Card Share - OCAM Spoiler

Warning - if you haven't gotten your Club Scrap OCAM yet, don't peek!

I did these two cards today using a technique I found in Paper Crafts Magazine (March 2008 issue) where you punch a bunch of circles and overlap them. I thought it looked fun, so figured I'd try. I used Club Scrap's Avant Garde kit since the colors are bright and Summery. I like the way they turned out!


TFL,
Jenn

Layout Share

I did a page this week, using Club Scrap's Avant Garde kit. The pics are from my birthday gift last year from my friend Jill - she left me a strange package on my front porch with a cryptic message. Ended up being an AWESOME giant chocolate-chip cookie! Rob and I enjoyed it a lot.

When I showed Rob the layout, he asked why Jill didn't make me another one this year lol.

TFL,
Jenn

Minor Setback

I did pretty good Monday at work, made it until about 4:30. Tuesday I had to work all day, and hurt so bad Tuesday night because of it. Then Wednesday went great, no pain or discomfort. Until...

Late Wednesday night I started really hurting, worse than I had the whole recovery time. And my neck was swollen and a band was sticking out - like I was one of those aliens with a ring around its neck. I didn't sleep at all, and couldn't turn my head very far. Same thing Thursday morning. I missed work and slept off and on until 2pm. Thank goodness Thursday night was much better, and so was today!

I went to the doctor (same guy who took out my staples, Dr. S is on vacay still) this morning to make sure I wasn't turning into an alien or something, and he reassured me that I was fine. Turns out it's the muscle that Dr. S cut and moved around and then had to attach back together. It's healing, and although it sticks out and feels funny (feels tender and hard when I touch it), it's normal. He also suggested I start on Motrin 3x/day with meals to help with the discomfort. So I just popped a couple and am crossing my toes that I'll sleep well (I can't cross my fingers while I'm typing, or who knows what would come out).

TGIF - I'll be able to rest this weekend! Hoping to play in my scrap room some :)
Jenn

Healing but it's driving me crazy!

I took the rest of the tape off my incision, and it's really healing nicely. But it's still tight and itchy! Love the staple marks lol.

I Googled "soothe scab" and among other quite interesting sites, I came up with one on how to stop picking at a scab - the list of things I need are:

• acknowledgement that we must leave it alone
• anti-itch cream
• clothing to cover the sore
• or bandaids
• or a liquid wound sealant

I got such a kick out of the first one! I'm gonna try some lotion or something tonight, because this is driving me nuts!

I thought I was getting a cold - yesterday I was very lethargic. I'm much better today, though. Heading to bed soon since I'm going to attempt to go to work in the morning.

BTW - Regina Harris - thanks for the suggestion on the Maderma, I got some and will start using as soon as I heal a bit more!

Jenn

Does this bother anyone else?

We have the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner, which we love. But every time I take a shower, I am faced with the same safety instructions. See the next to last bullet point - does this bother anyone else? Did someone actually stand there while the shower cleaner was running thinking they'd kill two birds with one stone? If so, should that person be allowed to do anything unsupervised?

Jenn

Final Report - NO CANCER!!!

I went to get my staples out today and get the final pathology report - no cancer! I am so relieved that everything turned out ok. Now I can focus on getting the right meds so that I feel better.


Having the staples removed didn't hurt a bit - I thought for sure it would. I can't believe they stayed in my neck - take a look at what they look like compared to a regular staple. Of course, once you use a regular staple it's folded - but these weren't, and they just stayed where they were supposed to! I know, it doesn't take much to impress me lol. Being the scrapbooker I am, I did keep a couple of the staples - so the ones you see below were the ones used on my neck!


After the staples were out, the doctor put all this tape on my neck. I think he thinks it's staying there a few days. Um, yeah, ok, whatever. Two pieces that were on top are already gone, and it hadn't even been 8 hours.

After we left the doctor's office (Rob took me), we went to Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast, to Wal-Mart, and home. Then I took a long nap since I didn't sleep much last night. The tape wasn't horrible to sleep in, much better than the staples!

Got some more good news when I woke up and read my e-mail - my friend who has breast cancer saw her oncologist - and since they got everything out when they did her double masectomy, she doesn't need radiation or chemo - so no more oncologist! I'm so happy for her! Hugs, girlfriend!

