The Stitches Are Out!

Perhaps I should say the stitch (singular) is out.

I went yesterday to have the bandages and suture removed from my wrist surgery! My doctor was out because his wife had given birth on Monday, so his nurse tended to me. As she cut through the layers of gauze and cotton and Ace Bandage, I fully expected to see some morphed, distorted, disgusting version of what used to be my tiny, healthy, normal left wrist. Much to my relief, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!

I was expecting a series of sutures running across my incision in the typical train-track fashion. Instead, I saw a raw (but well-closed) incision with two little black knots of nylon thread on each end. The incision itself is about 2 inches long, and the knots were just beyond the ends of the incision. Evidently, to avoid unnecessary scarring and to promote a smoother wound closure, they now stitch below the surface of the skin in a zig-zag pattern. So she lifted one end and snipped the knot, and then started to pull from the other end to remove the suture.

One word describes this process: OUCH!

I thought I was going to pass out. In case you've never had an injury to the underside of your wrist, I can now tell you from experience that this is one of the most sensitive areas on your body. Particularly when they start yanking a thread from one end and it slides back out in the zig-zag pattern that it went in with, and the skin has started to heal around it. Oh. My. Gosh. That's painful.

After she finished torturing me, she cleaned the incision and then covered it with Steri Strips, which is pretty much all you can see in the photo. You can also see some purple marks above and running the length of the incision. The one above it is where he wrote "Yes" and his initials on the day of surgery - they are required to do that to prove that they came to your bed in the pre-op area, and verified that they knew which part of your body they would be working on. Comforting. The longer line was drawn to guide the incision. He was actually extremely accurate with the incision. I'm impressed!

Copay at the hospital: $100
Copay at the Ortho's office: $20
Prescriptions, Surgery, Medical Supplies, Latex Gloves, Assorted Fees: $2,000+ (Thank God for insurance!)
Not having to wrap my left hand in a plastic Target bag every time I take a shower: Priceless...

I'm still extremely guarded with my left hand. I'm sure it'll just take some getting used to...

Every Girl's Dream

OK, maybe not EVERY girl's dream...but there are two movies that I've seen in my life that always made me wonder about that little blue gift box tied up with a dainty white bow: Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Sweet Home Alabama. Just how cool IS it to get a gift from Tiffany & Co.?

Now I can tell you because I got one! Well, technically I won one! Let me explain...

In July, we drove to Dallas for the day. That night, as we were leaving to head back home, we were listening to the local radio station. The DJ announced a contest called "Live Life Like a Trophy Wife," and said that the 20th caller would win the prize. I have had a string of pretty good fortune with radio call-ins (tickets to the American Idol live show after Season 1, movie tickets, and something else I can't remember), so I decided to start dialing. After all, nights and weekends are unlimited. :)

Every time I dialed, I got a busy signal. I had dialed at least 20 times and was JUST about to give up, but decided to try once more. This time, it rang. And rang. And rang. I thought that he probably already had his winner and was just letting the other lines ring, but I decided to hold on until either someone answered, or he announced a winner. The DJ finally answered the phone!

DJ: "Kiss FM"
Me: "Am I the 20th caller?"
DJ: "Who is this?"
Me: "--(my name here)--"
DJ: "YES! You are the 20th caller, and you get to live life like a trophy wife!"

I was sooo excited!! The prize was a gift from Tiffany & Co. and a day at Spa Pangea in Dallas. (I was also in the drawing for a trip to Mexico, but I didn't win that one.)

Evidently, they didn't have the gifts from Tiffany's in yet, so they told me they would call me when it arrived. They finally called! So today, Husband drove to Dallas to pick up my prize!

The day at the spa includes a manicure (or deep tissue hand and arm massage), a pedicure, a full body massage, a custom facial, and a lunch in their cafe. (I'm thinking about buying a body scrub or wrap to go along with it...you know, make it a FULL day at the spa!) The gift from Tiffany's is a beautiful sterling silver heart pendant on a chain...but the little girl in me is SO MUCH MORE excited about the little blue gift box tied up with a dainty white bow!!

So now, I feel like a princess. YaY for silly little things in life that make you giddy!

Wrist Surgery - The Aftermath

It's done! Surgery went very well, no problems at all.

We got to the hospital at about 7:30 am, and I was in pre-op by 8:00. Husband and Mini-Me were allowed to stay with me in pre-op. By 8:40, they were ready to start the IV. Mini-Me practically had a panic attack, so she and Husband stepped outside the curtain.

Honestly, I was having a bit of a panic attack, too. I HATE needles, especially big ones. My steady heart rate of 76-78 spiked to 117 as soon as she said "IV." It was THE worst part of the whole ordeal! But I survived.

They gave Husband a hospital cell phone, so the surgeon could call him as the surgery was beginning, when it was finished, and when I was out of recovery. I thought that was pretty cool! Gone are the days of drama when the doctor comes to the waiting room and says, "she pulled through!" Now, it's a cell phone call. What a modern world we live in!

