Unexpected obstacles

OF COURSE there would be a historic blizzard EXACTLY on the day I was supposed to have my follow up appointments! Not only that, but OF COURSE it would be JUST the right consistency for snow sculpting when I’m too incapacitated to do much of anything with it! Let me tell you, I have NOT been a happy camper the last few days!!
 
Today I was supposed to have follow ups both with my surgeon to remove the staples and maybe the JP drain, and with my Infectious Disease doctor to come up with a plan for when I can finally finish the IV antibiotics. By Saturday I was already 90% sure those appointments would be canceled, and I was correct. What I did NOT expect was to receive a voicemail from the surgeon’s office on Saturday saying that they would like to push my appointment off by a WEEK. Anyone reading this who has seen an Eliana temper tantrum might be able to imagine my reaction to that! Fortunately, my amazing surgeon called me himself on Sunday to check in, and said that he would get me in on Wednesday to remove the staples and maaaybe the JP drain. I felt MUCH better after that! Having 39 staples in your torso is NOT comfortable, and I cannot wait to finally get them OUT! My Infectious Disease appointment was also moved to Wednesday, so at least I only lost a couple days from this whole mess.
 
I had been making good progress, both with having less pain and being less dependent on pain medication, and with the drain output decreasing and lightening in color. Unfortunately, both of those were ruined on Sunday night. I had an unexpected, strong, and painful coughing fit, likely due to my ever-terrible sinuses. I was already in pain before the coughing fit due to being slightly overly aggressive in reducing my pain meds, and the coughing fit definitely didn’t help. More concerning, however, is that after the coughing fit the drain output both increased and reverted to a dark red color, indicating active bleeding. Thankfully it wasn’t to a dangerous level, but it almost certainly means that the drain will not be removed this week unless there’s a miraculous change over the next few days. All prayers and positive vibes are gratefully accepted!!
 
Between the increased pain and feeling kind of loopy from pain meds, I wasn’t at my best today. I had originally thought I might be able to manage some sort of snow sculpture on the hood of my car, since I wouldn’t have to bend down for that. After the coughing fit, however, that much exertion was definitely off the table. I still wanted to at least walk outside briefly and experience the aftermath of the blizzard though, so shortly before I was due for my afternoon antibiotic I pulled myself together, got dressed, and left the apartment for the first time in days. Katherine and I walked out into the snow in front of the building, and as I was enjoying the crisp fresh air on my face, I realized there was a bush with a pile of snow on top right in arm’s reach. I wasn’t up for one of my usual full scale snow sculptures, but I thought I might be able to manage just a little something. It’s definitely not up to my regular standards, but considering the circumstances I’m quite pleased with my little nesting bird! We put him in one of the planters right by the entrance to our building where lots of people could see him. Getting outside briefly and making even a small snow sculpture definitely lifted my spirits.
 
The other disappointment for this week is that Katherine and I had tickets to see not one, but 2 shows that we were really looking forward to. We were supposed to see Blue Man Group in Philly on Tuesday evening, and Riverdance in Atlantic City on Saturday night. We bought the tickets months ago, well before we had any idea of how medically involved my life was about to become. After everything we’ve been through these last few months, we certainly could have used a night out!! Unfortunately I’m just not well enough to manage it right now, which seems to be a theme for me this week. Hopefully things will settle down and we can get back to having fun outings SOON!