For The Small Things
Look at what time I'm writing this note! I just had to share something!!! I woke up around 2:00 a.m., and I swear I felt NO pain!!! My right arm was mobile; I lifted it and rotated it. Although I moved it with reservation and stretched it a little more, I found I was in disbelief that I could push myself so. Next I stretched my neck gently - the kind of stretch that allows you to relieve tension. No pain. I realized I was smiling. I was wide awake feeling like me.
I admit that it's an hour later, and I just popped three tablets of Oxycodone for immediate pain relief, but that last painless hour was exhilarating. It gave me just the boost I needed. One something or other on my body has hurt since after my first surgery over nine days ago, and this last hour of no pain reminded me that it will only be a matter of time before my body will be peaceful and quiet.
Lots of love, Lisa
-MESSAGES-
Sunday morning Hi Lisa: Just want to say "HELLO" . Hope you have a good day. Thing about you and wishing you well. Love, A. J.
Hi Lisa. I'm so excited about the last message you wrote - what a blessing to get even a temporary respite. I guess I just missed you on Friday, but it was super nice to visit with Dick and Ann. We look forward to seeing you soon! Lots of love, K. and C.
One hour will turn to many! Lisa, I am so very happy for you that you spent one hour pain FREE! That hour will soon turn to two then, four and before you know it, these days will be behind you. I love how you wrote about pushing yourself. It is that strength that will get you through!!
What an incredible day - I hope you are able to spend some time outdoors. NO CLOUDS! A dear old friend of mine who passed away about six years ago, would call days like these "DIAMOND DAYS..." perfect blue sky with no clouds and a light breeze. To this day, every time I see a day like today, I look up and say, "Today is a Diamond Day, Sally!" and it makes me smile. I just know that you are headed for many many Diamond Days of your own!
I am off to pick up my friend Laura and we are going shopping! If we make it to Target (which we always do!) I'll be thinking of you. Have a wonderful day and I'll post more tomorrow. TAKS begins - what a week!!! It will be all downhill from here on out! And then SUMMER!
((((HUGS)))) XOXO, M.
Only a matter of time!! Hi Lisa, Happy to see you're making progress, it will only be a matter of time before that one hour turns into two hours, three hours, etc. Sounds like you are holding up pretty well - take one day at a time. Love, S and T
Sunday evening I was not surprised to see that your day began in such a wonderful way. It has been a very restful day. I made up my mind on Friday that I needed to "chill" this weekend, knowing what the week ahead has for us! M., C., and I spent Thursday and Friday in the reading storeroom getting the TAKS answer documents ready. It is so dusty in that room that I decided to wear a mask to keep from sneezing so much. Well, as I counted the answer documents I kept trying to wet my fingers by putting my hand to my mouth . . . hitting the mask every time. After about 15 times of doing this . . I took the mask off. I just "didn't get it"! We are ready to go and feel rested at this point. We have some wonderful retired teachers coming in to help out and P. J. is coming in on Tuesday (not her day) to help out. We think we have all bases covered... until something else comes up! Ha!
So good to read your daily reports. Your writing is so descriptive that I think a manuscript is in order and probably a book deal!!!! We are praying for your healing and pain free days. Strength and encouragement! Love, R.
Look at you girl! I was so glad to hear you woke up pain free it does remind you that you can do this! What a beautiful day today, I hope you sat out on that new beautiful patio of yours and enjoyed it. There is nothing like sunshine to get you healing. I went for a drive in the country with my husband it was so pretty and so nice and cool. Well, back to the stress tomorrow - my hives have been at bay lately; I'm not sure how I have been able to do that but, I'll take it. Looking forward to more great updates from you - keep your smile and keep healing! Love, S.
yippee Hi Lisa, I am glad to hear that you are home and things went well. Keep up the exercise (to Target) the more you go the more you run into good buys. I'll keep checking in on you. Take Care, L.
messages Lisa, I must say you are a fab writer. Love getting to school in the mornings and reading your updates. Thank you for sharing with us!!! Glad to hear that you are on the mend. We are keeping you in our prayers and hope to see you very soon. J. T.
Good morning, Sunshine! When I flipped the page on my "Thought for the Day" calendar, it said, "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. - Sir James Barrie" and I knew that was meant for you! You bring so much "sunshine" into all of our lives, so now it's time for a little of your own! Then I read your most recent posting and knew was coming true! Glad to hear you are feeling better! Continue to take care of yourself and bask in the sunshine of the love and prayers coming your way, and soon (although I'm sure not soon enough!), one hour will be two and then two will be three and before you know it, the storm will have passed! Love, M.
Hi Lisa Good Morning, Lisa. So glad to hear you felt no pain at all for a short while. I hope those moments increase exponentially over the next few days! We are in for another beautiful day today, so I hope you'll get to spend some of it outdoors. Take care and we'll keep you posted on everything you (n)ever needed to know about TAKS :)!! Love ya, M.
Checking in Keep up the good work Lisa! Glad to hear that you had at least an hour or two of respite last night. Kelly is keeping me posted multiple times a day as to how you are progressing...I log on because I know Nat uses the number of times I log on to try and influence how much you and my mother-in-law like me. I think he is still bitter about the whole Thanksgiving dinner thing when I promptly came to dinner at Ann's beckoning and he proceeded to finish typing an email on his Blackberry. Of course, as I was coming up the stairs, I had to point that out to Ann!!
Keep fighting. You’re tough. Love ya, Gary
Hey Lisa I'm back from my week in Colorado. Being with my new granddaughter was like being in Heaven. I cherished every moment. She is a little angel.