Jenn

Not a Good Night

I get my staples out at 10:15 this morning, woohoo!

But until then, I'm not having a good night at all. The swelling has gone down, so the staples are loose and as I heal, my incision site is very tight and itchy. I can't get comfortable at all, no matter how I lay. So I haven't really slept yet.

Add to that the fact that I'm totally worn out. I had a really fun day with my friend Jill. Usually I'm the one who wears her out - but the tables are turned and this time she was still ready to go and I was ready to drop! We hit 5 stores and 2 restaurants in the course of the day. I had the most fun probably at Brookstone, where we got some fun gadgets! I bought a few things for Rob and couldn't even stand to save them for a holiday, had to give them to him lol. I think he appreciated the "Jenn-free" day - on Wednesday he asked, "Isn't it Jill's turn to take you?" LOL. Poor guy ;)

Jenn

Shout Out To SheetLoad!

The June issue of SheetLoad of Cards is ready to be downloaded to your computer, for your card-making pleasure! Here's the main blog site, but if you click here it'll get you to the issue.

Off to read my copy...

Jenn

SheetLoad ShortCuts

Wow, that's a mouth full lol!

SheetLoad, the monthly card-making e-zine, has a new product coming out. And by taking a guess (right or wrong), you will be entered to win the new product before the rest of us can buy it! Click here for more info and to enter.

Jenn

Update on Recovery

I think I over-did it yesterday. I was awake for about 10 hours straight, which is a record these days. Plus I did some scrapbooking, went out to lunch, and went shopping. I'm paying for it today, although I did make Rob take me to an early dinner at Cheddar's. I never thought I'd say this, but I am tired of mac & cheese! Don't worry, I still love it, but I need a bit more variety than just that and tuna sandwiches every day.

I had a bizarre phone call, but I'm not reading anything into it until I talk to my doctor on Friday morning. Because my surgery was to check for cancer, my info was passed along to the oncology department at my health insurance company. A caseworker called to talk to me, see how I was doing, and go over some of the resources they have available. I told her that the preliminary screenings showed no cancer, and I would find out for sure on Friday. Kinda nice to know that she's there, just in case.

My hand has been hurting where the IV was inserted, and I have self-diagnosed myself with phlebitis. It's an "inflammation of a vein, with or with out blood clots inside the vein. Phlebitis is a common condition, and generally gets better without treatment. ... It is probably caused by the presence of the IV catheter in the vein, which may damage the lining of the vein. ... The only treatment usually necessary is for the symptoms... anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen for pain, or local heat." Here's where I found this info. Of course, I can't have ibuprofen until the staples come out, and I will definitely mention the pain at my appointment on Friday. (I did look on Web MD and it says pretty much the same thing, just where I found it is in English lol).

Despite my hand hurting and being real sluggish today, the worse thing overall is my voice. I knew there was a chance my vocal cords could have been hit, and I'm talking really soft and funny. My throat is a bit sore, but really doesn't hurt like it sounds! Rob and others are having trouble understanding me. From the info I was given post-surgery, this should be temporary. If you're not Rob, please send positive vibes that I get my voice back! (If you're Rob, don't do anything - I don't need silencing vibes sent my way lol!)
Jenn

Can someone explain to me...

...why I'm shopping online for more scrapbook supplies that I DON'T NEED? Just because Scrap Your Trip now has a wish list feature and I'm going on vacation next month, does not mean I need to be shopping there.


As the saying goes, I think I need a "12x12 Step Program".

*sigh*

Jenn

Did some scrappin'!

I did 4 pages today, thanks to the wonders of Club Scrap's ALSB. The Treasure Falls layout is done with various CS kit papers, mosaic tiles from my stash, and Heidi Swapp plastic letters. Pics were taken in Colorado, Summer 2005.



The "Tire Go Flat?" layout was done with Club Scrap's newest kit, Haberdashery. You'll recognize the car/tire pics from a previous blog post.

Thanks for looking!
Jenn

Getting Better!

The staples are really looking funny now that the swelling in my neck is going away. I still can't talk very well, I'm very hoarse. Doesn't hurt to talk, but I'm sure it sounds that way. Rob still wishes I couldn't talk at all, but he'll take what he can get. He can pretend he doesn't hear me, and these days, that could really be true since my voice is softer!

