Our dear friend, Tina, came to take Fred and me out on some errands, since neither one of us can drive right now. First stop – Campbell County Clerk’s office to apply for our marriage license. Wow. It’s really happening. He signed his name. I signed mine. In 15 days, Pete Gosney will sign his name, Emily and Krista will sign theirs – and we’ll be official. The thought of being truly married to Fred takes my breath away.

My boss from the office called to tell me there are many changes afoot. They have decided to make the Kentucky obituaries a paid service where the directors will write them and submit them online. What this mean is that I will return to writing Good Things Happening and Feature Obituaries, plus support the reporters in writing briefs and rails. I’m excited about that. Being able to write again and be creative will be fun. I think I’ve learned even more in this year of not writing Good Things that I think I will be better at writing the column when I return. I’ll have my byline in the paper again too.

May I see a show of hands from all those who think I should hyphenate to Listermann-Strange or stay Listermann or become completely Strange? (oh the possibilities!)

ML Pester-Listermann-Strange

It’s official. Fred moved in. Now I’m feeling a bit guilty since we aren’t married yet. However, in light of recent events, it was a necessity. He officially moved in last week-end, after I came home from the hospital. I’m so glad Fred is here. He has been wonderful.

Now, I get to help take care of him too. We’re certainly a couple of health wacko’s, aren’t we? I can’t imagine what would have happened if Fred had blacked out alone at his apartment. He could have been hurt worse than he was here, and he would have been so alone. I hate the thought of that. Thankfully that was not the scenario.

He is complaining of a headache today. He’s on new medications that cause headaches, plus he now has a chest cold. Ain’t life grand?

The good news that we still have time to get better. 15 days to be exact. Plenty of time …yes?

The doctor is releasing Fred from the hospital today. So far, the tests have shown nothing of significance. Everything looks good. There are two tests results that remain to be received. Pending those, the doctor will determine a course of action. It could be nothing major, or it could be that Fred will have to alter his lifestyle. To me, that’s the easy part. The good news is that I get to keep him in my life for a long time yet! Whew!

I took a shower today and washed my hair. It’s a monumental task, but oh does it feel divine. My stomach is hurting, but that’s to be expected. Plus I had to put clothes on since Fred’s brother is bringing him home. Elastic pants hurt too, but who wants to look at bloody drainage tubes! Ick.

Fred is in the hospital. He wasn’t feeling well and decided to go to bed. He went to the garage to feed the critters. Then he started to come up the two steps into the kitchen, when he passed out. He landed in the kitchen on his face. He was out cold. I couldn’t rouse him. I tried to bend over to make sure he was breathing. He had turned an ashen gray. When I reached to take his glasses off, his eyes fluttered open.

Fred sat up a moment later, looking around, trying to figure out what happened. He told me he was fine and wanted to go to bed. He just wanted to sleep. I told him no. I took his blood pressure, which was really high. He wasn’t making sense, mixing up words and not remembering names.

I called Emily to come over, then I called his brother, David. He is an EMT. He brought his medical kit and took Fred’s vitals. His blood pressure was returning to a more normal beat, but still high. David and his wife, Joanne, took Fred to the hospital. Emily spent the night with me.

So far the tests haven’t shown anything. He is having an MRI this morning.

I’m holding my breath. This is very,very scary.

I am happy to report that the x-ray machines at the airports will not sound the alarm should I walk through them. The surgeon removed a multitude of staples from the incision site. Thank goodness. I feel much less like a pin cushion. I’m still wearing the lovely elastic band and have the two drainage tubes.

The surgeon tells me I’m healing quite nicely considering the extensiveness of the surgery. That’s good to hear. He thinks the tubes will come out next Monday. Wahoo.

In the mean time, my head is clearing a bit every day, though I continue to take the pain medication. I’m tending to wedding duties and last minute details.

I have to give my final numbers this week, including how many babies and children there will be. We didn’t invite children, except for family. Still I have been told by several guests that they are bringing their children. Weird. I guess people assume if you invite them, you mean their whole family. The good news is that we have a few spots their kids can fill. I can’t tell them they can’t bring them, that would be awful. Hopefully it will be just a few.

Our wedding plans have become more traditional than I originally thought they would be. I’ve decided not to see Fred beforehand. We talked about having photos taken ahead of the service, but now I think we’ll wait.

In the last two weeks, Fred has seen me crying, puking, passing out, drainage tubes sticking out of me, hair unwashed raggedy hair, chin hairs growing wild and he has been a saint throughout. I think the least I can do is “clean up real good” on the day of the wedding and let him see me in a better light. 🙂 I hope when I see him in his awesome tux, and he see’s me, we’ll have a special moment indeed.

Hello dear readers,

I will try to write clearly here and update you on recent events. I’m still kind of wobbly and wish the pain killing drugs didn’t cloud my thoughts, but I will do my best.

