Posts Tagged ‘Sleep’

  1. Double The Trouble

    June 2, 2012 by Julie Moon

    Well I woke up this morning with a stomach bug.  Seriously universe…give me a break!  I am finally feeling a bit better but goodness can I please feel great soon.  I have had insomnia the past three nights…I need no more of that either.  I did however have an awesome reader, another of Dr. Craigie’s patients email me yesterday and gave me lots of encouraging messages.  It was great.  I do feel better about getting it all out there and now I can just move on and get to healing up.   I also had another friend bring over some swimsuits for me to try on.  It’s unusual for trying on swimsuits to be fun but I do have to say that was a good highlight of the day.  There are some “perks” to all this surgery.

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  2. ignorance to empowerment

    February 12, 2012 by Julie Moon

    I have had a very hard day.   I’ve been having adverse reactions to the pain medications that I have been taking.  I feel so overstimulated and prickly and uneasy from the inside out.   Thankfully we have decided to quit taking these meds and try something different tomorrow.  It is an awful feeling…like when you have a limb fall asleep…that prickly feeling as it’s waking up…that’s what I feel all over my body when I take those medications.  So goodbye Percocet and Lortab.  May I never need you again in this lifetime.

    In the middle of the day was a special treat.  My sister paid for a local woman to come over and give mom and I pedicures here at the house.  It was so sweet and relaxing for the most part.  My pain meds caused the end to get a little weird because my senses were overstimulated and I could hardly breathe…everything smelled so chemically strong even though it wasn’t.  I did sleep this afternoon and though that was good I still feel awful and can’t wait for these meds to be GONE from my body.

    I felt as though the whole day was ending on such a sad and sour note.  I was feeling down and very sorry for myself.  It’s in these moments that I feel regret for choosing this path.  I feel sad that I don’t have to be feeling this way but put myself in this situation.  Let’s just put it this way…it’s not a good place.

    And then tonight around 9 pm.  I got a message in my facebook inbox.  The person is my friend but not someone I regularly see or speak to.  We had been more involved in each other’s lives before there were 6 children between us.   Our paths have crossed from time to time but I did not know her story.  Tonight she shared her story with me.  She wrote about her mother’s breast cancer at age 45 and losing her father just a few years before that.  Her mother survived that battle but has now been faced with another area they will biopsy.  She had been talking to her mother about me and her mother decided to get the BRCA testing done.  They are still waiting on results and then will decide on their path after those results are in.   It was an amazing story but the line that really struck my heart was this.

    “Following your story of empowerment has made me choose a path of empowerment over the path of ignorance that I have been on.”

    I will sleep well tonight because my heart is full.  Two women are DOING SOMETHING because I did something and wrote about it.  Her sharing that with me today is helping me to keep on keeping on! It’s the sunrise on this dark day I’ve had today.

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  3. Day 7

    February 8, 2012 by Julie Moon

    My Recovery Home

    Day 7…finishing up the first week of this new life. What a journey it has been already.   Last night was a very hard night.  Neither I or my mom slept very well at all.  We both had some crazy dreams and I was hot and uncomfortable most of the night.  My body feels so tight and swollen and I’m just so ready to be done with these drains.

    I saw Dr. Craigie, the plastic surgeon, first today.  He greeted my mom and I with hugs and a smile.  He prescribed silvadene for my nipple that I may lose.  If I do lose it he will be able to recreate something that looks similar…we knew this was one of the risks.  That side was the side that got the radioactive dye for the sentinel node biopsy so I think it was harder to see during surgery and not damage.  He also shorted my drain tubes for me so that I don’t have as long of tubes that can potentially get pulled on something.   I will go back Friday to see the PA and she will remove my two breast drains.  That will be great!  We will head home to Athens after those are pulled on Friday.

    After we left Dr. Craigie we filled our prescription and then drove over to see Dr. Baron, the breast surgeon.  I had taken my pain meds as well as a zofran before I left Dr. Craigie’s office and the two of those combined really get me loopy.  I feel like I’m floating all over the room and feel like I lose feeling in my legs.  It was relaxing but definitely a strange feeling.  He is so warm and compassionate and greeted my mom and I with hugs as well.  I feel so taken care of by this team of doctors.  He examined me and seemed a bit disappointed with the left nipple’s healing as well.  I know he was hoping that they both would survive and look as they always have.  He did feel great about everything else so far.

    I am happy with my recovery so far.  It’s not pretty for sure…but I know that’s all part of the journey.

    We grabbed a late lunch and headed back to our recovery home.  It’s so peaceful and quiet here.  I need to gear myself up for heading back to my house which is full of loud children.  I love them but it will be a big change for sure.  I was out from 10-4 today and I’m very sore and tired now. I hope I sleep well tonight and really am able to relax and rest.

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  4. Day 1

    February 2, 2012 by Julie Moon

    Wow! This is the most surreal feeling I can imagine right now. I actually did it. The doctors said it went great. I’m sleeping well despite my awesome nurse checking in on me. The hospital is beautiful and my room is large. I do miss my babies and the Mister.  I called my big girl around 8:30and had my best friend wake her up.  It was good for both of us.  I am so grateful my mom is here.  I am so grateful I am so healthy that this makes it such an easier procedure.  I have gotten sooooo many compliments on my beautiful quilt my friends made me.  Life is good.  My heart is full.

    My surgery took 12 hours. Can you believe that? I am sore. Morphine And Valium to the rescue.

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  5. Busy Brain

    January 24, 2012 by Julie Moon

    Lying in my bed
    So many plans in my head
    Hurry up sleep and take over
    I need tomorrow to come quickly

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