Here's a pic. I get my staples out Friday! You can't see, but my hair is clean (I've been washing it daily) and I have makeup on for the first time since last Wednesday! The green top is a real shirt instead of a pajama top. I also have a bra on for the first time since Thursday morning - Rob didn't understand why that should make him happy lol. ;)Jenn

Office Supply "Candy"!

Rob took me out for the first time since coming home from surgery. We went to Bennigan's for lunch (can't beat their $4.99 cash crunch lunch!). Then he took me to Staples.

Staples has a new feature called "Mix It Up". It's like bulk candy, but better - bulk office supplies with no calories! For $5.99 for a small or $9.99 for a large bucket, you can mix and match a selection of Staples-brand office supplies including binder clips, paper clips, and thumbtacks.

The containers are divided and the lid fits tight, so you lose a lot of space. Still, I was able to get some really cool patterned binder clips, a lot of metallic paper clips, a couple 8-packs of thumbtacks (they are a little larger than normal, good for hanging things on), and some fun shaped paper clips - guitars, treble clefs, footprints, hearts, and stars. They also had several types of handprints, but I opted against those. I spent a lot of time playing with everything, so that was worth part of the cost right there lol! The pic below shows just a few of the goodies I shoved into my container.

I can't wait to see what else they add to the selection. It would be great to split with up to 3 more people, since the buckets are divided into 4 sections. Although then you'd fight over the bucket lol. Happy shopping!

Jenn

Update and Cookies

I am doing much better, although I've progressed to the annoying stage of any incision - the itchy tightness stage! I get longer bursts of energy, and I'm bored - which I take to be a good sign that I'm feeling better! Still no major pain. Moved to either nothing or plain Tylenol during the day, and still taking percocet at night since it knocks me out. My voice sounds really funny. I'm hoping that it goes back to normal, especially since voice issues are a side effect of thyroidectomies!

I was showing Rob my bruise from where they drew blood at 5am on Friday morning. I tried to get a pic, but it didn't turn out. The woman came in, asked if she could turn the light on (at least my tech and nurse left the lights off, but then again, they weren't stabbing me with needles), and which side was best. I covered my head with the blanket, and held out my right arm. She proceeded to tap on my arm. Unhappy, she walked around and tapped on my other arm. She then walked around and tapped on the back of my right hand. Satisfied she had a vein and ignoring my comments that my veins were alseep, she poked me with the needle, finished up, and left me alone. Can't they do that at a normal time?!?

The doorbell rang about 5pm tonight. Rob muttered something about how if it weren't for the fact that he's usually here to get the packages, he'd think I was having an affair with the UPS guy. He brings me a box from Mrs. Field's Cookies, now accusing me of sending myself cookies since I had surgery lol. Turns out to be a cute gift basket from my coworkers, Lesa, Stephanie, Lisa, Toni, Katie, Debbie, and Jill. Thanks girls! I tried the macadamia nut ones first - YUM! And of course the basket itself will be used in my scrap room. I'm sure Lisa A. is behind the POLKA-DOTTED ribbon wrapped around the basket though! ;) (It was much prettier than this - I re-tied the bow to take a pic lol).


Thanks to all who have kept me in your thoughts - it sure is working and I've enjoyed talking online to many of you this week!

Jenn

Remember How I Threatened to Ask the Doctor...

...what time he went to bed the night before my surgery? I forgot to tell ya'll that I did just that! He chuckled and said he had been tired so went to bed early. :)

I'm in a cycle of up for a few hours, sleep for a few hours now. My incision site is getting really uncomfortable - sometimes it itches, sometimes it hurts. But I'm still recovering very nicely, must better than I expected. I let Rob out of the house for a few hours, and he's on his way back with Wendy's for me (I wanted a Frosty and fries).
Jenn

I Have Office Supplies in My Neck?!?

When Dr. S (my surgeon) said staples, I didn't realize he really meant those metal things that hold paper together! I took a pic of my incision - gross but still kinda cool. The mark below it is where my drain was. You can see a bit of my new purple jammies. And some of my gross unwashed hair lol - getting ready to take my first shower in two days, woohoo!

