Sunday, Nov 19

As usual, my apologies for not writing sooner. I plead exhaustion.... The great news is that for the past five days I am having several hours at a time of NO PAIN. This is a beautiful thing. Considering that something in my right chest/back or sternum has been constantly painful since August, this is really terrific. It also makes me feel like there might actually be a time when there is almost no pain all the time. Wow. Additionally, when I do something that causes pain (ie grocery or cat stuff shopping), it takes less time to go away. I'm not even using Tylenol or Motrin all that regularly! So this is all good. The bad news is that the fatigue continues. I'm so exhausted from the work week that I can't even make it go away completely on the weekends. Still only lasting about five hours, although trying to work for six. Get home and collapse. The other issue is my sleep cycle is still really off: Lay there and stare at the ceiling for hours, and yes, I am taking something. Had to go in Friday am, didn't get to sleep until 0200, then up at 0615. Even this weekend I couldn't get regulated. I have stopped all caffeine by early afternoon, no sugar or protein after 5 pm. Tonight I am trying Martha's suggestion of a warm bath and then getting into bed. I'm totally exhausted, so really hoping it will work. But hey, on Tuesday it will just be two months, so this is all to be expected.

On another note: My Fellowship in Warrington is having a Red Cross blood drive on Friday, 11/24. There certainly is no way that I can donate: it will just be two months since my last transfusion after the lung surgery, and you have to wait at least 3, if not 6, months post-transfusion to even consider donating. For any of you that are physically able, please try and donate this holiday season, which is frequently a time that donations go down and the need goes up. After my first heart surgery, because of the multiple times on bypass, I needed at least 3-4 units of blood and blood products. Obviously, I would have died without that much blood. After the second heart surgery I never needed transfusions, but I wasn't stable after the lung surgery and needed a pint. I will always be grateful to those unknown people who took the time and effort to contribute to saving my life. Someday I want to donate the amount that I was given, hopefully double. In the meantime, please do this for me in thanks to those who gave the blood when I was in need.

Thanks again for checking in, and, if I don't update this before Thursday, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Laurie