It's Me Again. Still At The Hospital.

Hey!

Well, we (Matt & me) are still at the hospital. Yuck. But, I'm feeling much better & we might get to go home tomorrow (Monday). Yay.

I am now on a full liquid diet, so I've spent today eating my share of soups, Jello & water.

The best of the day so far was getting to eat some rockin' chocolate & peanut butter yogurt. Matt found it in the caferteria downstairs a few days ago & as soon as he thought I could handle it, he got me some.

I still have my IV in...for antibiotics & morphine. I think I will get my first oral antibiotic at 9pm, so I might get to have part of the IV taken out before bedtime. Yay.

(I'm really not ready yet to not have the morphine at a push of a button...is that a sign of addiction? Oh, well!).

I am able to get up all I want to go to the bathroom or sit around or check my e-mail. But, usually just walking to & from the bathroom tires me out.

I would say my pain is at a minimum, thank you morphine. The best to describe what I'm feeling is soreness.

I still can't believe that I didn't know my appendix had burst THREE MONTHS AGO. Looking back, I know the exact night it happened, but I guess the pain wasn't as bad as it should have been. But, seriously, 3 months? Wow.

But, thank goodness my ovaries are still in tact & everything's okay with them.

I suppose one of the reasons for all my pain (besides the appendix) might be Chrons Disease (spelling?), but if it is, the part of the bowel where the disease likes to hide was removed out of me, so the disease might have been removed as well. We'll know that in a few days.

Anyway, I'm getting really sleepy, but I wanted to update y'all.

Thanks so much for all the sweet comments, jokes, cards & flowers. You guys are awesome! Keep the comments coming, as Matt & I both appreciate them & love reading them!!!!!!

Thanks again.

I promise to update soon.

update on robin, from robin

hey guys!

it's me.

this will be short as i am still loopy.

i got the tube out of my throat this morning, yay.

i just had my 1st meal in 5 days. a half red popsicle. yay.

keep commenting. matt has been reading them to me. tell me jokes. make me laugh,

update to come from matt soon.

Update on Robin take 2

So we are just right abouut 48 hours after the removal of the "Mass", so I thought it was time for another update.

After swaping rooms 3 times we are finally in a private room and will be here through the remainder of our time in the hospital. I believe we will go home sometime Monday, maybe tuesday. We got some of our tubes out today wich allows robin to get up and walk a little more.

We still have our stomach tube in so we cant eat anything yet, we are now on day 4 with no food. Its ok but I dont recommend this weight loss plan to anyone. Although if i could market it in a positive light I might make a fortune. I am thinking of calling it the "MASS"ive diet. What do you think??
Well I have asked robin if she would like to say anything and she says quote "I'm Okay".

I have been reading her all of your comments and she smiles at everyone of them so keep them comming. I will post when we finally get that tube out of her stomach. I am probably going to have to cook a big dinner when we get home and she get the all clear for anything she wants to eat.
So thats it from the 4th floor of the hospital, thanks agin for all your thoughts and prayers. If you want to send anything send quarters, these vending machines suck and dont take dollars!!

Matt.

update on robin by her husband

hello world,

this is robins husband Matt, I have some spare time right now so I was able to get in her blog.

Thank you all for your support in the comment section, Robin and I really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers we have received over the past few hours. Please keep them coming.

SO you all know Robins surgery went well, (kind of). First the good news:

The Cyst was not on robins ovary. All of her reproductive parts are intact and still inside her.

The sort of bad news is that it wasn't really a cyst at all. Our sweet little 5 foot 3; 110 pound (dripping wet) robin is sort of a super woman when it comes to pain. The details are still kind of falling into place but about three months ago Robins appendix ruptured. Yes it ruptured, when it did that her body tried to heal itself and produced what the doctors are calling a wall around the crap that leaks out when your appendix breaks. This just started to swell up like a balloon and started attaching itself to basically everything in her abdomen. The doctors had to cut around the "Mass" as the doctors are now calling it, which meant they had to remove a part of her bowel. and sew it back together. I know that this is complicated and we are still trying to figure out how she was able to withstand the pain of her appendix breaking but that's for another day. We will be in the hospital for a few more days,but we should have a complete recovery. We are just grateful for the fact that all of her ovaries are intact and functional. Keep us in your prayers and thoughts until we get home and out of all this.

