She's Back.....

I don’t know if I would go as far as say I am back in the land of the living but I think I have finally left the walking dead stage behind.

The mind is willing but the body is weak sums up the way I am feeling this morning.

First of all a big thanks to super blogger Cass who kept the home fires burning on this blog with my garbled texts from the front lines. She has also been a true friend patiently listening to my tearful bitching.

What the hell can I say about the experience, except I am still processing it all. I knew theoretically that it would be painful but never having had any major surgery I was ill prepared for the level of pain I experienced. Emotionally it was challenging, transition is a gradual process but SRS is an immediate change.

I left the recovery center in Montreal on the 10^th, my father once again was nice enough to pick me up and drive me back to Ontario. First stop was McDonalds; I was craving a Big Mac and a McFlurry, ohhhhhh greasy, chocolatey heaven.

For the last two weeks plus I have been staying at the home of my old friend “D”. I have known “D” since I was 14 and we share a love of old luxury cars. He was the prior owner of my 76 Electra Limited coupe. I will be returning the favor and playing Florence Nightingale later in the year when “D” goes in for surgery….no not SRS! 

It was agreed between my ex “J” and I that I do not come home right away as she didn’t want me upsetting the children. Also I would feel obligated to help out around the house when I would be in no condition to do anything but look after myself.

After two weeks I am really looking forward to getting home to my own bed, seeing my girls and last but not least DRIVING!!!!!!! I don’t care if it is around the block but I need to see six feet of hood in front of me and seven liters plus of V8 under my right foot. Talk about withdrawal. Forget Demerol my drug of choice is Detroit.

“J” and I disagreed about my return, I wanted to come home now, her opinion was that I don’t ever. After much discussion by text and in person we seemed to have reached a compromise. I will be going home but the stay will not be permanent. I would have secured my own place before surgery but as a writer I am hopelessly underemployed. A real job is my priority, writing is only a stopgap, I have an MBA in marketing and have worked for multinationals such as Bridgestone Firestone and the Bank of Montreal. 

The photos were taken by my friend Natasha after a mercy trip to Taco Bell we popped into my favorite salon to say hello to the girls….. what can I say fatigue overcame me.      

  

Our Miss April: An Update

Hi all, it's Cass again.  I wanted to give you the latest on how April is doing.

I am happy to report that she was able to leave the hospital mid-week last week. Yea!

Her father kindly volunteered to drive her home - "via the scenic route," she reported.

She is staying with a friend for several weeks to allow her to get some much-needed rest.

Unfortunately, she is still dealing with a considerable amount of pain.

And consequently, she has had nights during which she was not able to sleep well.

Fortunately, she *did* sleep well last night, and even dreamed about (what else?) cars. :c)

I just tracked down several articles on post-GCS recovery, specifically those that discuss dealing with ongoing pain.

Could I ask a favor? If anyone knows of any other articles, could you please pass them along, either in the comments here or on my blog, Cassidy's Quest? Thank you in advance!

Either April or yours truly will keep you updated, depending on how she feels.

And please, continue to keep April in her thoughts. She has been touched by the outpouring of support from everyone. On her behalf, thank you very, very much.

The Latest on The Greatest :c)

Greetings all! It is Cass again.

Apologies for the delay between posts; it has been quite busy in my little corner of the world. (Mostly good, thankfully!)

Concerning "The Greatest" in the post title...

April had a very, very difficult time over the weekend, I am sorry to say.

Happily, though, she is feeling better.

Finally.

Before writing this post, I asked April what she would like me to share with all of you.

"I don't think I can quite put it into words yet," she replied.

Instead, she asked if I could post the following clips in lieu of her own thoughts for the time being:

Those were somewhat tongue-in-cheek, needless to say. :c) (I hope!)

But poor April really did go through an extraordinarily difficult ordeal last week.

While still weak, she is feeling much better the past few days, happily.

I can always tell because her sense of humor is back. :c)

Here is a small sample from late afternoon yesterday.

To set the stage, you need to know a few things:

April is obsessed with zombies.

She is somewhat conservative politically.

I am from Boston, a/k/a Moscow on the Charles. lol

(That's OK; we love each other anyway!)

And with that:

April: Off for my pre-dinner zombie shuffle around the outside of the clinic, sis.

Cass: Think of it as good practice for the real thing, when you need to blend in.

April: It is inevitable.

Cass: Sad but true.

April: Not too late to join the NRA, Cass.

Cass: Disqualified; I live too close to Harvard.

