Doug E. Pudge

Getting Back To Normal

You know, I was thinking. Well it's been a few days since I have been radioactive and since I have blogged. Let me start with the update on my current condition. The disc was removed on Friday afternoon, while removing the disc the surgeon noticed that the tumor was already shrinking! This is of course great news! Also during the procedure some kind of solution got over into my right eye (the good one) which caused it to sting and burn most of the evening. After using eye wash and wetting drops several times I decided that I would just go up to bed, take a Vicadin and try to rest. I did not sleep real well until around 2 a.m. at which time the pain subsided and I was able to rest. I slept in on Saturday and got to feeling a lot better so like anybody who had been laid up for a week in the house I was ready to get out! So off I went to do some shopping with Rachel and then to play rehearsal. I said to myself that if I got too tired I would just come off stage and sit the rest out! I knew that I would never do that but it is what I said I would do. So, after participating in the entire rehearsal, I was exhausted! I had no energy left in me and my neck, back and chest were getting sore. By the time 9:00 rolled around I couldn't lift my head off of the pillow without helping it with my hand. Rachel returned home from picking up Daniel and immediately began to read the post-op instructions. We read that this kind of pain was normal and that the pain meds should help. Vicadin wasn't helping much at first but once again about the middle of the night the pain started to go away. I spent most of Sunday just laying in bed watching videos and finally got out of bed around 4:00! I was feeling better and it appeared that the worst was over.

Monday brought a great new day for me. I woke up feeling weak but good! Most of the pain had gone and I was thinking pretty clearly again. I went out and walked the dog in the early afternoon. I felt so good to get out that our walk went more than a mile. When I got home I knew that we needed more paint for the people finishing our house so I got in the car (fist time behind the wheel in a week) and went to Home Depot. Other than the fact that my left eye is still dilated and blurry, I felt pretty good behind the wheel. In fact I felt so good that I made a stop at Sam's club before I went home. All in all yesterday was a good day.

Today I am at the Waterford library where the wireless high speed internet is making short work of some things that I needed to do (like this post). I feel really good today and am planning on being back to work tomorrow morning. I can't stand just sitting around watching TV, videos or playing on the computer. I have a hard time sitting still. But I do know that I have needed to rest.

As I have said several times already God has blessed me through this process. I have learned that He really is in control. I did experience some anxiety both on Sunday afternoon before the first surgery and on Friday morning before the second. But that allowed me to lean on some people that I needed to lean on for support. One thing is for certain, I haven't had to go through this alone. God has sent me people every step of the way for encouragement and comfort. I know that many of you had been praying for a miraculous healing of my tumor but that wasn't God's plan. I am really not sure what His BIG plan is in this whole thing but I do know that He is in control. I am so blessed that I cannot even begin to explain it and I know the source of those blessings. I will leave you with this thought today, keep your eyes fixed on the Savior and don't get in His way! Be blessed beyond belief today.

posted by Doug E. Pudge @ 10:30 AM