Tarps and Tumours Oh My.

The morning of my last blog post had me get up from the chair here as i could feel some discomfort in my side. I had hoped i was not headed for emergency again, in a repeat attack of what had happened a few weeks ago. I don't really remember if i made it outside that morning or not but i do remember calling Carol at work and giving her a heads up of what might be before me, and her for the start of my work week there. I remember laying on the couch with my legs drawn up trying to wait out and fight down the pain. My thoughts were of the animals first, there needs to be taken care of first and hopefully i could either last that long or the pain would stop.

My mid afternoon i was on the floor, writhing in pain and this time Roxane was my ambulance to emergency. I was on the floor there for another 2 hours, waiting to get past what i will always think of as some war like check point and trying to gain access to the other side. Guarded by jaded hospital staff i am finally admitted, banded and handed the hospital garb. Wheeled to the other side i know i am safe, and they come to my rescue and kill my pain.

That was Saturday and i was kept heavily drugged until Monday nights surgery to remove not a kidney stone but a tumor attached to my ovaries the size of a baseball.

I came home from 24 hour care at the Maple Ridge Hospital on Thursday. Every hour someone checked on me , how was my pain level now they would ask. Would i like ice in my water , here is another cookie and lets check your vitals again. Exceptional care this side of the check point. ;o) The nurses rocked as did the students and of course my skilled surgeon and Doctor who removed that fist of fire from my belly. Really my only complaint was the food. Please replace this veggie chili with a nice bowl of fruit or i will surely die here lol. I then started to push away the morphine drip as the food was making me feel nauseous in fact so was the smell of my soap the hand lotion and will someone open a window and let in some fresh air? I had to get out of there!!! Maybe because of all the life saving drugs or painkillers inside me or was it because of my life style and being so much a part of the out doors . And the only time i could ever cry was when thinking about my animals and how i missed them so very much.

I would like to stress a point here , that I have a total new respect for "tumour" and have included Mouses picture in this post because she too had one removed that weighed 42 lbs. Knowing how stoic pigs are , in fact many animals can be so i question "how much did she suffer before we got her help?" and had it removed?? My gawd the pain was unbearable for me... please spay your charges when at all medically possible.

Second i would like to extend my extreme gratitude to my boss, Carol who is keeping my job open for when i am ready to return, and for being a friend and visiting me at the hospital and bringing me home. To my Mom who is 89 and has been waiting on me here as i recover as well as taking care of all the house animal children's. To my sister Nancy, Roxane and Theresa who have all arrived for the morning shift to feed and do meds here or for the night feed all doing so before or after there full time jobs.

In the short time of them being here Nancy has removed Scotch from being hung up in a wire fence. And today was removing a blue tarp so entangled in Truffles young teeth. How many times had we all enjoyed watching our pigs grab a blue tarp and shake it in fun?? The tarp was hung up on both of his lower young tusks and he had no doubt tried in vain to set himself free as it was twisted over and around again. Little Olive nose to her mates checking and never once leaving his side and now watching us help her freind. I took a pair of scissors and clipped off the bulk stating we would have to sit this pig down to get it off of him and thankfully our portable shoot was close. The girls set it down over him and Theresa stepped in and flipped him. I few gentle up tugs set him free. I could do nothing but give direction as normally a flip would of been done by me but alas i am cut threw like a magic act gone wrong and can't risk further injury. They did it and another learning experience gained with a good ending. Side note , the team had only been in the house for about 30 minutes to take a bite to eat and hear a few pig stories.

Amber and Brady , thank you so much for dinner last night and Tracey for our much needed carrots. And many more pigs can give there thanks to you the next time you visit as the sneak grapes into Jack was a fiasco as everybody had to get fed again. A pig can hear a grape being chewed by another from one block away, i am sure of it ..

And thanks to Krista from SAINTS, who is a friend and a co worker came and took on six piggy paddocks to help us this morning!!!


I better get off of here now and go back and lay down.. 4-6 weeks is the average recovery time. WEE shall see about that...