When they came to take me back to surgery, the nurse asked if I was ready for a good buzz. I said "sure," he injected the sleepy juice, and I was out. At about 10:15, I woke up in recovery.

I turns out that there WAS a cause for my cyst. Evidently, there was a tear in the tendon in my left wrist, and it was leaving just enough room for the fluid to leak out. The doctor repaired the tear and amputated the cyst, and now my hand is wrapped like a boxing glove. I get the stitches out on 8/24.

Because of the tendon repair, I now have to go to physical therapy, which will start on 8/25. I'm sure my boss is LOVING me right about now... :)

All in all, I am recovering well. The vicodin makes me nauseous...I tried to work today but the meds got the best of me, so I came home. Hopefully I can work tomorrow, though I suppose a little extra rest wouldn't hurt. We'll see.

On a positive note, I managed to shower, dry my hair, and get ready for work all by myself, with one hand!! I'm so proud!!

Thanks for all the prayers!

Ganglion Cysts

Ever heard of them? A mere 4 months ago, I had never heard the word "ganglion" in my life. Now, turns out I have one of these monsters growing on my left wrist! Joy!

The journey started over a year ago, when I noticed a little bump on my left wrist. I didn't think much of it. It didn't hurt, wasn't causing me any trouble. I figured I'd just leave it alone and it would go away.

No such luck.

By early May, it was getting a little too big for my comfort. I wanted to make sure it wasn't something serious, so I went to the doctor. That is when I learned that this affliction has a name: "ganglion cyst." Basically, it is a fluid-filled sac that juts out between the bones of my wrist. They don't know what causes them, or how to prevent them. They only know how to treat them. Kind of.

The doctor deadened the area and aspirated it by jamming a needle in my wrist and sucking out the fluid. Then he tells me "there's a 30% success rate...so 70% odds are that it'll come back. Good luck!" Needless to say, my little friend returned no more than 2 days later!

So I had an appointment with an ortho, who has scheduled surgery to remove the cyst. He ran some x-rays to make sure it wasn't something more serious. Then he explained that he would have to put me under general anesthetic, because the cyst is growing right over my vein, and if I somehow move during surgery I could basically slit my own wrist. Yippee!

I've never been under general anesthetic before, and I am a basketcase about it! I'm not even so worried about the surgery itself, or the recovery (during which I will have a splint on my left wrist for a week and won't be able to use that hand at all). So pray for me, please!

The surgery is Wednesday morning...I'll post an update when it's over!

When Ballerinas Turn Soccer Pro...

OK so maybe not "Pro" (yet), but Mini-Me is definitely kicking it up a notch with soccer! The child has never played before, but has begged to join a league for the past year or so. I caved. She's playing in the Upward Soccer league at church (http://www.upward.org/up_soccer.htm) this fall.

On Saturday, they had skill evaluations to determine team placement. The goal is to make sure that each team is well-represented by all skill levels. She did great!! She started out with quick kicks against the wall, then moved on to dribbling in and out of cones. After that, she got to throw the ball toward a painted target, and then kick direct shots as the coach moved around the field. Next, she had to run and kick the ball as hard as she could down the field...and then, SPRINTS! She sprinted back and forth from line to line. She's pretty quick!!

She had a great time, and she is really excited about soccer! In fact, she's in the back yard right now..."practicing" with the girlie glittery soccer ball I bought for her today. I think it's about 101 degrees today? She has water bottles chilling in the fridge. Now THAT's dedication!

Earrings!

Mini-Me decided to get her ears pierced! I was a little skeptical, but she assured me that she is ready to be responsible and keep them nice and clean! So last night, we went to Claires and let her pick out her first pair of earrings.

When we got there, another (older) girl was in the chair, preparing to get a second set of earrings in her ears. When Mini-Me saw the big girl in the chair, she was quite interested to see what reaction the big girl would have. When the big girl's eyes started to tear up, Mini-Me's face went ghost white. I thought it was over, and we would soon be leaving WITHOUT holes in our ears.

When the big girl finished, Mini-Me decided that she was gonna do it. She picked out some beautiful earrings - Pink Tourmaline (the October birth gem) - and hopped in the chair. When she realized she had left her stuffed Hello Kitty at home, she started to panic. Dad and I found a big black teddy bear for her to snuggle with, and she seemed to calm down a little bit...well, until the "guns" came out.

As the girl at Claires marked her earlobes with a marker, she started to fade to white again. We did everything we could to shift her focus, but no such luck. She squeezed the teddy bear, took a deep breath, and *PoP!* First earring in... She was incredibly brave. It hurts my heart when she cries, so I almost fell apart when she started sobbing! The girl quickly reminded her that we only had one more to go...lined up the gun...and *PoP!* All done!!

Since yesterday, she has taken extreme care with the new earrings. She's worn the "Just got my ears pierced at Claires" sticker for 2 days straight, and she has turned the earrings in her ears a thousand times. She reminds us when it's time to clean them. So far, so good.... Now if we can just show that much concern over the mess in her room, we'll be doing well!

My beautiful Mini-Me with her new earrings:



And a closer look. You can't really see the pink in the stones, but it's very pretty: