The Queen returns.....

Dearest Wonderful People, I am home! I am home! I am home! I am home! I am doing well, but somethings gotta give about this sleep situation. I CAN NOT get comfortable. I tried the recliner and slept for a while. Can't lay down on the bed - hurts too much. Finally finished the night with Christine and my feet propped on the couch. Of course, Polly, was right on top of EVERYTHING. My inscisions are starting to itch, too. I am still thinking that we must all be TOTALLY NUTZ to do this!!! But once I get thru feeling like Dr. Jenkins stomped on my liver, I think I'm gonna be quite happy! Later today, I will try to update my profile so you guys will have all the gorey details on the hospital stay. Right now, all I can say is this is NOT FOR THE TIMID OR FAINT OF HEART!!! But everyday is alot better than the one before. Jim bought me a 32 oz sippy cup and informed me that "all you have to do is drink 3 of these a day." Easy for him to say!! When your pouch holds only 1 ounce, it takes MONTHS to drink that sippy cup full! No prob with the carnation instant sugar free breakfast - but I never thought I'd say this- I am tired (already) of chocolate! Sissie got me some buttermilk (Yeah, I know, but I LOVE it) yesterday and it was wonderful! - NOT WITH THE CISFB!!! I was totally overwhelmed with the love and support shown to me during my surgery. I couldn't have done this without you guys. Thank you so much for being there for me. I got tons of calls, visits, love, support and happies. You guys are unbelieveable! Each and everyone of you are so special to me and you are all so beautiful. I love you dearly. Many, many, many, many, many smoochies & Hugs Arlies PS the Queen's next-husband-list has gotten completely out of hand!! And John Travolta has been knocked off the top of the list - He didn't call or send flowers or come see me or nuttin'....sigh....But I have added Dr. Jenkins, Dr. Mann, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Dockendorf, and Dr. Dolan (my surgery team) to the top of my list and am planning on moving to Utah so that I can marry all of them at once!!!!

well hun you just go to Utah and marry as many of them you want!!! lmao!! I am sooo glad to hear from you and that everything is getting better by the day!! I hope you can get back to where you can get some sleep PAINFREE really really soon! Take it easy and snuggle up to your sippy cup and get really really acquainted with it because its gonna be your best friend for a long time to come. Love ya hun and take care! God Bless, Angie Bea PS - The Monster boy sends lots of hugs and kisses.

Give my sweet angel boy lots of hugs and kisses for me. Jim made me some Orange Sunrise kool-aid (crystal lite) so I likes me bottle much better now! It takes about all day to drink the 32 ounces tho! I will keep plugging away! I love you bunches! Smooch Arlies

Arlies, what a wonderful way to begin this beautiful sunny Sunday. Hearing from you is such a blessing to all of us. Now, about all these men! You realize if you move to Utah you have a large entourage of peeps who will have to leave our families and follow you. Now that would be sad! You best just stay here in Mississippi with Jim and all of the rest of us. I am looking forward to seeing you, Smiles, Jan ps WELCOME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Sweet Pea! When I move to Utah, I will drag it up here to Conehatta so that I am not too far away! It is wonderful to be home!!! I love you! Smooch Arlies

hey Arlies you best listen to NANNA Jan she might whip me and you both! lol so I retract my earlier statement you gotta stay here. lol Love ya! Angie Bea

Arlies, I am so glad to see that you made it home okay. I left a message on Jim's cell phone yesterday for you to call me and let me know that you made it home safely. I am at my sisters in GA but had to check in on my Queen. You are such a wonderful lady, I have enjoyed every second that I have spent with you this past week. I am glad that I could be there for you. I told you that the forum was going absolutely crazy with you not here. I hope you got some good rest, I don't know what to tell you about how to get comfortable to sleep. Those muscles are so messed up so it is going to hurt for quite a while to lay down. Too bad they did not send that nice big bed home with you. Wouldn't that have been nice. Well, we are fixing to take the kids to play paintball, OUCH... I don't think I want to witness that very much. Glad you are back home and doing well. Love ya!! Rhonda

Rhonda, you were (are) an absolute God-send! And seeing Jay meant alot to me! If I had to play paintball, I think I'd get "killed" early so I could just lay on the ground and rest!!!! I've had two little naps this am and am laying down much better - I found that your ability to lay down is in direct porportion to the amount of pain meds you take!!!! heh...heh...heh... Love you to bits! Smooch Arlies

Hiya Arlies, So glad to hear that you're home safely and doing ok. I'm kinda worried about those Utah thoughts you're having. I thought they PASSED you on your psych exam? If you're tired of the CISFB already, I'd suggest, try some different flavor protein shakes, mixed with 1% of skim milk. I personally love Unjury powder, vanilla flavored and unflavored, to add into just about anything without changing the flavor if it, or the Matrix 5.0 vanilla and chocolate. I can never just stay with one, I get bored of the same flavor after a few shakes. As for the 32 ounce sippi-cup, you just do your best, and sip sip sip all day long. No one expects you to get it all down from day one, but you work yourself up. I'm a sipper, used to be a guzzler, used to be able to gulp half a 20 ounce at one time. Of course that changed after surgery but I still love to drink cold stuff, I can get a 20 ounce down in 30 minutes, so I prepare myself crystal light tea and put it in 20 oz water bottles to take to work with me, One on the way to work, one throughout the day, one at lunch and one more on the drive home. That's 80 ounces, plus my two 8 oz shakes a day, totals 96 a day. Do your best, it will get easier, once you ticked off and contracted pouchie unclamps from being all mad at you for having it cut off your stomach. As those muscles relax, you'll fit more, it'll take about a month or so for that to happen. I hope you have a great day, please extend my "hello" to your hubby and family, Em did such a great job, letting us know about you while you were gone, she's definitely a wonderful little supporter Take care ~~ Andie ~~

Dear Andie, Hey, now, you saw all my cute men!!! You should understand the move I wanna make! Aren't they the most gorgeous men alive???? Jim says hi back to you - he was very impressed with how well you have done! I opened up my carb solutions, vanilla flavor, and it is GREAT!!!! Smooch Arlies