P.S. The chances of an appendix walling itself off only happens in 1 out of 252,000 patients. R u Kidding me!!!!

Thanks again for everything. And just so you all know I used my computer hacking skills to get into her website hopefully she wont be mad

Let's Get This Over With.

So, it's the Night Before My Surgery.

And, I'm just ready to get it over with, just so I know I'm safe & I'm alive & I can start recovering. And, so I can know if I'm sans right ovary or not.

Obviously, I hope it's still with me when I wake up.

But, if it's not, that's okay.

We'll figure out a way around it.

I'm ready.

I'm ready to start feeling better.

I'm ready to be on the road to recovery.

And, I'm ready to get my body ready to grow a baby.

On a lighter note: Our (well, I say "our" because Matt will be staying with me) hospital room has Wi-Fi Internet, so I can blog tomorrow night to let you guys know how it all went.

Plus, I'll be on some really good drugs, so who knows what'll come out of my mouth!

So, be sure to check back tomorrow night!

And, OH, thank you guys so much for all the prayers, well-wishes & good thoughts. You guys rock! Please keep them coming!!!

A Cyst, An Ovary & A Little Surgery Mixed In.

Yeah, I know.

That post title sounds a little harsh, doesn't it?

But, if I don't find a little humor in this situation I'm about to tell you about, I'll go crazy.

So, here goes.

I haven't really blogged much about it because I was hoping that if I ignored it, it would just go away. Turns out, by ignoring it, I probably just helped it grow bigger.

For the past 3 months, I've had moderate to severe stomach pain. Sometimes the pain would last for an entire week...sometimes only a day or two.

Sometimes it would be a sharp, stabbing pain...sometimes it would just be a little uncomfortable.

My family doctor & I tried to figure out what was causing the pain by trying a few different treatments, but nothing worked.

So, he ordered an ultrasound the day before Matt & I left for Myrtle Beach. The test showed some fluid around my right ovary. Because my pain was minimal to non-existent at that point, he saw no reason for me not to go on our trip, but he told me he wanted me to have a CT scan as soon as I got back in town.

Well.

I had the scan last Friday, as well as another ultrasound.

Both tests showed a very large cyst on my right ovary. It's most likely several small cysts that started growing a few months ago & kept growing to form one big cyst. The fluid around my ovary a few weeks ago was probably from one of the smaller cysts rupturing.

The good news is that it's most likely NOT cancer. My doctor says cancer tumors generally don't grow as fast as this cyst did.

But, the bad news is that because it's so big (larger than a tennis ball), it's squishing all my internal organs...bladder, kidneys, lower bowel...it has to be removed, surgically.

And, that surgery?

It's scheduled for this Wednesday at 12:45pm. I will be in the hospital until Friday afternoon & cannot work for 2 weeks.

Oh, but the bad news doesn't end there.

The doctor doesn't know if he can save my right ovary. And, because the cyst is so big, he has to make an up & down incision, starting at my belly button & going down, instead of an across incision like a c-section scar. So, just another visible scar to add to my collection!

Should my ovary have to be removed, I don't want anyone, but Matt, to tell me. Not my doctor, not my parents. Only Matt. And, I have instructed him to tell me in a "happy" voice.

If he tells me in an "upset" voice, I will fall apart.

No, I don't want to have surgery; no, I don't want to lose my ovary; no, I don't want to spend 2 nights in a hospital; but, I also don't have a choice. The cyst has to come out.

And, after being in pain for several months, it is a bit of a relief to finally identify the source.

However, as most of you know, Matt & I have already had 2 miscarriages. And, now, it's possible I'm going to lose an ovary. Give the troubled girl even more trouble getting pregnant.

One thing I do know is that after I've recovered from this surgery, all of our efforts will be concentrated on having a baby. Because there's nothing else I want more in life.

If I could just ask you guys to please say a few small prayers: For my doctor, that he operates with a steady hand & does all he can to save my ovary. For me, that I have an easy recovery & don't complain too much (Matt would appreciate that!).

And, for the baby Matt & I so desperately want.

Oh, and maybe slip in a little request that my house stays somewhat clean while I'm recovering. Not being able to do laundry or vacuum or make the bed for a few weeks is going to seriously drive me insane.

