Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Life's Little Instructions


(Molly's improved list from H. Jackson Brown Jr.)

Sing in the shower.
Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
Never refuse homemade brownies.
Learn to drive a stick-shift car.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
Compliment 3 people every day.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Leave everything a little better than you found it.
Keep it simple.
Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Floss your teeth.
Overtip breakfast waitresses.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Say, "Please" and  “Thank you” a lot.
Avoid negative people.
Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.

Remember other people’s birthdays.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Carry jumper cables in your truck.
Have a firm handshake.
Send lots of Valentine cards.
Sign them, “Someone who thinks you’re terrific.”
Look people in the eye.
Call your mom
Be the first to say hello.
Return all things you borrow.
Make new friends, but cherish the old ones.
Keep a few secrets.
Plant flowers every spring.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Stop blaming others.
Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Wave at kids on school buses.

Be there when people need you.
Feed a stranger’s expired parking meter.
Don’t expect life to be fair.
Never underestimate the power of love.
Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I made a mistake.” or "I don't know"
Compliment even small improvements.
Keep your promises no matter what.
Marry for love.
Rekindle old friendships.
Count your blessings.



Testing


This week has been one of those weeks. But, all the yucky stuff is over, so it's basically like it's Friday!  

You know when you have been poked a lot when you can tell the nurse what veins work and which ones do not! Or when you have a favorite spot to be poked... Mine is my left hand:) I have a big fatty vein right there, where as  the veins in my arms are kind of pathetic and hard to find. The picture does NOT do it justice, but I got a big ol' bruise on my right hand from the mean lady from radiology when I got a CT scan. 


But wait... I am getting way ahead of myself. On Monday while I was in class Dr. Hansen called me to tell me I needed to have my testing done that afternoon. So, after class was over, two of my roommates (Jessica and Ashley) drove me around for several hours as I was shuttled from office to  office. I went to see Dr. Hansen and he said I was healing very well from my appendectomy. Then I went to Madison Memorial Hospital and drank contrast. They tried to disguise it with grape juice, but it only tainted grape juice for me. For those of you who don't know what contrast tastes like, thank your lucky stars. I thought it was bad when I was little and we had to eat beets. I would eat a whole jar of beets 5x over instead of drinking contrast. Anyways, I finally got back to the radiology department and changed into a gown. Mean nurse lady drew lots and lots of blood before feeding me some more contrast through the IV. She had some fun digging the needle around in there, and voila. Gigantic bruise seen above. The CT scan wasn't too long. I just had to lay on my back and this huge machine just kept moving me back and forth. The machine told me when to breathe and when to hold my breath. 
This morning I had to go see an OBGYN and had an endometrial biopsy done. Not an experience I care to relive. However, the nice nurse lady (from here on NNL) gave me some medicine to make me sleepy and relax my muscles so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was very much aware of my surroundings, but my doctors were really nice and tried to be as gentle as possible.When they finally got the sample, the NNL gave me goldfish and some water. My legs were rather jelly like, so NNL and Jess helped me out to the car so I didn't fall.  And then I went to sleep off the medicine. 
So now, all the testing is finally done! I meet with Dr. Hansen in a 1.5 weeks to be officially diagnosed with something. Mumsy is going to come down to help me make some big decisions. After my appointment on Friday, I am going to drive down to Utah with my mom and meet with a specialist in Salt Lake City. 
So, to sum it all up I don't know too much yet. But, answers are coming soon! 
Meanwhile, this weekend I am going to play at my sister's house in Utah where I am not known as the possible cancer kid:) Call of Duty with popcorn and shopping-here I come with open arms!


things that make me happy:]

  • colored goldfish
  • jane sent me a present in the mail!! its even wrapped
  • tv show FRIENDS- it brings out my belly laugh "either he goes, or i'm buying a coyote"
  • mashed potatoes- one of the few foods that my stomach can keep down right now
  • ibuprofen
  • roommates 
  • FAMILY [<3]
  • Mumford and Sons album
  • sleep. sleep is goooood



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

THE STORY

Hello everybody!
It has been a long time since I have blogged.  Once you go a little while without doing it, it is kind of hard to get motivated to get back into the swing of things.