***

I will conclude this with a brief personal note.

April endured excruciating pain and discomfort for most of last week.

I can scarcely imagine how difficult it was for her.

(Although she has vowed to do what is necessary to make her laugh as I apparently made her laugh:

"When you are here," she told me, "I will make it my solemn duty to tell jokes, dirty limericks, perform physical comedy... whatever is takes to double you over.")

("Also, I will bring chips and creme soda too. :c)"

(Hey, we may fight like sisters... but creme soda trumps all!)

Yet she not only persevered, she did so with what I have come to recognize as her singular combination of grace, determination, and courage.

She is one tough cookie.

And I am proud to call her my sister.

Love you, hon!

Steve the Monkey & Piggy Wiggly Meet the Queen of Pain

Hi everyone! It's your substitute blogstress, Cass, checking in once again with another April update.

I am pleased to introduce Piggly Wiggly and Steve the Monkey, respectively, in the photo above. April's daughters insisted that they tag along so she would have company in Montreal. In turn, April loaned *them* her teddy bear, Virgil Exner - which seems only fair, really. :c)

April suggested the focus of this post be... pain. :(

She has had to endure a great deal of it in the past few days, I am afraid.

It comes in waves; it recedes somewhat after she is medicated, but returns yet again as they wear off.

Consequently, she has had very little sleep following her surgery. (I have the text messages in the middle of the night to prove it, alas.) And what sleep she can manage is fitful at best.

Her sense of humor is intact, fortunately, which is always a good sign. Several readers were concerned - quite rightly - about making her laugh unnecessarily. Needless to say, the instigator is - you guessed it - April!

I have mentioned that this may not be advisable... but the girl cannot help herself! Nonetheless, I shall try to refrain from following her lead. (Bad April! Bad April! lol)

She has said that the other girls there are wonderful, and they get along well. In fact, one went out for a walk and brought April back her beloved Doritos yesterday! I expressed awe - both that April can eat Doritos *and* that her roommate can venture outside so soon after her own surgery! Kudos to you both, ladies!

I will end with a self-portrait provided by our girl, taken yesterday:

"This is the only portrait *anyone* will have of me while I am here, Cass," she texted me. I must note that her fingers look quite fetching in spite of her fatigue, do they not? And that blue johnnie no doubt complements her blue eyes perfectly. Even in pain, she is hopelessly fashionable.

I will sign off for now. Here's wishing everyone in the States a Happy Fourth of July, and a Happy Thursday to everyone else!

Stay tuned for more!

***

Per April's request, a song from her favorite band, The Cramps:

The Day After :c)

Hi everyone, it's Cass again with another quick April update!

She had a difficult night, unfortunately. She was in a great deal of pain, and consequently was unable to sleep. 

We just chatted via text; she feels a bit better, but is still quite uncomfortable. Hopefully it will be short-lived.

In positive news... she took her first steps today! Yea!!! 

"Three laps around the room, sis!" she reported. I told her how proud I was of her... but she had fallen asleep again. :c) (I will forgive you, sis... *this* time. lol)

Her father stopped by today before departing for his return home. (Another friend is taking her home when she is discharged.) Once again I am so, so impressed with how wonderful he has been this entire journey. Why, I may even lop off one or two years of *my* Christmas list that they rightfully owe me, as their Irish-American daughter.

OK, probably not. But the fact that I was considering it speaks volumes. :c)

No doubt this is what everyone would expect from our April, but her sense of humor is intact, Here is one exchange from yesterday:

April: On waking after surgery I requested Doritos and Diet Pepsi... stat

Cass: And... ?

April: Received two saltines water.

Cass: Be sure to tell them you're never coming back.

April: I m sure they will lose a Michelin Guide star as a result of this.

Cass: No doubt. Logging on to Yelp right now to express my outrage on your behalf.

And one more from last night - this one a bit more adult (i.e. what constitutes 99% of our conversations). :c)

April: Hi sis. Waiting to get a shot. In considerable pain.

Cass: I'm sorry, sweetie. :c( Hope it is temporary. Please let me know when you feel better.

April: Will do. Remember that scene in Alien?

Cass: I was thinking of Scanners, but your reference also works.

April: Not my head that hurts, actually. lol

Cass: :D

April: APB - missing hot dog, short furry man, Identified by witness.

Cass: He goes by Dick. Dick Hertz.

And just in case we hadn't thoroughly revealed ourselves as the degenerates we both are, here is the video I promptly sent April... as soon as I finished laughing, that is. :c)

More updates and depravity to follow! Not necessarily in that order, of course... ;-P

Bonjour, Mademoiselle Avril!