My first night at home went well, although I can definitely appreciate why I was in the hospital overnight - my bed doesn't automatically raise and lower lol! Rob was a super nurse, getting me my meds as I needed them. Poor guy, I woke him up at 3am to find out when I'd had them last because I really have no concept of time! I was able to get pudding and the meds myself, but he got up and was ready to help anyway. Love that man!

Jenn

Funny hospital bracelet story

Along with my ID bracelet and the blood info bracelet, they put a bracelet on me listing my allergies. Sounds normal, until you read it and see I'm allergic to lavendar and spearmint! I got a couple comments that sorry I wouldn't be having any spa treatments while I was in the hospital lol! :)
Jenn

Pics from hospital

Here are some pics:
After surgery, drain poking out and I look like I have a giant maxi pad on my neck lol. Notice I have my own jammies on though! :)

The room was much cheerier than it looks here. I was alone for the most part, except the first few hours. I was glad to have a private room! (See the stuffed doggie on my bed lol?)

My first wheelchair ride and going home!! The guy in the hallway is a teen volunteer, very nice kid. You can see part of my incision, the bandage was ripped off (ouch) and only replaced where the drain was.

I'll post a pic of the incision later - gross but kinda cool at the same time lol. Battle scars!

Jenn

Home from surgery - no cancer!

You know how sometimes anticipation is worse than the reality? Well it almost was! I've been a nervous wreck the last couple weeks, but my surgery and hospital experience couldn't have been any better.

We arrived Thursday morning at 5:15am, and happened to meet my prep nurse, Erica, in the elevator. She kept calling me "chica" and was just a little odd. Nice though! She got me to change into the beautiful hospital gown (got to keep my undies on, yay), gave me some goofy slipper socks that were a couple sizes too big (they kept twisting around the whole time I was there lol), and then made me put on these horrid white TED hose that were really tight (kept blood circulating) and two massage thingys around my calves (didn't know how nice those were until they were turned on later - can I have some for home?). She started my IV - my first one ever. It wasn't so bad. I talked to my surgeon and my anesthesiologist and got to hang out with Rob until time to go.

I got wheeled away, and don't remember anything until someone was saying I did really good and it's over. I wasn't even the least bit nauseous and didn't really hurt, so I was confused thinking they weren't talking to me! Then I spent a few minutes wondering if I still had my shower cap thingy on, until I finally reached my hand up to find out it wasn't there lol. I was in and out, and eventually got taken to my room. I got really good news - no cancer! They have to do final testing on it, but there's very little chance it'll be malignant. I'm so relieved! Rob came up with Jill, who had come to the hospital to keep Rob company (thanks for everything Jill!)

I never did feel nauseous (big YAY), pain has been only at about 3-4 out of 10 and that's mostly sore throat. My lip hurts because the breathing tube brushed against it - it's swollen and I look funny lol. I had IV fluids for awhile, but that stopped and I got to put my own jammies on. I had to pee in a "hat" which is really a bowl they set in the toilet - I swear they need to use those for pee tests, so much easier than the little cup! I didn't realize how much IV fluids I got until I peed lol - LOTS! Fortunately I only had to use the hat a few times.

I had "clear liquids" for lunch - jello and Italian ice. I did so well that I got real food later. Take a wild guess what I had for dinner... if you guessed mac & cheese, you're right lol! It was really good, and I enjoyed my chicken caesar salad and strawberry ice cream too. They even had sweet tea! Besides Jill and Rob of course, a couple friends who work at the hospital stopped by to see me - Jan and Cindy.

My nurses were so awesome, I had Elizabeth all day Thursday (Caren was my tech), Eva all night (Pearl was my tech), and then this morning Rhonda and Caren (again). I slept a whole bunch, except when Pearl came in every four hours to do my vitals lol. I had percoset each time, so I ate a lot of pudding throughout the night. Someone decided she needed to draw blood at 5am. My veins weren't even awake then! She had to do it in my right hand!

This morning I was up at 8, ordered breakfast (biscuits and gravy and Italian ice!), ate, had drugs, and went back to bed. Rob got to the hospital, and my sugeon came in, pulled the drain out (ouch) and the tape off (major ouch) and signed my release papers. My incision is UGLY! I'm out of work until late next week, after I get my staples out.

Rob took me home, and I washed my face - felt soooooo good! I have been sleeping off and on throughout the day, and will probably crash again soon. Puppies missed me and have been good about not jumping on me. I missed them last night!