My aunt Taunie got me motivated to get back into the swing of things.

THE STORY:
October 18 I woke up feeling really pathetic and sick. I call my mom reallll early in the morning and   was panicking a bit. She told me to go to the health center on campus. I called and made an appointment for after my classes that day (12:30). Big mistake waiting so long. I started throwing up at 10. I somehow made it to my appt and said I was going to throw up on the nurse' shoes. That whipped her into a frenzy. The doctor tried touching my tummy but I pushed him away. So, I got poked a few times and then they finally found my veins. Normal white cell count is 9 or 10 thousand. Mine was 16 thousand... So, they drove me to the surgeon's office (Dr. Dwayne Hansen is the best surgeon in Rexburg, I fully recommend him!) He looked at me and decided we needed to have emergency surgery. I didn't have a car and I also wasn't really in any condition to drive so his son drove me to the hospital. This was about 3:30 and I was SO ready for pain medicine as well as anti-nausea medicine.... I wasn't exactly the pleasurable person at that time of day. They gave me drugs around 4:30 and I don't remember too much after that. I had surgery that night around 6 pm to remove my appendix. The overall hospital experience was not bad at all. Everyone was friendly and I was taken care of very well. 
I didn't tell very many people that I had to go to the hospital. Partly because I hate being the center of attention and it all happened so fast. But I did tell my roommate so she wouldn't worry when I didn't come home that night. 


So, I had some surprise mixed in with my grogginess when the nurse told me I had a herd of people in my room waiting to see me. Turns out they had been waiting for hours to see how I was doing. THAT is how freakin' awesome my roommates are. And, they bought me beautiful yellow flowers along with chocolate. And they drew distracting pictures on my whiteboard. (sure the nurses loved me haha)
Along with my roommates were a few friends from the ward and my home teachers. Bless them, they met me for the first time in the hospital bed all pasty white and drooling from the medicine. AND they still talk to me!
After everyone left, the night time nurse hooked me up with this gigantour tv that had netflix AND hulu plus AND xbox. It almost made up for my neighbor screaming like a banshee all.night.long.

After drinking my weight in broth and grape juice, I was stoked when Dr. Hansen took me off the clear liquid diet the next day. My aunt Taunie and cousin Linzie strolled in while I was watching Warrior with my sweetest friend ever, Tori. (She hooked me up with the good stuff: chocolate ice cream). They hung out and kept me company while my mom drove down from Spokane.  When my mom showed up she dealt with all the paperwork. So glad. ( Even though I am almost 21, I do not feel old enough to fill out hospital papers for myself.)

Before we left the hospital, Dr. Hansen told us about a large cyst they found on my ovary while they were digging around in there. He cut off a wall and drained 1.5 liters of liquid. Grossssss. The cyst shrank down after he cut it, but he sent a sample to the pathologist just in case. Good thing he did too. Something is wrong with me.

We do not know if it is cancer yet. This week I have gone through some testing, and I am doing some more tomorrow. We should know next Monday.


Like most people would be, I am scared of what the future holds for me in the next six months. Even if I don't have cancer, I still need to be treated for something. However, I know that everything will be okay in the end. In the last week I have prayed harder than probably any other time in my life. I have a great support system which includes my immediate as well as extended family and my amazing friends here in Rexburg.



things i am grateful for :]

  • my braces are off!!! 
  • my mom brought my snowboarding jacket with her. after all, I am living in Rexburrrrrrrg.
  • my roommates- they are my family for right now
  • awesome home teachers
  • excellent doctors 
  • modern medicine and technology
  • my comfy bed and pillows- i have spent some serious time on both of these
  • the girls in my Ed Psychology class 
  • my body is healing rather well from my appendectomy 
  • Hot showers. probably my favorite part of the day
  • my hair is growing out... i know it's shallow but i am so excited