She's out of surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea!!!!!!

She is very tired, but feels good.

Naturally, my priorities were in order.

First I said congratulations, and told her I loved her.

Then I started making fun of her. :c)

(Hey, she would do the same if the situation were reversed (someday, I hope!)) :c)

Here is a sample:

April: "Sorry. Hard to text with one hand."

Cass: "I am afraid to ask where the other hand is right now, to be honest."

April: Ha, Ha, ha. Smart ass. :-P

(For the record, she had no trouble firing off that last reply! lol)

I also sent her the following Far Side cartoons, based on seconds of careful research as to what they were doing while she was under:

And on that note, dear readers, I shall bid you adieu for now. On behalf of April, thank you for all of the warm thoughts and kind words!!!!

More details later tonight if April is up to it. :c)

Congratulations, sweetie!!!!!! Love you, girl!!!!!!!!! :c)

A Quick Day-Before Update

Hi everyone! It's Cass again. :c)

Just wanted to write a few words to keep you all up to date.

Before I get into today, I had to report a few details from April's adventures yesterday.

She did some last minute shopping, and went for lunch with her Dad.

"Sis, you won't believe where we ate," she texted me, sending along the following photo:

If you can't read that, it is called "Le Roi du Hot Dog." lol

Seeing that photo made me laugh out loud at the coffee shop where I read her post.

I immediately countered that *my* choice for pre-surgery nourishment would be here, at this legendary Seattle institution:

Again, for those who may not be able to see it, it is called Dick's. :c)

The sign below says "Dick's Deluxe 100% 1/4 Lb. Beef," which prompted me to muse that a quarter pound of Dick's beef might actually make a fine first meal post-surgery as well. And*that* made April laugh out loud!

***

As for the Day Before, April reports that she had a good day overall.

She spent the morning bopping around her room at the B&B to the sounds of the Ramones, and sent along this particularly lovely self-portrait:

I think that brilliant smile says it all, don't you think? :c)

Being April, she of course spent her big day in - where else? - a car. lol She and her father went for a drive in his Jaguar through Montreal "with the top down."

I asked if she meant the car, herself, or both ("just want to be clear for posterity's sake in the blog post, hon," I told her); she assured me it was the former.

"Otherwise, people would have been throwing money at me yelling 'for God's sake, get some boobs!'" she said.  lol

There was one glitch, unfortunately, shortly before she checked into the hospital.

Her MP3 player mysteriously deleted her files - 200 mp3s of her favorite songs and, even worse, photos of her daughters.

She was understandably distraught, as she was counting on both to help her through this week.

Fortunately, I was able to pass along several photos, including one of two stuffed animals her daughters loaned her for the week. (In turn, April's teddy bear, Virgil Exner, is at home with the girls to keep them company. :c))

We also managed to get April some of her missing songs that I also have - The Ramones, The Cramps, several others, including this gem from The Primitives, which April and I both adore:

I also sent along some live Bruce Springsteen, another favorite we both love. So at least she has some of her music back. :c)

***

The arrival of the replacement soundtrack helped, as did her ensuing report:

"You won't believe what the final supper was, sis: sausages! :O !"

You can't make this stuff up, folks!!!!

***

I just got off the phone with April a short while ago.

She is in good spirits - nervous, as we can all no doubt understand, but mostly very excited.

"It's impossible to put into words - 'surreal' comes closest," she said. "But that isn't quite it either. But I guess it will have to do."

She is in her hospital room and, is resting comfortably. She joked that the only reason she will worry tomorrow is if a) they ask her to hold open the textbook during surgery, or b) Dr. Nick from the Simpsons ("Any operation, $29.95") walks in to the operating room. :c)

She promised to either text or call as soon as she is feeling up to it tomorrow. And I, in turn, promise that I will let all of you know as soon as I can.

Please know that I have I passed along all of the greetings and expressions of good will to her, and told her that her considerable fan club down here in the States are all sending her wishes of good health.

She sends her love to all of us and said she is humbled by it. I assured her she deserves every bit of it, as well as the happiness she is feeling.

"Congratulations, sweetie," I told her as we signed off. "I'll talk to you on the flip side. And when we  do... you will have done it! Congratulations! I am so, so happy for you!"

I think she said thank you in return, but apparently I had the same dust in the air April did, which made it hard to hear or read the screen. :c)

Good night all!

Hugs,
Cass