The first week at home, post-surgery

I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering how things have been!   

As I mentioned before, I started keeping a note pad of when I take my medication, so I'm not taking it too frequently.  Things seem to be going well. About every five to six hours for the pain medication.    

I think Sunday morning is funny. I woke up and decided that half a pain pill would do.
Fifteen minutes later I mentally slapped myself and took the other half.  

Monday I decided I'd had enough and had to do a sponge bath!  First, I knelt on  the floor and washed the hair by tub faucet. This is something I haven't done often since high school.  It's funny that even though I've been in this house for fifteen years, the fact that the faucet is on the opposite side of the tub than the one I grew up with throws me off every time I wash the hair this way.   Next up, it was sitting on the side of the tub while not getting the lymph node incision or the surgery foot wet.  It takes so much longer when one has to be careful about surgery sites!   I was exhausted by the time I was finished and ended up just putting some basic hair cream (Aveda Be Curly) in my hair and using the blow  dryer/diffuser on it quickly.  Curly it would be for the next few days.  I chilled out, took pain pills--and the hour long naps that came with it--and waited for the Mike to get home.  I think the worst part is the pain pills and not being able to focus on anything for too long. I have no idea how people function who become hooked on these things.  

Feeling spiffy with a sponge bath, washed hair and non lounging clothes! 

Hubby got home about 5 tonight and came in the kitchen door, which was a little odd. Then he had me come out to the kitchen. Um, okay--he wants me to walk. OH! FLOWERS.  

Yes, I'll hobble to get my flowers :-) 

Flowers from my fabulous husband. 

Leftovers for dinner: Porkchop, corn and instant mashed potatoes 
A few weeks before the surgery, I made up freezer meals for The Mike, as I was to be gone for about a week, and also for the first week at home.  Some meals were complete (meatloaf frozen with sweet potatoes), and others were just cooked seasoned meat we could pair with something quickly.  The porkchop fell in the second category. I had no problem whipping up some instant mashed potatoes when circumstances prevent one from standing/being in the kitchen for long.  

As for the foot, we have to clean and re-bandage twice a day.  I've been doing this in the morning about 8am and The Mike does it in the evening --so he can see what it looks like as well. We've been cleaning it off with a quick swipe of alcohol (not the drinking kind), and then placing Bacitracin on the stitches/incision line. The next thing we do is open a piece of 2x2 gauze to the rectangle and place that between the pinkie and ring toe.  Then we wrap it with a bit of roll gauze, and put the ace bandage on at night.

Tuesday night I got frustrated with dinner.  I thought we'd have these two entrees, split if we'd like, with some ground beef and veggies.  I bought them a few weeks ago when I was in the grocery store.  

I confess, I didn't even look at the ingredients--those of us with food allergies know this is necessary!  

As I was heating up the Enchilada Pie I saw that it has soy in the ingredient list.  Yes, someone puts soy sauce in the enchilada pie.  Granted, it was GF, but that didn't help with my soy intolerance, so the hubby took one for the team and had it for supper.  I had the fabulous Amy's mac and cheese. 

Wednesday the toe was a little more red at the base, but it wasn't bothering me.  At 1pm I got the call from the doctor's office that the pathology of the skin and lymph nodes removed had come back and it was clean. All my margins were clean!  FABULOUS!   This meant no radiation, no chemotherapy. This would be another thing to note. The punch biopsy --and ultimate bad news of cancer--took two weeks to get the news back, as it was sent to the local lab and then Mayo Clinic for confirmation. The  good news with the skin removal only took four working days to have the results.   

About 3pm my toe had been throbbing a bit, feeling swollen, and then it started going numb--just the surgery toe.  So I did what most people would do and I freaked out a bit.  I called the surgeon's office, and was told he was out of the office for the rest of the afternoon, and of course in surgery on Thursday. I offered to send photos of the toe to the nurse for her to review.  I sent one from Monday and then the one below.  She called back within a few minutes and made an appointment for me to come in on Thursday morning to see one of the surgeon's associates in the office.    

