Yes, I am Vain

I have been thinking lately how grateful I am for a lot of things. I am really glad to live in a day where you can have an organ taken out in about an hour and go home that same day. When my mom had her gall bladder out, they sliced her from "stem to stern" and was in the hospital for 5 days. When my grandma had hers out a few years ago, she had the latest laprascopic or "closed" surgery. They made 4 little incisions to have it taken out. My surgeon does a procedure where he makes only one incision, right around the belly button to get the deed done. I also got glued (or as I like to call it, shellaced) shut. Amazing! I am grateful for pain medicine - no need to say more. I am also really glad for the things of the earth that God made for us like aloe to aid in healing and natural essential oils for healing, soothing heartburn and other such things.

Now that my shellac is off, I am not so happy. I know this is petty. I know this is so small in comparison to basically everything else, but I gotta get it out. I thought maybe the misshapeness of my stomach was due to the way they shellaced me shut. I have never been a bikini wearer, and I wasn't planning on it after this. The surgeon even said it was more like plastic surgery this way instead of having a scar over the gallbladder for everyone to see and I said, the only one that will ever see it is Jon. My beef is this: I already have so many issues with my stomach that I don't need or want one more! I had 2 big babies that stretched my stomach to the point of separating my stomach muscles so that a rift the size and depth of the Grand Canyon exists. I got stretch marks from "stem to stern". Those 2 babies (that I LOVE dearly) also gave me 2 C-section scars. I have come to terms that I will never have a naturally flat stomach again, and I can live with that. Those scars are below my waist line and don't interfere much. But now! I have gathers and tucks and puckers where there weren't any before. It looks like they took the pudge around my belly button, turned it a quarter turn, and then had Collin sew it up . . . blind folded. Darn that modern medicine! And I know you really want to see pictures of my stomach, but I am sorry to disappoint you.

Ok. I am done with my complaining. I promise.

Halleluja!!

I am finally back to my normal diet of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains!! I had a few days of carnivorous eating - I think I needed some protein to aid the healing because all I could think about was meat, but that passed. I am SO glad to be able to be eating salad, citrus and especially my favorite - pineapple! No more heartburn and other unpleasantness. I guess I can finally say I am glad I had the surgery.

I have my follow-up appointment with my surgeon today. I am feeling pretty good. Still kind of weak, but getting better every day. NOW, I have to figure out how to shed the paunch I gained after my rice, potato and bread diet! Argh . . .

Ode To Rice . . .

I sure didn't mean to sound so negative in my last post, so I thought I would offer this one up today in gratitude of something that has been on my mind and in my stomach a lot this week. I am a fairly recent rice convert. If we ate much of it growing up, I don't remember it. We (ok, my dad) grew a cellar full of potatoes every year and they are still my starch/staple of life choice. I love love love potatoes, but I guess I'll do a post of them later. Back to rice . . . I think I never really liked it because it had no flavor.

Well, a couple of years ago my talented Sister-in-law Libbs made rice for us cooked with broth and butter and I was hooked. I then found a GREAT kind of rice:

It smells like popcorn popping when it cooks. Mmmmm. . . popcorn.

So, use broth instead of water, add salt to taste and a pat of butter for each cup you cook. It has been a great friend to my stomach this last week.

Still Recovering . . .

When I saw this picture it reminded me of my cannery experience last fall. Who knew I would be in a hairnet again so soon?! They had this heater hooked up to a tube in my gown that blew warm air onto me. Heaven!

Waking up with worse gallbladder symptom pain than I had before going in!!

Things I am thankful for:

The nurse at the hospital asking me to verify my birthdate and then telling me she thought I was 10 years younger (I had found my first grey hair the night before).

My personal nurse at home. Jon went to the store numerous times, fulfilling my every whim (who knew sugar cones would taste so good???).

Good kids who have been manning the dishwasher.

A warm, comfy robe and nightgown (bought by nurse Jon the day of surgery after coming home and needing something that wouldn't dig into the incision on my belly button).

Good people who have brought meals.

DVR recordings of the new Masterpiece Theater season, Biggest Loser and Meet the Natives.

Things I am looking forward to:

Eating fruit (especially pineapple) without feeling like I drank a pint of battery acid.

The gas they pumped in my abdomen going away and the shoulder pain associated with it.

Being able to turn over at night without being uncomfortable.

Wearing pants again.

So Long . . .

Farewell . . . What a normal gallbladder looks like inside:

Auf Wiedersehen . . . what mine looks like inside (upper right - all the white blobs are big stones):

Good bye!! They will leave, never to return, tomorrow.

I love tradition (que "Fiddler on the Roof"), but would be happy to not have this one, and this one goes back 4 generations, all the way to my great grandma who had hers out too. Sorry, Grace, but I'll be there for you in 30 years when you have yours out!!

10 Years Ago Today . . .

Look at this cute little button!!

We moved to Texas . . . the first time. It was snowing when we left Utah and Houston was having record heat in the 70's.

Other numbers:

Jon and I have lived here for 1/3 our married life.

Collin has lived here for half his life, but was born in Utah.

Grace has lived here for more than 1/3 of her life, but is the only "native" among us.

Brrrrr . . .

This picture just goes to show that all is back to the norm in our house! I guess Collin didn't dry off after his shower so he could do an experiment on his pillow. Then had to take a picture without me knowing. I guess they're learning a lot in their science classes we have at the Natural Science Museum! We actually had one yesterday and although I didn't get to go in Collins class, he LOVED it because it was a dissection day and they got to dissect a chicken leg. Still not as cool as the sheep's eye, but still. I was in with Grace's class on water/bubbles etc. Where they got to get messy and have fun.

Now, we're gearing up for the Arctic Blast headed our way. When I got up, the temp. was 52, now it's 36! It's suppose to get in the teens tonight and be in the low 30's for the next few days. Now, I KNOW a lot of you live in colder places, but when the normal temp. in Houston in January is 62, that's 30 degrees below average!! There have been a flury of emails from our ward and neighbors about how to keep pipes from freezing and all our tropical plants from freezing etc. Our bishop sent out an email that they are treating this like any other emergency like the hurricane. So funny. . . Soups on!!

Happy 2010!!

It's going to be a great year, I can just tell. A lot of big, important things are coming this year: Grace's baptism, Collin turning 12, Jons 20th (!!!) high school reunion etc. Hope it's a great year for y'all too!