I'm alive....ALIVVVVVVEEEE!!!

Hey all, First and most important, thank you all so much for all of the emails and notes I've recieved. It has meant a great deal to have ya'all out there praying for me. Second, sorry it's taken me so long to get back to the computer. My desk chair is, of course, the only REALLY uncomfortable chair in the house. LOL! So if this email gets cut short, you'll kow why... Okay, so I showed up Wednesday AM at Good Sam, everything went smooth. The last thing I remember pre-surg is being in the operating room and shcmoozing two of the nurses into stopping by my room later and buying by book (hows that that shameless, and they never did show up, lol) The anestheia guy was joking with me and the last thing he said was "Okay Perry, Good--" If he said "night", I missed it! Woke up in recovery in a lot of pain. Poor Vic, I've always been a "grit your teeth and bear it" kind of guy and this was the first time she's ever seen me really hurting and unable to mask it. She had a rough time. Vic's best friend, Beth, stayed the day with her and, per our previous discussion, insisted on taking Vic away from the hospital and out to a nice dinner for a couple of hours. Went to sleep, woke up still hurting and discovered the joy that is the morphine button! Got up and walked, wow was THAT a reality check! I don't know if I've ever understood what vulnerability really felt like until I was trying to cross that 10 feet of hospital room. The second night was a little rough. Somehow they forgot about me (both dinner and night meds) and I woke up around 3am feeling pretty bad. The nurse took care of things right away. I'll tell you what, I've never liked hospitals (bad childhood exps) but Good Sam was the nicest, friendliest group of folks I've ever dealt with. They were tops! Okay, so I do the leak test (OMG!) passed, and had a friend pick me up in his explorer so I wouldn't have to fold mself into my Civic. It seemed like a really long drive home. They had borrowed a "Lift" reclyner (Very nice) and set me up in this when we got home. Between the Percocet and my new "Get Fuzzy" books, I've kept pretty entertained, though it feels like I'm eating and drinking all day long to get the protein and water down. Night can get long but everything is, in the grand scheme, going wonderful. Walking a little further every day. Well, that wonderful spot over my ribs is starting to complain, so I'm going to sign off and go dig out an Abbot & Costello movie. Blessings all! I'll check back with more soon! -Perk Perry P. Perkins Novelist Just Past Oysterville: Shoalwater Book One www.perryperkinsbooks.com

Perry, Woohoo for you! Glad to hear you're "on the mend". Did you end up with Lap or Open? TTFN, Michele

glad to hear from ya perry... I am also glad to hear that your already able to get your water and protien in... I found this extremly difficult.. heck I still find my liquids hard.. theresa

Yay Perry! So happy to hear from you! Glad to hear you are alive and kicking. Did you have the lap? Seems to me that tends to be more painful than the open, but I suppose it depends on each person's anatomy. Glad to have you back. Look forward to hearing more about how you are doing once you have healed up enough to take on the uncomfortable chair! Dina

YAY!!!!!! I so excited for you Perry!! Welcome to the other side (as they say)!! I've been thinkin about ya a lot!! I know there is a lot of anxiety those final days before surgery!! My first walk was a reality check too!! I was convinced that my wound would bust open and all my guts would come tumbling out onto the floor of the ward! It was a re-occuring dream too!! Anyway....glad to hear your home and recovering! Exciting times ahead! We're all hear for ya!! Welcome home!

Nice update, Perry! Great that you finally made it home! Wen were rooting for ya! Thanks for the info on the hospital. I, too will be int here soon. My date is June 1rst, I have Dr. Hong also from Oregon Clinic. I will be having RNY, (not open) I will be using you as my guinea pig, and will be milking you for more info, when I get out. Good luck, and a warning: DON'T START GETTING HOOKED ON THOSE SOAP OPERAS!

Great to hear from you Perry. Very happy that all went so well. Looking forward to more updates. I'm still pre-op--jumping through the hoops. I had my "pajama party" not too long ago and found I have sleep apnea. I was really surprised, but maybe it explains my exhaustion. Pam

Congratulations! It does feel good to finally have your experience happen, the good and bad. You are so lucky to have that chair, I was wishing for one those first few nights. If you like Abbot & Costello, you would probably like my Laurell & Hardy tapes! Keep up the liquids, and heal quickly! Patty

Welcome back and CONGRATS!

Hey all, Thanks again! To answer your questions, I had the Lap, so I have a half-dozen or so inscisions. The only two that seem to bother me (esp when I cough - stupid alergies!) are the two on my far left side. Those feel like Mike Tyson punches every time the happy pills wear off. Pretty happy with how the medication regeim is going. Started out with two percocet every 4 hours. Dropped to 1.5 on Sunday, down to 1 as of yesterday. If today goes well, I'll started increasing the time between meds by an hour a day. Also hoping to make it a block past the mailbox (3 blocks away) for my walk today. The liquids are so hard to get down! It's not that I have an aversion to water, it just seems like I have to drink ALL THE TIME. I have noticed some of the dislike of sweets. My favorite peach crysal light is SO sugary now that I have to at least double the amount of water to make it palatable. I think I'm just going to make ice cubes out of it and drop those in my Bubba Keg (water glass). Sugar free popscicles are the best things in the world! Has anyone found bananna? I'm desperately searching! LOL! Mary, I had the same dream, and a couple of worse ones that don't bear mentioning. Our minds are funny things. (Vickie offered an "Amen" from the living room on that.) Dr. Patterson did her usual, wonderful job. I guess she stopped by to see me a couple of times, but I don't remember. She had to leave for a conference on Friday, so Dr. Hong visited me gave the the okay to head home. He seemed like a really nice guy as well, very attentive and friendly. We don't get TV reception (our choice) so Soap Operas are not a concern (PTL!). Been watching a few movies and am waiting for my Season 1 Friends DVDs to arrive. (Hi, I'm Perry and I'm a "Friends" junkie..." Hopefully those wont take over my life and I will get some writing done in this time off, maybe even finish book two, as I promised my agent I would. Otherwise, he may fly west and kick my new, skinny butt. Enjoying the Abbott and Constello movies ("The Time of Our Lives" is my all time favorite). Never had much exposure to Laurel & Hardy. My number 1 comedy duo is Matteau and Lemon. I have all thier movies. Please feel free to ask me any questions, I have plenty of time to answer. If you are internet savvy, go to google and seach for "Basil White Diary". Thsi is the journal of a stand up comic who had the surgery a few years ago, it is a riot and very informative! Okay, time to go, breakfat (lol) is ready and I hear Mike Tyson growling. Blessings everyone! -Perk Perry P. Perkins Novelist Just Past Oysterville: Shoalwater Book One www.perryperkinsbooks.com