in that ward today!
I've been advised to wear these special post-surgical stockings for 4 to 6 weeks! It's really hard to distinguish between general statements made to cover themselves legally or whether it's actually good medical advice for me personally.
Anyway, Richard is at work and I am going to do a few things slowly around the house and rest in between.

Stuart and Cherie are well and very happy over in Seoul. Cameron is enjoying having Jee and Dain staying at his house. They came over to visit us last night.

Home from hospital

The oophorectomy surgery went well, so they tell me. I am feeling OK and glad to be home. I have a little bit of pain etc but it's manageable.
The awful nurse who put enormous pressure on me to go home so quickly after my operation, actually did me a favour! I was glad to get home and the hospital did not give a good standard of care.
This officious nurse could have approached her task of clearing out the hospital ward differently and even achieved the same result. She wasn't the slightest bit interested in my welfare. All she wanted was an empty room. When she said I was going home, I was still connected to oxygen and a drip and a had just that minute had the catheter removed. I hadn't even stood up at that stage, or had any breakfast. The doctor hadn't even come to see me.
She was a real bully and I feel sorry for vulnerable patients who have to deal with her. I also felt sorry for the other nurses who had to work with her and carry out her orders.
My 28 hours at Calvary Hospital was not all that pleasant, but at least the surgeon did his work properly!
Anyway, now I am home, I need to rest and take it easy with everyday activities for a while. I don't want to overdo it and end up in that hospital again!
I slept well last night in my own bed.

Here we go again!

All is in readiness for my hospital visit tomorrow. The procedure is called an oophorectomy. I think that is a really cool name, but I don't think it's all that cool that I need to have this operation! It's the removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes. I need this done as a preventative measure to eliminate the hormones from my system, so that further cancers won't grow.

The operation is scheduled for 8:30am, so I won't have to wait around for long, after arriving at 7am. I will stay in hospital for one or two nights. I am hoping for the two night stay!
The operation is pretty straight forward and will be done lapriscopically ( keyhole), unless there are complications.

The word is that because of the instant drop of hormone levels it can be a bit unpleasant for the patient ( and her loved ones!!) in the following weeks and months. I am hoping that this won't be too dramatic for me.

I am just wondering if anybody will want to spend time with me after Thursday 18 Feb! I hope I don't turn into a dragon or something like that!
I am feeling really well and am quite at ease about the whole thing. I have plenty of friends and family who are supporting me. Thankyou to everyone for being so caring.

Shabu Shabu Lunch and train rides

We had a Shabu Shabu lunch, when we were with Stuart and Cherie in Seoul. This was on the last day before we flew home. The beef is cut very thinly and all the ingredients are put in the hot stock in the middle pot to cook. It was delicious!


A rare uncrowded carriage!

Cherie's class

Stuart and Cherie's new Seoul apartment

Stuart and Cherie's new apartment in Mokdong is much more spacious than their tiny one in Guri. They moved in on January 23, 2009


Cherie sent these photos.






Stuart has started his new teaching contract within walking distance ( I think it's a good walk!) Cherie is now looking for a job in the immediate area, after finishing her year teaching at a preschool. Students, parents and staff would have loved her to stay, but unfortunately it's so far away now from their new place.The travelling time involved would be very difficult for her.

Busy first week of February

Well, it's Friday and this week has been quite busy. I have had doctors' appointments, exercises, meetings and a physio check-up.
I have a date for the next Surgery for hormone treatment ( oophorectomy) . It's going to happen on Thursday February 18. Only two weeks to wait this time.
I have had a lymphoedema check-up and thankfully, there are no signs of that condition. This is a good report as it tells me that the plane travel, we did in December and January, didn't affect my arm.



Jim and Jane are leaving our church this weekend, which is sad for us all. I am sure that an interesting and exciting new part of their lives is about to start.


Jim enthusiastically waving goodbye to someone.
Sadly, very soon we'll be waving goodbye to him and Jane.





Also....
Stuart and Cherie are happy in their new apartment in Seoul. Stuart has started a new teaching contract and Cherie is looking for a new job in the area where they are now living. I think they are enjoying themselves very much.
Cameron's job in the public service has just been made permanent and Rick has about another 4 weeks of interesting work. This is all good news.