I have some pics but Rob has to find the camera, so I'll post those later.

I want to brag about my wonderful husband - he's been super throughout my whole surgery and leading up to it. He's been there every step of the way, and has jumped anytime I needed anything, whether it's making sweet tea when we got home, helping get me and my IV pole to the bathroom, holding my hand, or just keeping me company. I love you Rob!

Ready as I'll ever be

I've done laundry, packed my bag, eaten a piece of strawberry pie and drank a glass of sweet tea, put fresh sheets on the bed, and taken all my jewelry off (except my wedding ring, which I need to work on - it won't come off!). I'm as ready as I can be for my surgery tomorrow. Oh yeah, I remembered to set the alarm. Did you know alarm clocks can be set as early as 4:30am?!? Who knew?

I took a pic of my neck as it is now - it'll never be the same again. (I was in front of the mirror with the lens facing my neck, and could see the screen in the mirror, cool, huh lol?)

I'll blog again this weekend once I'm home and feeling up to it. Wish me luck!
Jenn

33 Hours and Counting...

About 33 hours from now I should be getting my throat sliced open. I'll have already been at the hospital for a couple hours, waiting to be knocked out.

I've spent the past few days trying not to be nauseous. I took Tylenol PM on Sunday night, but forgot last night - what a difference those two little pills made! I took it again tonight, so I should crash in about an hour. I made the mistake of looking up info about my surgery online. BIG MISTAKE. I really am one of those people for whom ignorance is bliss. I'd rather not know, then the reality is usually not too bad. I haven't packed my bag yet, but the stuffed doggie is gonna be the first thing in there, since I don't think I'd be comfortable with Rob curled up beside me in a hospital bed.

Speaking of Rob, he actually complained to me that I was "setting [him] up for a really boring day on Thursday". Huh? Does he think I'll be laughing and having a grand ol' time? I'd rather sit there and entertain someone else rather than being cut open! Ding-dong! He really is a good guy, he just had a momentary bout of bad judgement :)

My niece, Lexi, is such a sweetheart - she offered to watch the puppies for me while I was in the hospital. My sister reassured her that her Uncle Rob was going to take care of them. She accepted that! She also agreed with her Uncle Rob that ice cream wasn't good for you - traitor! She did admit it tasted good though - and that it could be good for you if it has strawberries in it.

Please think healing thoughts for me - I'll need them!
Jenn

Google Search

I checked out what searches got people to my blog - only three, but they are funny!

TOO MUCH ENABLING - is Google trying to tell me something lol?

how to dress for wacky tacky day - Rob got a kick out of this one, since I do have a post with him all dressed up for the occasion!

shop hop in Tampa, Fl - I do have a post about that, too.

Should be interesting to see what brings people to me in the future!
Jenn

Violette's Stamp Club Projects

I belong to a club at my lss where for $35/year I get 20% off all stamps and a free class each month. We usually make 2 cards. It's been fun and I'm learning to use watercolor pencils (as you've seen in previous posts!). I splurged and bought the 48-pencil set of Prismacolors today :)
Here's this month's cards:

TFL,
Jenn

Pre-Op Done, Now I Wait

I had my pre-op done at our local hospital today. I had a very good experience, so hopefully that means surgery will go well too! Everyone was super-nice and very capable. TONS of paperwork, learned a few things (like you can break your teeth when given anesthesia if you bite down too hard lol!), got 4 vials of blood drawn, had an EKG (never did that before, the sticky things were COLD!), had to pee in a cup (geez is it hard to pee on command, especially when you're in an awkward position!), and had two chest x-rays. Not too bad.

Now just to survive until next Thursday... (the nurse asked if I had stomach problems - yeah, it's called NERVES!)
Jenn

Card Share - My First Bella!

I made this card for my coworker's birthday - she loves to shop even more than I do, if you can believe it! I'm not thrilled with my watercoloring work, but oh well, I still think it turned out cute!

Edit - some have asked about the other stamps - they are a "Fractured Funnies" set from Hambo. I just stamped the "SALE" one over and over for the background, and popped the Bellas and then double-popped the "Now that I have your attention...". BTW, the recipient loved the card :)

TFL,
Jenn