The Mike had an out of town meeting on Thursday and he asked my father in law to come and take me to the doctor appointment. Hubby didn't want me trying to drive myself while still on the pain pills --I offered to abstain from one in the morning. 

Modified house slippers

One of the things we had to figure out was "what shoes would I wear".  Since the appointment was first in the morning, I wasn't going to change out the Ace bandage and I needed to find something that would accommodate.   The Merrill slip in shoes I bought for post-surgery wouldn't work (drat).  My current house slippers wouldn't work, but wait--I have my old house slippers!  The old Keen slippers had been coming apart and the lining had compressed, so I didn't feel bad about modifying them. A quick cut to the front area left the toe bumper in place and the leather bottoms on concrete would be fine (they're not on ice--just in case you walk on your stoop to meet the mailman!)  

With the shoes figured out, we headed to bed. We have switched sides of the bed so that the left foot can be elevated and on the outside of the bed. This, in turn, has completely thrown off the Felix cat who is use to hopping up, curling up on my chest and going to sleep, and cuddling against the head on cold days. The cat didn't know what to do when he hopped on the bed and found The Mike in my spot.  The cat did, eventually, go to sleep on his chest, but he was noisy later throughout the night.

Cuddlebud Felix during the day--napping on the chest

Thursday morning I had another sponge bath--not as exhausting as the first. I even had the energy to straighten my hair!  My fine escort arrived on time and we were off to the doctor!  The nurse took the covering off and then my FIL and I just hung out in the exam room for what seemed like half an hour, but probably wasn't that long.  We had a nice chat about a variety of things.  

Then the doctor came in and introduced himself.  Interestingly, in a good way, the doctor did wait for me to announce who was with me.  He then said he knows not to assume anything, that the person with me could be friend, brother, partner, husband, etc. (So true!)

The doctor said my toe healing is normally and not to be worried by the swelling/redness, that this is just basic healing. (okkkkaaayy).  That it can do this as the patient starts to feel better and starts doing more. I didn't think I was doing a lot more in the last few days. My laundry is by the kitchen (no stairs) and I can stand on my right leg while moving wet towels from the washer to the dryer.  

Orders:  he said to just continue the Bacitracin and gauze cover for the day, and then to see the surgeon tomorrow as already scheduled.  

We headed home, but first made a stop at McDonalds for me to treat my FIL to breakfast and where I enjoyed a sundae. Hey, it's GF and I've been having eggs for the last week for breakfast. My FIL headed home after dropping me off at mine.  I texted Mike about the visit and with my sister who had a mastectomy the day after my toe surgery.  She said my toe suture site looks worse than hers.  HA!  

I took an early afternoon nap, worn out from the days events.  I had set out hamburger to thaw and peeled and sliced the sweet potatoes for dinner.  When the Mike got home I was refreshed and had little time to spend in the kitchen since the prep work was already accomplished. I use Popular Paleo's recipe for the fries

This is healthy, right? 

Thursday would also be the last day I'd take any pain pills. That's a great feeling.  It took a while to differentiate between foot/nerve pain and toe/surgery pain. Once I did I was able to dial in the pain meds as needed for that.  Friday night I was having some toe pain, but had gone over 24 hours without any pain meds and was not going to give in to that!  

Friday arrived and with it a later appointment time, this meant I would change out my bandage first and then had to go through my shoes to see what would work. The Merrills were still out, the old stretched out Born sandals wouldn't work--as the leather strap cut across the toes horizontally.  I tried a few pairs of flip flops before trying my Hospital Hill finish shoes from 2012.  BINGO!  The straps cut back on the foot like true flip flops should.  However, I still don't understand how people walk in these things all the time!  

Perfect shoes for wounded ring toe

I paired these up with my "new" brown Athleta skort--I purchased it last fall, but hadn't worn it yet--and a nice springy orange top. I thought it screamed "refreshing".  With wardrobe out of the way, I had some time to kill before The Mike got home and I was feeling pretty good. I decided to make cupcakes and cake donuts. Okay, not true cake donuts--but rather some of the cake mix in the donut pan.  I always freeze most of the batch after baking; otherwise, they wouldn't last a couple of the days with The Mike' sweet tooth.

