Hernia Update and Blue Apron Meals

Hi there everyone. Sorry for the long absence. Guess I just did not feel like doing my blog. My only excuse is having surgery last Thursday for this hernia....I am so amazed how this hernia could cause so much Gut pain and just not feeling well for all these months.

So to update you on the colonoscopy and Hernia Surgery.....

I ended up having a colonoscopy last Wednesday. Dr. Flanigan thought she had seen something more in the CT Scan (from Friday, 8/28, there actually was a cyst on a kidney, 2 gallstones and the hernia was the size of a plum, she also saw a suspicious black spot in the intestine) and wanted to check it out more by having the colonoscopy. Well thank God....there was not anything there. I was so amazed by the Doctor that preformed the procedure. He came into my room before the colonoscopy, told me what he would do and what would be expected and then he asked me if he could pray with me....I said, yes!! I just wanted the peace of God to be with me and he prayed for that. I was far more at ease with this one then I was with the first colonoscopy to say the least. The first one, I woke up in the middle of it and felt the pain in my stomach. The Doctor realized I was awake and put me back to sleep. Guess that is why I just did not want to have another one and managed to put off a second colonoscopy for 14 years!!!!

So the colonoscopy was on the 2nd at 7:30 am. I went home after that about 12:00 and rested the rest of the day. Then came back to the hospital the next day at 5:30am, they prepared me for the operation....the waiting was the hardest and the anticipation. Got to watch TV and they gave me warm blankets. We decided that I would stay the night as I just did not know how JP would be and if he would be able to care for me. We made the right decision.

So they wheeled me into the operating room and prepped me, moving me from one bed to the other. My arms were apparently tied down, the nurse said we are going to give you something......and that is the last thing I knew.

Waking up was not so easy....I remember ice chips being put in my mouth and my name being called quite a few times.....oh the blessed sleep. I finally came to and was wheeled out of recovery into a my room. I did rather enjoy my stay at the hospital. JP showed up about 8 or 9pm and stayed till 10pm. As I said before, I am so glad I stayed at the hospital one extra night. I was able to eat, my first meal was an omelet with cheese, mushrooms and spinach and toast with peanut butter and jelly.

So, I went home about 4:30pm. It was decided that JP should take another day off from work. Dr. Flanigan wrote a day-off permission slip so he could watch me for the evening. He had to take that to his employer, by the time he got back, I was ready to go home.

Well, it has been 9 days since the surgery and yes, I am still in some pain and taking pain pills although not as many as in the beginning. Yesterday, 2 all day and maybe today it will be 2, will see by the time I am ready to go to bed. I am getting around now and walking more each day. Hopefully next week I can take Kylie for a walk.

In the following pictures are some of the meals I was able to muster up. The first one is my absolute favorite, so easy to make. JP helped me by making the vegies. I cooked some chicken in the "Nu-wave" and some quick frozen mashed potatoes. It was a very good meal, although it knocked me out for the rest of the evening. We made this pie on Labor Day, so yeah, it was a Labor of Love!!!!

"Tomato & Goat Cheese Pie"

"Fresh Lemon Linguine with Summer Vegetable Sauce & Seasoned Ricotta"

 

I made this meal on Wednesday....see my new bowl....it's a corel dish, I think the meal looked rather nice. This meal was "okay" probably not one of those meals I would make again. Although I did rather like the idea of making the quick tomato sauce with tomatoes and squash, though I may use zucchini next time.

 

I like that I am getting different ideas on making new dishes. Sort of expanding my horizons.

 

Now this meal was really good, I made it tonight. Loved the Freekeh and the way it was cooked, I shall have to look for it at the stores. Not even sure what nationality it comes from. But yeah....this meal was really good and I am sure JP will like me to make this one again.

"Crispy Catfish & Freekeh with Corn-Cherry Tomato Saute &Marjoram"

My next box from Blue Apron comes this Thursday...I am looking forward to it and it will have some great new recipes. If you are interested in receiving a free box of food from Blue Apron, let me know as I was given a chance to give 3 friends a box of food. Just leave a comment that you are interested and I will send your email to Blue Apron Here is their site.