I'm so glad you are having some pain free time. You were in my prayers while I was in Colorado, and you will continue to be. I hope you have a great day today and many more to come.
POWER TO PINK!!! I am thrilled to hear that you are on the mend. I can empathize with the medication making you loopy. A short story with a powerful opportunity. This weekend my husband convinced me to rekindle my golf desire. Well the last time I played was before our girls were born so the shoes and the glove didn't fit. A trip to Academy was in order. I was AMAZED to see the number of opportunities that were available there for people to make contributions to Breast Cancer Research! Having shared your story with my girls (who I dared take with us, big shoppers at age 10 and 5) and my husband, they proceeded to THINK PINK through the store and found EVERYTHING possible to purchase. I will be the PINKEST player on the course. They found everything from golf balls to clothes, and they all provided an opportunity for contribution. You were definitely on our minds all day yesterday. Continued wishes for recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with you. K.C.
Hey, Lisa So glad to know your spirit continues to be high. I haven't been able to get Nat's darn cyborg comment out of my head, so I'm pleased to know your port is a small bump instead of a shiny, steel hole with plugs and adapters and such. My imagination is so wild sometimes. People at Goodson are constantly talking about you. Does your nose itch all day? Or does your pain medication numb it? We've all decided we just love you bunches, and that's all there is to it. Enjoy your beautiful backyard - I know I did the short time I was there. Take care!
You inspire me! Lisa, Hope you remember me from Goodson. I am at CFHS now. I want you to know that I am thinking about you and praying for you every day. Your positive, thankful attitude is an inspiration. When my day gets overwhelming and I tire of my routine, I think of all that you are going through and how positively you handle your everyday challenges. I just wanted you to know that because of you, I am appreciating every day more. "God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine." Keep your eyes on God's promises and your faith will see you through. My prayers are with you! L.
Thinking of you! My thoughts are with you as you walk through this most difficult time in your life. You are a strong woman with the heart of a warrior and you will be blessed for your enduring faith in God's healing power. I hope you received my card and message last week. I thought that you might like to receive some mail the old-fashioned way! Thank you for keeping us updated on your progress. It helps me to know how to pray for you, Lisa. I am carrying you in my heart each day.With love, R. D.
Missing you! Just thought I would let you know what my dad does when he is hurting. My sister stayed with Mom and Dad for another week after I came back to school and toward the end of the second week Joy,(my sister)told me that she thought Dad hated her. She happened to touch his toe one evening as she was helping him into bed, he yelled at her and then very slowly (that is the only way he moves at 90 with Alzheimers) picked up his foot and stomped on her foot. So next time you are hurting just pick up you foot and stomp on something. It must help, Dad went right to bed with no complaints.
Mom is back to being human after fighting pneumonia for two weeks. We left them by themselves this week. Hope everything goes well. You are in my thoughts and prayers! Love, G.
Love to Lisa Lisa, I am an Ann Arbor friend of Prue and Ami's and a BC survivor. My daughter, who is probably around your age, is also a Lisa. I remember 1991-92, during my surgery and radiation and chemotherapy, when my house turned into a garden and loving thoughts came rushing in through letters, phone calls and emails. It was a very palpable "presence" and support, and I want to send that to you. As I read the messages from your family and friends, I can see that you're receiving it many times over! Love, D.
A word from Ann Arbor Hello Lisa and Nat: I returned from my 65th birthday celebration in New York to learn that things had gotten more complicated since I had gone and since Prue and I had parted on Tuesday. I was so sorry to hear all this. I just read your wonderful entries, Lisa, and feel caught up on the state of things. Although I have not gone through cancer, I did go through a long recovery from a terrible trauma (as you are doing) and I was reminded, reading your reports, of some of it. Particularly the unexpected impact that narcotics have on the "digestive system" . . . I can practically still feel it. Ooooooo. Isn't it wonderful, though, that you had that hour's respite from pain, to remind you that you are you, and you will feel that way again. It's marvelous that you have found charting as a productive therapy during all this. And the rest of us benefit. Many friends and family asked me if I didn't feel like writing of my experiences during recovery. I didn't, and I think I was more isolated as a result. I wish both of you the best as you navigate this. Much love, J.
:) I missed hearing from you today on your webpage. I hope all is well. :)
It's 9:00 - all Goodson students should be in bed, preparing their bodies for TAKS tomorrow! I put my two darlings to bed at 8:30, but I still hear some rumblings upstairs, so I'm not sure they are asleep!! But at least they are resting. (I can dream, right??!!)
I continue to pray for you and think of you daily. I am amazed at how many friends and family you have! Well, knowing you, that actually isn't such a surprise! You bring joy to so many!! Have a wonderful evening and I'll be looking forward to another post from you soon with an update. I hope your hour of PAIN FREE living is soon doubled or tripled!!!
((((HUGS)))) XOXO, M.
Back home in Wisconsin Lisa and all, Finally, a country bumpkin from Elmhurst Rd. has found out how great this computer is. I was happy to be able to read all of the updates and we know that you are in most capable hands, including the main guy upstairs. We continue our prayers and know your inner strength and all that support you have will certainly make this only a point of conversation, (unpleasant memory) for all of you. We think spring is here and the snow is finally gone today. From the lights at the house, Mom and Dad's pets are being well cared for and we are keeping an eye on things. Know that we are thinking of you always. I must say that this is a pretty desperate measure for you to get more of your mom's beautiful knitting talents in hat form. Tell Mom also that we missed her at book club tonight. For now, know we love you all and are praying for a speedy recovery. Lovingly, J. and B.