Things I Can't Live Without!!!

Here I am, 60 years old, and never really sick in my life, no operations or hospital stays, etc. Nor have I ever really been around people who have been really sickly for long periods of time. . . . until the past few years. First, it was my sister as she went through appendix cancer with all the chemo, radiation, operations, a broken leg, etc. Then, it was my friend with uterine cancer. Now, my turn!

Each experience teaches you a little bit more. But it isn't until YOU yourself are going through it for real that you realize there are LOTS of things no one told you!
So. . . . print this out, and put it in your "In case I have an Operation" file.

#1. Don't bother worrying about the things you think are important. They are not, in comparison to the other stuff that happens afterwards. There is always pain meds, so pain isn't a biggie. That can be controlled. No one told me about the throwing up, etc. So make sure you have a bucket close by. That was the first thing I learned!

#2. No one told me about constipation. I went 6 days without going. I thought I was ok because there was no pain, etc. But let me tell you. . . . . on second thought, it was all unspeakable! Suffice it to say it felt like I finally gave birth to a baby hippo with pain beyond anything I've ever known. My sister up North seemed to find this the most hilarious thing as I sobbed on the phone with her, only because she went through it, too, and knew exactly what was happening. Forget stitches, forget operations, forget chemo, forget everything that you ever thought was bad in your life ---- this topped everything!

#3. Be prepared to sign your life away to whoever breaks for you as you beg and grovel and moan to to get to go to the pharmacy for the cure. I know have a signed contract with my brother in law and owe him my life. Good guy that he is, he brought me the Milk of Magnesia, the Fleet, etc. I can just see him shopping that aisle and checking out, wondering what the cashier was thinking. . . .????!!!!!!!

#4. Find a place in your home to store these things so they are on hand when it's YOUR turn for an operation, etc. They say that the anesthesia, pain meds, etc., are what cause the constipation. Better to have it at home, ready for use, rather than have to sign away your life later on when you, yourself, can't get out!

#5. You will need a grabber! This thing has been a lifesaver for me, as I soon found out that I can only bend to where my hands might touch my knees. That's as far as I go. This handy-dandy grabber is 26" long, and when you sqeeze the handles at the top, the two "grabbers" on the bottom close on whatever you need to pick up and there you have it. Since I am left handed, and the operation was on the left side, I seem to be dropping everything on the floor lately -- like the toilet paper, pain pills, water bottle, towels, soap in the shower --- it's amazing!!!! And here I am, six feet tall, looking waaaaaaaay down there at whatever it is I dropped, knowing it will probably be there for life. The biggest problem is when I drop the grabber!!!!! So. . . . . you need two of these gadgits. One for the emergency to pick up the grabber you just dropped!



This grabber has come in handy, too, when doing laundry. I pulled my wash basket with it, put my wash in the washer with it, pulled stuff out of the washer and put it in the drier with it, etc. Believe me, when you can't bend and feel like the tin man, you find all kinds of uses for this thingy!

I'm sure as I go along, there will be more important things I'll need to warn you about. But for right now, these are two of the most important.

Oh yes! I forgot! Don't talk to people who laugh a lot. Otherwise, you will end up having to be restitched!!!!!