Monday, April 18, 2016

Health Update

Apologies. It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd write a short update on my situation with the skin cancer/pending skin graft or skin flap.

The short version is, the skin cancer is completely cut out (yea!) so no need to worry about that anymore. I ended up going with a skin graft, rather than the more invasive skin flap, because I can always get a flap in the future if this doesn't work and I didn't want to end up with a permanent trach after some unforeseen complication with the complex flap surgery. 

So, I'm back to going to wound care every week waiting for this skin graft to finally heal. I'll also be doing more hyperbaric oxygen treatments because the wound currently looks like this:



Sorry if you're in the middle of eating



For a while after the surgery, I was dealing with pain at the site where the doctor took the skin graft on my thigh and unexplained headaches. I've also had a couple upper respiratory infections that required antibiotics, but I'm finally getting back to a sense of normalcy, just in time for warmer temperatures. I've been out to eat a few times, like this trip back to Outback celebrating my mom's 70th birthday:


I know it's awful lighting, but my mom is in the photo and I'm tube feeding. That's all you need to know.



We went to the local air show over the weekend:



That's a Blue Angels FA-18 behind us and, even more impressive, a tan minivan


I went with the in-laws for a hike and picnic in the park on Sunday:


I'm eating a Real Food Blend, naturally


And I coaxed Betsy into finally giving me a ride to the Crossfit gym:


She whined the whole way though


Hope you're all enjoying the hotter weather! Or, if you're reading this from the Southern Hemisphere, I hope you avoid frostbite (my American public school education didn't prepare me to empathize with whatever it is you upside-down people are going through right now).