Yes, I put a towel under the cooling rack. It makes crumb pickup easy. 

Same scenario as the previous day: the nurse removed the bandage and left us alone for about ten/fifteen minutes. The surgeon came in with a shadow med student, and the nurse.  He said the toe was looking good, the swelling can be expected and the redness seemed to be okay, as there was no streaking from the toe down the foot (which would be really bad).  As a precaution, he ordered an antibiotic--Keflex--and then said to come back in three weeks. He'd like the sutures to remain in for a total of four weeks, since it's the foot and all.  The toe wasn't numb as it was the previous day and the doc didn't have anything to say about that.  

Then we learned something new before leaving--the nurse put gauze between the pinkie and ring toe and then started to wrap it. The surgeon said we need to put gauze between the other toes as well, in order to prevent toe sweat/funk and to provide some cushion and comfort. He was right, it felt much better than just the gauze pad at the suture site we were doing.  When we got home, I ordered some of the plain surgical gauze from amazon.  It would squish more easily in between the toes, and provide for some more air circulation than the gauze pads we were using. 

While waiting for Target to fill the RX, we headed to Culver's for sustenance. The location does now have UDIs GF buns, but I still prefer to just have the burger on its own (with green beans below), and save the carbs/starch/bread for something like pizza.   I was good and did not have any custard.  They forgot to bring The Mike's to the table and upgraded him from a medium to a large. He was not offended by that gesture.

We were going to head to the grocery store after the doc appointment, but I was pretty tired from the days events.  We headed home. I had a nap, The Mike worked from home.
For dinner we had an un-photogenic dinner and a reminder Saturday morning.  We made a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese, paired it with some mixed frozen vegetables. Then The Mike had left over hamburger with his and I had some sardines with mine.  It was tasty.  However, I awoke Saturday morning starving.  It's one of those reminders as to why I don't eat a lot of pasta for a main meal.  It's also a reason I don't "carbo load" with pastas the day before a race.  I prefer a small carb of a baked potato and then grilled salmon or some other light protein.  It works much better for my body. 

Saturday we made a run to the grocery store --oh, how I wish I could actually run, or walk full footed.   On with the snazzy sandals and off to the store. I think this store is rather large, and normally I just stick to the perimeter---as I usually just run in to get things from the healthfood section , meat and fruit/veggies which are all on the perimeter. This day, I had to walk a few of the aisles and it was more walking than I was use to.  I also climbed over the cushions to elevate the foot a few times. After my afternoon nap (man, I am sounding like a baby or 90 year old with all these naps!),  my left groin (lymph node site) was a little tender.  

We whipped up a Greek inspired pizza with the Chebe crust for supper. Red peppers, red onion, diced ham, left over bacon (how did that happen?), kalamata olives and feta cheese were the toppings.  I haven't bought a lot of cheese since January, so we are sticking to the idea of keeping consumption of that low.  To the crust, at the time I added the eggs and oil, I also added 2 tablespoons of milled chia I had soaked in 4 tablespoons of water.  I pulsed this in the Kitchenaid food processor, then added just under the 1/4 cup of water to create the consistency. The chia add nutrients, protein, fiber, omegas, antioxidants, and more.  This link provides amazing nutritional information on this seed that helped nourish the Aztec and Mayans.

Saturday night I felt a knot/ball under the groin incision site.  EEK.  A little worried, I knew I had probably over done it on the walking today, and we decided to see what Sunday brought.  

Sunday the knot/ball was a little smaller and I thought maybe it'd go away during the day if I kept it a fairly calm day.  However, we did need to head to Target to get the Felix cat (hyperthyroid) his wet cat food for extra calories. He's a bit spoiled.  

Smokie is spoiled as well: 

We also finished our weekend marathon of watching Netflix's Daredevil series. It is AWESOME.

Sunday evening dinner was created by Just Bare Chicken, pan cooked with salt & pepper, Three Bridges GF Ravioli, and then sauteed red onion and red pepper with wilted spinach and garlic. The red splash is pasta sauce.  