Seriously.

I know...you don't have to say it.

I'm crazy.

Opps, I Forgot. I'm Famous. Sort Of.

When Matt & I were in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago, I wrote this post about Hard Rock Park.

The next day (while still on our trip), I got an e-mail from a reporter with Myrtle Beach Online. She writes tourism articles & was writing a piece on what bloggers thought about the new park. (It opened in May, I think).

She came across my blog & wanted to use it for her article. So, she e-mailed me & asked my permission.

I ALMOST told her no, only because HRP had graciously given Matt & me FREE media tickets to the park & I hadn't exactly given it a 5-star review.

I didn't want someone from HRP reading the article & think that I wasn't grateful for the free tickets.

Because I was grateful.

However.

Like I said in my post, I would not have paid the $44 dollars a person to go to the park.

While it was fun, Matt & I didn't really feel like there was enough stuff to do there, to make it worthwhile. Yes, we enjoyed what we did & saw, but we didn't do or see much.

Maybe if we'd sat through a few shows, we would have felt different. But, looking back, I don't think a lot of shows were playing that day until 7 or 8pm. We didn't want to stay that long.

Anyway.

After talking about it with Matt, we agreed that if someone from HRP contacted me & asked me for honest opinion about the park, I would have said that we had fun, but wouldn't have paid $44 dollars a ticket.

So, I e-mailed the reporter back & told her she could use my blog for her article.

She did. And, it was published on August, 10th.

I was pleased with it.

Except that she didn't link my blog & the part that she used really only made sense if you could see the pictures that went with it. But, that's okay. She didn't link any of the other blogs either.

If you read the article, read the comments too.

The people who commented kind of slammed the fact that the bloggers (me included) talked about the high price of the park. At first, I was kind of mad, but then I realized that we're all entitled to our own opinions.

I voiced mine & they voiced theirs.

No big deal.

So, go read it & tell me what you think.

Matt says the paper should have done a piece about how Kim & I became friends through our blogs & met each other in person.

I agree!

Just Some Stuff. Nothing Big.

I have been so busy trying to post pictures of our time in Myrtle Beach & our weekend trip to Branson, that I haven't really updated you on stuff that's going on in my life.

(Not that you really care...but, I hope you care because if you don't, I'll be sad!)

*If everything works out (cross your fingers), Kim & I will get to see each other again in November!!!

*I get to meet another fellow blogger Laura of My Name is Boom, in person at my cousin's wedding in Dallas (also in November).

*I bought Tori Spelling's book, "Stori Telling" & I LOVED it. I laughed out loud several times.

*Speaking of Tori Spelling, I absolutely LOVE Tori & Dean's TV show. The season finale was last night & I missed the last 6 minutes of it because it was raining really hard & we lost the satellite signal. And, seriously? Don't they make the cutest kids? Liam & Stella are adorable!

*My nephew, Jackson, started 1st grade on Monday. We keep trying to tell him to stop growing & stay a little boy forever, but we know that, sadly, that's not possible.

*My niece (Matt's sister's daughter) started 2nd grade on Monday. She is so smart!! I cannot wait to see the person she grows up to be. They live about 3 hours away & I miss her.

*I (along with the other producers at work) are now on a 4-day, 10 hour work week schedule. We started it about 4 weeks ago. I can't say I love it...only because I have to get up at 6:15am, but I don't mind having a 3-day weekend.

Hmmmm, I really thought I had more to tell you guys, but I can't seem to remember all of it. I guess turning 30 will do that to you!

Oh, be on the lookout for a few separate posts on our trip to Myrtle Beach...I hope to have the 1st one up this weekend.

Another Vacation? Oh, Yeah! A Weekend In Branson.

Not even a week after we got back from Myrtle Beach, it was time to pack up again for our 2nd vacation in as many weeks.

Branson, Missouri.

Matt & I spent 3 days there with my dad, stepmom, stepbrother, my sister, brother in law & niece & nephew.

We had so much fun!!!!

Our list of activities included:

Shopping, shopping & even more shopping
Silver Dollar City
Amazing Pets show
Hamner Barber Magic Show
Go-Karts
Scrapbook store
Eating
And, wait...did I mention shopping?