Tuesday, Sept. 8, Emily took me to the Emergency Room at St. Elizabeth Edgewood. The pain I had in my abdomen had gotten to the point where I couldn’t function without stabbing pain that doubled me over. The doctor admitted me. Wednesday I had a cat scan again that confirmed I had a large hernia.

On Thursday, the 10th, one month until the wedding, the surgeon sliced me open like a fish to repair a softball sized hernia. In order to do it properly with the smallest chance of recurrence, he told us he needed to place a mesh over it, then cut my abdominal muscles on both sides to stretch them over tightly. Ouch.

After a week of really awful body responses to being sliced and diced, I was sent home to recover. I have two drainage tubes on either side of my gut that flows with deep rich blood. I have to have a clearer fluid before they are taken out. Please pray that happens within this week. I have a dress to be fitted.

I haven’t weighed myself since I got out of the hospital, but in the hospital, I think I lost about six pounds. I wasn’t eating very well or at all really.

Fred has been taking great care of me. Emily has too. Again, I am surrounded by fabulous friends and family who encourage me every day.

I don’t know why this “curve” has been thrown into my path. I only know that I am grateful to be alive and on a path to a happy future.

Today I went to the doctor. He concurred that the problem is probably my hernia. He is sending me for a CAT scan to see what’s going on in there. I’m still in much pain. Tylenol is not working very well anymore either.

He said if I need surgery, he would use the laprascope. If I have to have it and can have it next week, well, I think I’d be OK. But we know what can happen sometimes. I don’t have six weeks to recuperate before the wedding!
——
Monday. Labor Day Sept. 7, 2009

Went for the CAT scan, no results yet.

Today, Fred and I started to paint Emily’s room as we prepare to turn it into an office for me. I was bending down to remove the electrical plates when bam, the pain started in again. I had to bail on poor Fred. He prepped the room, painted the room, twice and let me sleep. What a sweetie!

I’m not sure the rest helped me, but I really couldn’t do anything else.

What I know for sure is that Fred is a saint. He’s learning early on that I am going to be “high maintenance.”

I love watching him work too. He’s so meticulous and careful. I’m such a bull in the china shop, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. I guess he’s going to keep me tamed. 🙂

He’s just about finished with the painting. It’s real pretty. Emily had her room as a dark turqoise blue. It was a lovely color. I’ve kind of kept it in the same blue family, but a smidgen lighter. I think it will bring out all the color in the oak furniture that will be going in there.

It will be such a relief to get everything organized, and up there. I’ve lived in this condo for five years and still have moving boxes full of “stuff.”

Gee.

I’m off work today to complete some business transactions and maybe have a little bit of fun too.

I’m still feeling a bit dicey physically. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what he says. I’ve barely eaten anything since last Friday. I still hurt pretty badly. I know it’s not the band. What I do eat goes down OK. The pain is lower than that. Tylenol helps. It’s kind of a weird thing wondering if the band fill is why I’m not hungry, or the pain is the reason. I’m hoping its the band fill and that the feeling will stay after I’m completely well. We’ll see.

I have to decide today for certain what kind of flowers I want for the wedding. I went to a warehouse where the Country Heart orders their flowers. Aroma’s captured my senses. Colors stroked my eyes with pinks, reds, yellows, and burgundy. Hundreds of roses filled a large cart with a spectrum of color. I was there to check out mini calla lilies. Even though I was surrounded with beautiful flowers, I was quite disappointed with the colors of the lilies. Sigh. One would think at a warehouse, there would be so many flowers from which to chose that it would be easy. Nope. So I’m going to Country Heart to finalize exactly what I want. I have to make up my mind! Very difficult.

After two days of my insides doing a wrestlefest, today I’m feeling better. I do feel like I just finished a marathon of sorts and my body is weak and sensitive, but much better. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

My sister-in-law, Chandra, is the go-to person whenever I need medical advise. Naturally this is because she is a nurse and knows better about such things. She thought I did have a “kink” in the bowel and that the air was stuck, backtracking with nowhere to go, but my shoulder. I expected that kind of pain after the lap-band surgery, but didn’t really experience it. I have now. I guess it just waited a year. She helps reduce my fear whenever I talk to her. She said the best course of action was walking and moving about. That is the last thing I wanted to do, but alas, she was right.

It’s funny how the body works and tells you something is wrong. It amazes me how it boils down to whether one is pooping or peeing, to say it crudely. If a person isn’t doing one or the other, well bad things happen, doesn’t it? Honestly, I try not to be “unlady-like” around Fred, but last night….well lets just say the Tubas were playing loudly in the bass section. We pulled each others fingers and giggled through the evening as we watched Anne of Green Gables, the PBS version with actress, Megan Follows. A picture of domestic bliss, yes?

I’d say Fred and I are pretty darn comfortable with each other now. I had the poor boy worried sick on Friday and ready to take me to the ER and then by Saturday we are sitting in the living room laughing hysterically at burps and farts. I guess this experience is a good test indicating we are ready for the “in sickness and in health” part of the vows.

Please, God, may we have more health than the other.