First day back at work

Welp, my first day back at the old salt mines has gone very well. I got kinda tired at one point while boothing, but my energy level came back pretty quick. Was actually pretty fun writing and putting together a show again. But, as I've said before, it was very nice that an extra associate producer (Sarah) was here to help. Reduced my normal stress level by a lot.

Also very good to get to see my friends from work again. Everyone seemed glad to have me back. Some crazy stories in the news this morning... the most memorable for me besides the turmoil in the Middle East and northern Africa: a Sacramento news crew is attacked by mourners who said the newspeople got too close to their memorial service... and a Massachusetts doctor who crashed his SUV into a liquor store then appeared to try to steal beer from it. The doctor claims the whole thing was an accident (eyeroll).

Having some issues with my ostomy bags not sticking to my skin the way they're supposed to... leading to me having to tape down the edges with medical tape. The ordeal seems to be causing some irritation to my skin also. Not sure what the deal is. Will ask the doctor on Wednesday.

Ah well, that's enough blogging for today. As always, thanks for reading!

Back to work

Well, heading back to work tonight. Been almost a month since I've set foot inside the station. Am fairly confident that I'll make it through the night without any problems, but bringing an extra ostomy bag and my pain medicine just in case. I'm sure everyone at work will be glad to see me. Hope I still remember how to produce the show :-P

Feeling better and stronger every day still. Will still be a couple weeks before my energy level is back at 100%, but I'm getting there more and more every day.

Finally talked myself into shaving off the mess of hair on my head. Feels much better (and cleaner and lighter lol). Forgot how much I liked having it shaved... last time I did it was in early October. Had gotten really tired of the mess that the flattop had grown into. I'll probably grow it back at some point.

That's enough for now I guess... I'll post again later and let everyone know how my first day back at work went.

Haven't had much to update in the last few days... nothing much has changed. Still getting a little stronger every day... am able to stay on my feet for longer periods of time. Going back to work Sunday night/Monday morning. Can't believe I'm actually looking forward to it! Well, I do enjoy my job, but it's nice to have a break once in a while. I remember thinking a while back that it would be nice to be able to take like a month off from work... didn't want it to happen this way though. Glad that Jamie my news director is going to keep an extra person (Sarah) on our shift to help out though. I'm able to go back to work but still am not quite 100%. I was just going to suggest having her on standby if we need her. Not sure how Sarah feels about the idea though.

Trying to get used to staying up all night again... was nice being on a non-vampire schedule for a while though. The overnight hours are so boring when I'm not at work though... not even anything good on TV.

Trying not to take pain meds unless I really have to, but sometimes the pain is just more than I can deal with. It's not severe pain, just really nagging soreness that makes it hard to move around. Really, really don't want to get addicted.

Getting out of the house more and more. Been going out (Nick's driving... I'm still not allowed to) for a couple hours about every other day. Been loving this warm weather we've been having. Too bad I know it won't last. East Tennessee has cold spells into April usually.

Probably going to shave my head this weekend... finally made up my mind on that and finally have the strength to stand in front of the mirror and do it. Too bad there are no barbers that make house calls haha.

OK, I guess that's enough of this boring blog update. Thanks as usual for reading.

Saturday progress update

Went out to eat Friday for the first time since everything happened. Nick treated me to a burger at Red Robin. Delicious. Felt good to be able to get away from the house for an hour or so even though I was exhausted by the time I got back home. Tonight made it up the stairs for the first time. When we rented this split-level townhouse apartment, I never envisioned the stairs being a problem. The shower is upstairs so I've been stuck taking sponge baths for the last few days. Felt good to finally take a shower. Haven't felt this clean in forever... sponge baths just don't cut it.

Been having some episodes where my temperature jumps up to 99.5 and I feel like crap. Doctor said not to worry unless it gets over 100.3, but I don't like feeling like crap. Hopefully those episodes stop soon. Been taking a little more pain medicine than I have earlier in the week. I think my body is getting used to hydrocodone so it's not working as well. Trying to avoid taking higher dosages... don't want to end up addicted. I've got enough problems already without being addicted to pain pills.

On the upside for the last several hours I've felt better than I've felt all week and even though I did take a pain pill this afternoon, I've just been feeling good. Not a pill-induced high sort of good. I suppose that's a good thing.

Still debating on shaving my head again... for those who don't know me, I tend to agonize over inconsequential decisions. Have my whole life. Ah well I'm sure I'll make up my mind sooner or later. It's only hair... if I regret the decision, it grows back.

Have also gotten back to my side endeavor of writing DVD reviews online. I don't make any money off of it so there's no conflict with my job, but I do get free DVDs so that's definitely a huge perk. My review of "Rocky & Bullwinkle The Complete Series" was published today and there should be one up shortly that I wrote reviewing "Futurama Volume 5."

