I was put on two different antibiotics, and about a day after the last blog post, my abscess started to drain. I’ll spare you the yukky details. On Monday, the cultures had finally gotten back to my doctor- it was MRSA indeed! So the cephalexin that I had been taking had pretty much been useless, and it was discontinued. Bactrim, the other antibiotic however, was the one that had been helping. Awesome, finish that round, do the hibiscin showers, andRead more
Posts tagged: #recovery
How does your garden grow? (Self-care)
My friend Harriett and her fencing coach have a lovely expression when people ask them why they fence:” keeping the crazy howler monkeys in your head at bay.” I’ve heard “fighting your demons”, “being mindful”, “the mind-body balance”- call it what you want, but everybody needs something for themselves. I prefer self-care. Some people are crazy about the coloring books for grown ups, others do Yoga, Meditation- what have you. You need to have something that reminds you of yourself,Read more
a change in perspective
Remember how in the last post I wrote that the worst that could happen had already happened? Yeah, scratch that. There should be separate categories for “the worst that can happen to yourself” and “the worst that can happen to someone you love.” So, January 24, 2016, my dog needed emergency surgery because of a bowel obstruction. Yes. Exactly one year after me. If you are of the opinion that pets aren’t as important as humans and somehow feel offendedRead more
One year surgery anniversary
Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my stomach perforation. One year ago, I was writhing in agony on the floor. One year ago, I fought for my life. One year ago was the beginning of a long journey of recovery that was officially over in September. People cling to these anniversaries, reflect on everything and try to move forward somewhat. In a way, I was offended by the mundane way the day started. Snuggled with the dog, breakfast, andRead more
Resilience and Determination- a guest post, part two
This is James Gunter’s story, part II. You can find Part One here. When I awoke I did not find what I expected. They had told me that an appendicitis is a quick and easy operation these days which can be done through keyhole surgery. This would involve making 3 small cuts in my lower abdomen to remove my appendix. When I awoke in the recovery ward and managed to stay awake for more than 30 seconds, I decidedRead more
I’m in remission (whatever that means…)- a guest post
I am welcoming my first guest blogger, Mark McNamara! Mark has had Crohn’s disease for 22 years. Originally from Colorado, he currently lives in Portland, OR. With the support of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Mark facilitates a support group in Portland for patients with IBD. Mark works for the Oregon Health & Science University and enjoys hiking and stand up paddle boarding. I’m in remission (whatever that means…) I’m in remission, whatever that means. It’s been fourRead more
Herbal Supplements for Healing
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (actually, I am, just not that kind of doctor). I also don’t endorse any particular brands over the others. My criteria for buying are: convenience (how far do I have to go to get that stuff?), practicality (I have no use for powders etc.), price (I am willing to pay for stuff, but within reason). I don’t know whether they help- between the painkillers I am getting and the “regular” prednisone, and the twoRead more
Surgery Frequent Flyer: When going forwards is the only way to go
Apparently it’s common after stomach perforations, that the wound gets infected, or as in my case, your stomach fills with internal abscesses. According to my case file, they extracted about 1.5 liters of pus before they could wash out the rest of my stomach (in a second surgery). Then I was put on antibiotics. That was in February. I am still on them. I have something called a PICC line, which also can be used for drawing blood- something practical,Read more
Surgery- Take one and Two
On January 23rd, 2015, my husband and I had dinner. It was a regular friday night, we had had take-out from our favorite Thai place. We were talking about whether I had taken the laundry out of the dryer, or still needed to. “You know, we need more excitement in our lives, if it’s Friday night, and we are talking about laundry.” I, of course thought about going out, having fun, a little bedroom action- whatever. Five minutes later, IRead more