As I was typing this up, we were watching an episode of "How The States Got Their Shapes"---the Hatfield and McCoy episode.  There's a state line marathon event in June so named Hatfield McCoy Marathon.  It sounds great. I may try to add this to the 2016 schedule.  It's June 13, 2015 this year.  Too bad it's not near the Lynchberg, VA race---Oak Barrel Half--which was April 4, of this year. 

I'd love a medal formed from the barrel of Jack Daniels whiskey.  

To recap: 

The toe is doing well. Still red, but that's okay since there's not streaking on the foot.
Getting ready in the day can be exhausting. 

Finding shoes to work with a wrapped toe is hard.
Having great friends and family to help out is priceless.

Having a freezer with meals or half meals is a great idea. 

Being able to have the energy to walk around feels fabulous. 

Being off pain pills is great. Naps not required unless I exert myself with walking/shopping.  

Traveling--uncertainties, differences in attitude

Last week I did some traveling across the country. Before I left I made The Mike some frozen food items to last him a few days--cause I'm an awesome wife like that.  *fine* it's because he asked this of me, and, because he doesn't put demands upon me, I said yes. 

Day 1. 
I was headed from the Midwest to the East Coast with a friend and her five year old.  Our first stop for lunch was Culver's.  This is a great chain that makes awesome custard and, while their chocolate custard use to be off limits, they've apparently changed their recipe, as it is now listed in the allergen menu as gluten free :-)  YES!  I haven't been to one in quite a while for a couple reasons. First, it's about $10 and for me, that always seems a bit high for a burger, no bun, or a salad, and I can always make a similar meal at home. Second, I no longer work near the one in my city.  I was excited to see the Cranberry Bacon Blue Salad with grilled chicken was still on the gluten free menu, which I ordered.  I was excited to see they now had a "gluten free" button on their computers!

I don't usually get dressing as most are made with soy, which I have to avoid as well, and on this particular salad, the bleu cheese offers good flavor with the cranberries so that additional dressing is not needed. The butter side was for a slice of my bread--I took half a loaf of breadmachine bread with me for the four days.

The next snack/meal time was a quick break after visiting a cemetery. I had a slice of my bread with the sliced turkey and a slice of provolone I had brought along in my friend's small cooler.  This was good, as the next stop was going to be a while :-)  We got a call from another friend, and were offered space at the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio. We had a ways to move it before we got there. We estimated arrival at 11pm or so. We got there about midnight--Eastern. Being not familiar with the interstate in Indiana, we missed the exit for the Wendys and ended up stopping at an "oasis" on the tollway---it's a gas station and restaurant along the toll, instead of having to pay to get off the toll and head into a town.  This Oasis had a McDonalds, so it was a turkey sandwich again!  Time to recharge the phone at the McDonald's booth, take out the contact lenses, and then head on down the road.  We did fairly well, with light traffic. I ended up falling asleep for about half an hour, but it was all good--I was the passenger and I woke up before we headed into our destination town. Seemed quaint at night and spied an Outback I was sure we'd visit in the next day.  We were exhausted, but looked forward to a "no drive" Friday.

Day 2.  
I got up and headed to the hotel gym thinking I'd get my 7.5 miles in the coach prescribed.  Why are hotel gyms always so warm? with no fans?  Ugh.  I had almost a mile in and was watching CNN, catching up on world news, when another guest came in and got on the elliptical.  Squeak, squeak, squeak came with every movement of his machine. I couldn't tune it out, no matter how much I tried.  I decided to head out on the open road, and found the mall just down the road. I figured a lap around would be a mile and I could get the rest of my miles in.  I was just about done with my first lap when an old green car came to a stop on the access road behind me.  I could hear the sudden nonmovement of the vehicle, stopped to turn around and glance ---a lady has to be aware of her surroundings at all times!  The car just floored it and sped away down the road.  Let's say I was freaked out, fully. I texted my friend that I was coming back ( in case something happened to me along the way) and headed back to the hotel.  I felt really bad I wasn't getting the miles in--at least I did until I spent six/seven hours in the water park running up the steps to the waterslides with the kids and working up my nerves to slide down the tubes.  Up the stairs, back down again.  Later that night and Saturday morning my thighs and glutes felt as if I'd run a half marathon or more.

Breakfast was at the Lodge with an awesome waitress. After she marked on the slip that I was gluten and soy free, she handed me the slip to mark what I wanted in my omelet. Then I had the fresh fruit that was on the buffet. They also had gluten filled pancakes, danishes, cereals.  Each table was served a 'family style' plate of hashbrowns and bacon.  Spinach, mushroom, tomato and cheese omelet that seemed as if it was cooked in water, as there was no sheen to the eggs, as one would expect with an oil.

Lunch was at a different Lodge restaurant, with the same waitress, who remembered I was gluten free (and I had to remind her of soy).  I had a hamburger with a gluten free bun!!!! and a side of broccoli.  No one wanted to take their cell phones to the waterpark to leave them at a table, so I have no photo.

Back to the waterpark for more fun and then we headed out to . . . . OUTBACK.  I just knew we'd be dining here. It's our go-to place when there's one available. We had the  best ever waitress!  Or at least, the best we've had in a very long time.  Kind, funny, engaging, sympathetic to the kiddos, and brought gluten free butter for those of us who needed it, and she brought small packages of animal crackers to the kids at the table.  I had the Alice Springs Chicken without the mustard sauce (the waitress checked and it contained soy), the garlic mash potatoes (omg, those are so good, why haven't I had them before?), and the veggies.

Day 3.

Saturday, we headed to the breakfast room of the Lodge and had a different waitress.  This one wasn't engaging, and she just plain refused to write 'soy and gluten free' on the omelet slip.  She said, 'there's nothing that should contain those in the omelet'.  I asked 'what about the butter?'   She said,'It's an oil mixture'.  ARGH.  My omelet came and it had a sheen as if it was made in oil this day rather than the appearance of the one the day before. I had to decide. Did I want to eat this and risk a soy issue in half an hour, or starve.  I took a chance and apparently it must have been cooked in real butter, as I had no issues.  I really had no idea what was up with this waitress that she just couldn't even write 'soy/gluten free' on the omelet slip. BIG attitude.  Sad.

We headed out and did a few stops trying to see Lake Erie to be able to walk along its shores. Apparently this is quite impossible from Sandusky Ohio eastward.  Private access is all we found --so different from being at the beach in Hawai'i.  We stopped for lunch at Wendy's--a place I haven't been to in years for no other reason that it's not in a part of my town I travel to very often, and if I'm going to eat a hamburger in my own town, it'll be one I make. I checked the nutrition/allergy menu posted and then made my order:  a double with cheddar cheese, no bun, lettuce, tomato, and a side salad, along with a small chocolate Frosty. The manager was in back making the food for everyone, and the order taker was new, so she had to ask him on how to put the order into the computer. I was quite satisfied this was going to be a good meal--and it was. 

We headed on our drive southeast and found a McDonalds late afternoon for some ice cream/bathroom break. Then had a lovely drive along Tappen Lake in Ohio.  The road meanders along the edge, taking us out over the water, and then back along the shore.  Beautiful drive, though it did cost us some travel time to do so. 

Tappen Lake Dam--and you can drive across the dam road!

We drove through Cadiz, and discovered this is where Clark Gable was born. #ThingsWeNeverThoughtAboutButFoundInteresting. 

As we were getting to West Virginia, we decided to get fuel in Wheeling, although we had enough to go for a while, but we took the detour around town and missed out on the cheap fuel on the non-detour route.  I didn't know about the town of Wheeling, or really how West Virginia came to be, except it was a Civil War decision.  Later I read a fiction book that also mentioned Wheeling, so I gave into temptation and used Wikipedia.  Turns out, West Virginia counties broke free from Virginia during the civil war and, from what was posted, without a majority of counties agreeing to do so (though I thought this was odd).  I still find it odd that the little portion between Ohio and Pennsylvania doesn't belong to either of those two states. 

Later on down the road--well, clear across the top portion of WV, into Pennsylvania where fuel is more expensive, down into WV again, and then just before the start of Maryland, we needed a restroom break and were getting close to needing fuel, so we pulled off just before the MD border, as a storm was brewing. No sooner than we get to the stop sign at the off ramp than a giant bolt of white lightning, with a couple skinny side bolts, sets off down the road where we'd have been if we had stayed on the Interstate.  We headed to the gas station, only to discover the pumps weren't working from that same lightning blast (told you it was close).  My friend headed in to use the restroom while I watched her son and tried to call The Mike.  I was inside when I got a voice mail message from The Mike saying to call him.  (Depending on location, sometimes the calls go right to voicemail when I'm roaming, this is one time where that wasn't good).  Turns out The Mike was on a gravel bike ride with several gents, they'd taken a break on a gravel road in the shade of some trees, were off their bikes, when a truck rolled from the top of the hill down towards them. Most got out of the way, one bike was destroyed when it became lodged under the vehicle. The Mike was fine, but a friend was tossed into the ditch (he is fine too), the guys all sprung into action with cell phones snapping pictures of the license plate, vehicle, and bike lodged underneath. However, he fled the accident. Due to RAGBRAI occurring in the same state, in the same area, dispatch originally thought it was a RAGBRAI injury, which it wasn't---just some random guys out for a bike ride on a gravel road who were rolled into by a drunk dude in a truck.

Thankfully, there was walking room in the gas station, and tables to sit down at after I was off the phone with The Mike.  So scary to have this happen, but knowing it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  

The gas station had regular food for friend and her child, and I grabbed a bottle of SmartWater and a can of sardines in olive oil --who'd have thought they'd have this at an almost rural gas station, or that the two combined would be less than one of the items in Iowa?  The can of sardines held me over. Turns out I wasn't too hungry after The Mike's news!

Refueled, we headed on to push through Maryland to the destination of Virginia.  The rest was uneventful, except for the hard rain that fell, requiring us to drive 40-55mph instead of 70mph, and delayed us arriving until. . . midnight. Apparently that's our favorite time for rolling into towns!  

Day 4. 

Fly home day.  My purpose in this trip was to keep a friend company on her drive back home, and that was accomplished.  Before I headed to the airport, I was treated to homemade chocolate gluten free donuts (and I got the recipe from her), had some packed for the layover I'd have, and then I headed to the airport. My first time flying American Airlines in quite some time and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely.  Loved their terminal at DC National and in Chicago, and loved the fact that they enforced the size of the carry-on luggage. Mine didn't make the cut, so it was checked through to my destination, which meant when I got to Chicago for my three hour layover, I was able to --delightedly--do walking laps without having to wheel my luggage around.  I also experienced the yoga room  at the airport and enjoyed some movements. No one else was in the room. Several mats were available, along with cleaning wipoes,  cubbies and hooks for your belongings, and a television playing calming music and random scenes of the city. 

Also at the airport was green room of sorts, and several healthy food stations in the various terminal wings. It was quite refreshing to see so many options, instead of just fast food or bar food. 

Soon I was home again, and able to give The Mike a big hug for his experiences on Saturday, reassure myself he was okay, and just veg out for a while.  I was exhausted!

Traveling can be a bit daunting at first, but when you're prepared with snacks and a few things to get you through in a pinch, it can be so much more relaxing for you, the gluten free, special diet traveler.  Plan a bit, don't have unrealistic expectations, consult with a smart phone app such as "Find Me Gluten Free".  The child with us?  He has a (epi-pen) peanut allergy--watching out for his needs was much more important than my gluten and soy free, adult needs. I had snacks I could have to hold me over. Try making a five year old wait is impossible :-)  Luckily, he was raised to enjoy real food, unprocessed, and would eat a whole watermelon at one sitting if his parents would let him.

Enjoy your day, and remember that your outlook at the moment impacts how you react to the world.