What a couple of months!

[Guest guest]

Dear Pals,

The past couple of months have been really interesting and full of challenges, but thankfully I have come through. I got very painful a couple of months ago, right after having a flu that seemed to hit my hardware. I'm sure my bolts were to blame, I was fine when I was up walking and standing, but had take your breath away pain while getting up from a seated position, or when laying down. Over the past two months it improved slowly, and about two weeks ago it just vanished, glad it did, as I sure don't know what brought it on. So when Edie's Dr. Bendo says, you have good weeks and bad, he's sure right. At five years post-op my head was sure spinning as to what could be the culprit with this pain, and kinda let my head run away with it. So even this far out I guess there will be challenges, even for me who has had a remarkable recovery, and have been painfree a long time.

I met up with a lady out here in Denver from Florida having surgery with Dr. Kumar, we had lunch, her and her Mother, and not knowing what she looked like I knew her coming, she had a classic Flatback stance. Yesterday I drove up and visited her after her surgery, they let me into ICU, and then helped the nurses move her down to her regular room. Mia sure looked better than I did at that stage following surgery, even with having to lay down all the time due to a dural tare, and she has a pressure sore on her chin from being on her stomach for so long. I'm trying to get her to join here, she was so surprised to meet me through Kumar, she thought she was the only one going through all this. I have made so many good friends from this group and through helping Kumar with his patients.

For all the gals at the last retreat and knew my Mom was having breast cancer surgery, there has been a turn for the worst with her. She has done almost a year of a protein treatment through the cancer center, and two weeks ago she started coughing, was coughing up blood, and after tests and a PET scan they have found the cancer has spread to her lungs, and unfortunately it's terminal. Just wanted to let you gals know, you were all so supportive of me while I was at the retreat, and it meant so much to me. Since we have no timetable on how this will go, I'll be here when I'm at home, but won't when I have to be out there in Boise to help with her care.

Camille, I and Nan will have an annoucement about the next retreat in May, it will be a good time, the last one was a blast.

I like many of you are enjoying spring, nice 50 degree day here, after a light dusting of snow last night. I'm just itching to get out and plant stuff in my yard, just a bit early for us yet.

I love hearing the stories of the gals freshly through the surgery, and how they are getting back to their lives. Revision was and is one of my best gifts.

Colorado Springs