Journey through a Rhinestone Reality

*grins* I love that Caught has taken to this blog so quickly – I think it was a good idea, don’t you?

Life in the forest has been a “grand adventure.”

Thursday, Spirit, my big boy greyhound, was put in an E-collar because of obsessive licking his leg into raw meat. Stelle, the whining shadow little gal greyhound, was diagnosed with Canine Separation Anxiety after getting used to having us home during the snowstorm. School called to say that the blonde didn't feel well - then called again to say she was vomiting - she came home and slept all day.

Friday, my MIL had open heart surgery. I didn't go to the hospital until late afternoon, when the word "complications" was used because of the blonde's tummy - though she did feel measurably better by Friday afternoon.

MIL was out of surgery after about 6 hours. Her aortic valve was replaced with a pig valve. The dr decided not to repair the small hole that caused her heart murmur or the prolapsed mitral valve because the time it would take to do the repairs would kill her. The major complication was because of the calcification, the dr was unable to completely seal the new valve to the heart and it started leaking. He is very young and apparently a rock star in the field and so did something that only 400 doctors know how to do. He basically saran wrapped the heart with cow intestine that will catch the leaking blood and return it to the heart for reprocessing.

He said many times that she has a very, very sick heart and he was surprised that she was even walking around. Her heart was so covered and blocked by coral-like stuff that it had blocked her valves to have openings of the size of a pencil eraser. The ensuing pressure over so long has made her heart muscle grow because it has worked so hard (like biceps when they work hard become larger). Her heart had grown to four times the size it should be (about the size of your fist). When the valve was removed, it shattered into 8 pieces - normally, it comes out in 1 or 2. Over time her heart will reduce in size, though will never be normal again.

He's kept her in a chemical coma to ease her body into evening back out. Her heart is beating on its own but she had a pacemaker now to keep it steady and strong for now. She has 1:1 nursing care and family is camped almost 24/7. BIL#2 is staying with wheelchair-bound BIL#1. MIL's sister, yelled (literally) at all of the kids except Dane about having regular checkups and not letting this happen to them. She is, understandably, stressed and did apologize to the kids later.

Friday night, Dane took me out to a wonderful dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for my birthday. It was, of course, delightful - until dessert where I spilled at least a tablespoon of molten chocolate cake down my white cashmere sweater. Twice. Yes, I have a photo - it's stunning. *eyeroll*

Late Friday night, the blonde started vomiting again. Saturday morning, I did. It is now, officially called "Pukeapallooza". I had a head/nose/throat cold - and stomach flu. The blonde has recovered completely. We have not been back to the hospital and we will not be going. When MIL is awake, we'll call.

Sunday, the doctor added a feeding tube so her body would start processing food and said that she looks wonderful for everything that her body has been through. He is starting to wean her off the coma chemicals so she can wake up. His prognosis is "guardedly optimistic".

She’s had a lot of problems when they try to lower the morphine or take the respirator out. On Monday, it was discovered that her left lung collapsed, full of mucus – it was vacuumed out and re-inflated. They will try to pull the tube out today, I hear.

I’ve been home sick since Saturday. This cold is kicking my butt but I’m very lucky to have an employer who offered the time off. Of course, I couldn’t even answer a phone in this condition, but still, it was very kind.

On the 7th (though really, it was still "my birthday" on the 6th because I hadn't been to bed yet) I updated my story Weft of Power, Warp of Blood: A Tapestry of Desire through chapter 50. The chapter had been in my head for so very long that actually geting it out on paper then .doc was amazing to me. I had such a terrible time trying to write it, too. I had images and many lines that had been bumping around in my head that trying to work them into complete thoughts and coherant sentances was brutal. I expect that it won't get too much better form here on out since I'm leading to the climax of the story now. It's really cool to see everything I've been writing for so long come into being in real, honest to God words! Chapter 50 is entitled "Bought and Paid For" and includes the hours before and the Ministry 'Arabian Nights slave auction' that formalizes the relationship between Severus and Kiaya.

I’ve been able to catch up on some reading at The Masque in my time off. I’m so excited that dweaver999 has started a sequel of his Galactic Slave story, called Galactic Slut. This man’s writing thrills me. It’s elegant, evocative and ever so titillating. It’s also some darned good sci-fi with different species of aliens, an ominous villain Big Brother, far off worlds and Crystal, Susan’s implanted… well... I wouldn’t say symbiot, but Crystal certainly has a personality. Take a read – it’s wonderful stuff.