We did a lot in 48 hours. But, the best part was getting to spend some quality time with my dad & stepmom. (After I downloaded all my pictures, I realized I didn't get a single picture with my dad!)

Melissa & me with the Hamner Barber guys after their show on Friday night.

Mop & Riley "hopping" to the car.

Really? Isn't that the cutest video you've ever seen?

Guess who got ahold of my camera?

Jackson acting silly.

Holly & Jack before the Amazing Pets show on Saturday.

Such a big boy. He started 1st grade yesterday.

There was a trained monkey in the Amazing Pets show.

Yes, it's a dog dressed as a ballerina.

And, these dogs are dressed in military clothes.

I can't believe this dog wore this outfit.

On the tram going to Silver Dollar City.

Matt, Matt & Holly on the tram.

Riley & Holly on the swings.

Another swing picture.

Jackson on the elephant ride.

Being cute.

Acting silly.

Holly & me.

On the pirate ship.

In the air.

On the water ride.

Another picture on the water ride.

They got soaked.

Another view.

Little sister's turn.

After the log ride.

Jackson driving the go-kart on Sunday.

Mop driving his go-kart.

Jackson standing by his go-kart.

Me & Jackson after riding.

Mop & Jack racing.

Our Final Day in Myrtle Beach.

Our last day in Myrtle Beach.

And, really?

I'm not happy about it one bit.

The clouds we woke up to this morning certainly did not brighten my mood, but we still had a really fun day...especially once the sun came out.

Since it wasn't prime beach weather (it was a tad on the chilly side), we decided to visit the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. There are some fighter jets on display there.

We also did a little shopping.

Once the sun came out, we left the mall & headed to the beach for about 4 hours. Then, it was time for dinner with Kim & Andy. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel to pack.

Matt in front of one of the fighter jets.

Matt in front of the other fighter jet.

Me in front of the fighter jet.

Our rental car...yep, the one I couldn't see over the dash.

This private jet kept circling "hotel row" waiting to land at the airport. It was flying pretty low & I actually got a little nervous when I saw circle for the 4th time. After that, though, it landed.

Big wave! Look at his face!

Me watching the water. How do you like that piece of neck fat between my hair & where my bathing suit ties? Lovely.

I know, I know...you're probably sick of me blogging about this stupid lemonade cart, but I had to post this picture. The girl that was pushing it, just all of a sudden took out her backpack & left. Yes, just up & left the cart in the middle of the beach. She came back about 30 minutes later, so I guess she was taking her break.

Ahhhhhh, the ocean.

Matt walking towards the water.

Kim & me outside the restaurant where we ate dinner.

My dessert. Look how pretty that is? I hated to eat it & mess it all up, but I did! It was worth it...so good.

Matt's key lime pie. And, yes, the flower was edible.

Another picture of Kim & me after dinner.

I knew that when Kim & I started this, the day would come when we would have to tell each other "bye" & "see you soon" & I really thought I'd prepared myself for it.

WRONG.

I think we hugged 3 or 4 times & that last time, I fought so hard not to cry. And, I did really well until I got in the car to go back to the hotel.

Cue the tears.

Meeting Kim went better than I could have ever expected. And, I promise to write more about that in the next few days!

Kim, I love you & I know without a doubt that our friendship is going to last a lifetime!

Our Trip: Day 5...Beach & Dixie Stampede.

We didn't do much today...probably because we didn't wake up until 11:30am & didn't leave our room til 1pm.

We just hung out at the beach all day.

And, it was the perfect opportunity to try out my new camera lenses that Matt gave me for my birthday.

Wide-angle lens.

Fish-eye lens.

A picture of the sun with the fish-eye lens.

Waves with the fish-eye lens.

A bird.

Me in the ocean.

Kim & Andy got the 4 of us free tickets to the Dixie Stampede. So, that's what we did tonight.

Me & Kim waiting for the show to start...and for the FOOD!! We were starving!!!

The show is starting...

A cool picture.

The comedy part of the show was hilarious...I guess that's why they call it comedy, right? Anyway, I have a really funny video of this part of the show that I'll post later this week.

Me & Kim outside the theater after the show.

Coming Soon: Our last day in Myrtle Beach.