Anyhoo, enough blogging for tonight. Hoping my recovery continues quickly... can't wait to get back to work... I honestly do miss my job, especially after having been away from it for over two weeks now. See you all later!

Staples came out today. What an experience that was. Most of them didn't hurt that bad to come out but a couple did. Turns out theres an area that's collecting fluid that I'm going to have to keep drained. Kinda squeamish about doing it too. Had an anxiety attack over it while waiting in the doctor's office lobby for them to bring a wheelchair to help me get back to the car (I can walk... it was just a really really long trip to the car. Parking at UT Medical Center is atrocious.) And they had to treat me for that before I went home.

On the upside it was nice getting out of the house for a little while even if it was exhausting. And my abdomen feels much better with the staples gone. I have a little freer range of motion now. Just gotta keep eating and keep getting strength back.

Getting a little frustrated with my hair also... the flattop I had now is just a big mess. I know I'm not going anywhere and I'm not seeing anybody that I need to impress, but I like to look nice despite what's going on. I'd just shave it all off again for convenience and comfort (and I like it that way), but I've lost at least 15 pounds through this whole ordeal, some of that in my face. I don't want to look scary... but then again nobody's really going to see me so maybe I should just make myself happy. I don't know... I'll figure it out I suppose.

OK day two of the blog. Had a pretty good day today. Getting much easier to get up off the couch and walk around. Hopefully I'll be able to make it up the stairs soon. Still on a lot of pain meds but hopefully not much longer. Staples come out Thursday morning. Need to get up and clean up and shave and stuff. I have like a month's worth of beard and it looks and feels awful.

Don't think I've actually sat down and watched this much TV at one time in years. Definitely haven't watched the WATE 5-6:30 news in a long time. We do some damn good reporting sometimes.

Oh well enough for today. Don't really have anything else to talk about.

What's happened to me over the last few weeks

OK so here we go again with blogging. A good friend/co-worker suggested I blog to pass the time while I'm laid up on the couch recovering from surgery so I decided to take her up on the challenge. If you're not a fan of graphic medical knowledge/terminology, I suggest you stop reading here, because I'd like to share the sordid details of my medical crisis with the world even if no one actually cares to read.

In September 2001, when I was a junior in high school I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Simplified, my body decided it didn't like my colon anymore and attacked it. Caused horrible bloody diarrhea, weight loss, vomiting, etc. So while the rest of the world was grappling with the effects of the 9/11 disaster, I was very sick, fighting a very serious disease. Surgery was an option then, but because I was so young and they hadn't tried a regimen of medicine yet, the docs went that route. It took a while and I missed my entire junior year of high school, but eventually they got it in check and it stayed that way for about 9 years.

Flash forward to this fall. I guess I had been ignoring some of the warning signs... some weight loss, diarrhea, etc. Around Christmas the disease started to get really bad and by early January I was really sick. I took a week's vacation from work (just to take the vacation-- nothing to do with feeling sick) and was sick in bed the whole time. When I came back to work I wasn't any better, even though I had seen my doctor and he raised my medicine dosage. There were a few mornings I almost didn't make it through the show. One morning, one of my co-workers had to take over and finish my shift for me I was so sick. I went back to the doctor and he immediately admitted me to the hospital for tests.

After a colonoscopy, it was determined that my colon was so diseased, that although it wasn't an emergency, if they didn't take it out soon, it would likely soon tear. So I made the tough choice to have the surgery. The doctors completely removed my colon and created what's called a J-Pouch out of small intestine that will someday function as a psuedo-colon. In the meantime, my waste comes out in an illeostomy bag that I have to empty a few times a day.

Recovery from surgery isn't proving to be easy. I'm still in a lot of pain and it's hard to get up and walk around much. Having to sleep on the couch because I can't make it upstairs to my bedroom yet. I can't wait to get back to work and back to a normal life. The doctors say once everything is healed, I'll be healthier than I ever have been. My appetite is already a thousand times bigger than it was before I got sick.

When all is said and done, no more worrying about eating something wrong that might hurt my digestion or feeling sick like that again. I still look a fright. I lost quite a bit of weight through the ordeal. Well hopefully anyone who's still reading isn't grossed out and now understands what I've been going through. At least I've gotten to vent my story somewhere.

I'll try to keep the blog updated as time goes by, let everyone know how I'm improving and what's going on in my life. I'm very thankful for my friend/roommate Nick who's doing everything he can to help take care of me while I'm out of commission.

OK this was a long blog post... I probably won't have that much to say again. Thanks for reading!