Kylie, nesting on my chair with our new purple blankey, that both of us enjoy.

Last but not least here is Kylie, being a good nurse to her mommy. She has liked that I have hung around the house with her.

 

Well, I better close this blog down....it has gotten pretty long and wordy I suspect....but hey...it's been 16 days since I last posted...must be a record for me.

 

You all have a good evening and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

42 Years & Counting

Hi there everyone....how is your day going? Today we celebrated 42 years of marriage. We did not do anything....nope, not this time around. Guess I am not in a celebrating mood. I thought I was going to buy a cake at Walmart, but decided not to. I have not even made a card, what's up with that????

I guess it is mostly because I am facing hernia surgery next week and tomorrow I have to have a CT scan....so maybe my heart is not in this right now. Maybe after the surgery and recovery I can think about doing something special.

Here is a picture of JP and I at "Red Lobster" (thus the bibs) celebrating our 37th anniversary in 2010. The waitress took this picture of us....looks like happy times to me. Oh and the food was delicious too. No, don't remember what it was.

This picture was taken at Christmas time, looks like Kylie is pretty young there and maybe I was still working as a merchandiser, my last year of working was 2010. So maybe this picture was taken in 2006 or '07.

This picture was taken maybe about 3 years ago (2012) there abouts. Not sure if it was around one of our anniversaries or not....just one of the few times we went on a boat for a fun day.

Ummmm.....guess we don't take a lot of pictures of ourselves, as you can see. Too bad I did not date these pictures...my camera now dates pictures I take....but not then.

Well, I guess that is about it for now.....I have to get ready to make JP's dinner and maybe make a fast card. I need to go to bed soon
because I have to get up early to leave for the hospital tomorrow morning about 6:15am....uge, I am not an early rising person, so this will be tough. If you think about me tomorrow morning and on September 3rd, I would appreciate your prayers.

Have a great day and keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

A Poem About Coffee

Hi there everyone....well, it's Wednesday... hump day!! I will make this short......very short. Not sure where I picked this picture up of the coffee cup and poem...might have been Pinterest, (I remembered...Diana's blog) it tickled my funny bone when I saw it and had to save it to my files for future use.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to blog about...first thought was to make this a "Wordless Wednesday" kinda blog. But...I guess that won't be happening because look at all the words I have typed so far...hahaha!!

I love coffee...but a good cup of tea is fine too. I usually have a cup of coffee every day...but I can go without for a couple of days...actually went 10 days recently, with no coffee, was feeling pretty good, then I gave in for a cup of Jo. I guess you can say, I am not addicted to it....and that is good. Years ago, back in the 80's I had a pot of coffee going all day long and would drink the whole pot and then brew another pot and drink that. Yeah....I was addicted to caffeine, then I would take asprin to counter act the aches and pains....gosh, I was a mess. Then I got a bleeding ulcer and lost a lot of blood....almost died. I was rushed to the hospital. A week later (October, 1981) JP ended up in the hospital with a nervous break-down. We were quite the pair, both of us in the hospital at the same time.  Crazy times.

But, I did not learn my lesson and in 1986 I ended up again in the hospital with another bleeding ulcer...same circumstances..drinking too much coffee, taking too many asprin and trying to do to many things, wearing too many hats....working in the flesh and not in the spirit. That was my biggest problem. The Doctors ended up operating and cut the nerves in my stomach accidently touching the spleen and that bled and they had to remove the spleen. I have a big scar on my stomach to remind me everyday of how careless I was at 40.

Why am I telling you this....I don't know. But I guess to tell you what coffee can do if you are not careful. Maybe some people can handle a lot of coffee....but I guess this girl cannot. "Others can, I can't"

Well I guess that is all for today....you all have a great day and keep looking up. Tomorrow is another day, or today is that is.
Cheers ~ Louise