Over the past 4-6 months it has been just that...one thing after another, and they have not been necessarily good things (from my human perspective).

It wasn't long after the kyphoplasty that I started being sick at my stomach. The dr finally gave me some anti nausea medicine after about a week; then about the end of that week I had some black stool and ended up in the hospital dehydrated and stomach scope revealing I had 3 uclers. One was quite nasty and two smaller ones.

While in the hospital they did an mri of my stomach area (before the scope) and it read that there was a 'spot' on my liver. So I got out of the hospital on Monday and was scheduled the following Monday for a PET scan to check out that liver. Previous PET scan in August revealed that everything was ok.

So Monday I'm trying to get ready to go to my what normally is an uneventful PET scan, but I was struck with pain so severe an ambulance had to come and take me to the hospital. I had a pinched nerve in the middle of my chest radiating to my back...where it was exactly I have no idea, but let me tell you that the pain was so severe I couldn't move. An ambulance ride in that condition is one of the most excruciating experiences one could ever go through.

Once I got to the hospital they began taking tests and finally, medicating me. I didn't leave the hospital until 5 days later and let me tell you that it was the worst experience of my life. Basically I had a morphene drip PLUS I could medicate myself every like 6 minutes. I got so overmedicated I had no clue what was going on. Add to that some other meds they gave me that made me sick and mean. :( I thank GOD that my best friend flew in from Colorado the day I went into ER because she literally saved my life by being there and overseeing all that was going on.

I think it was about day 3 or so that the pain finally eased. In order to leave the hospital they had to put me on pain patches and steroids equal to what I was getting in the hospital and when I went home I began decreasing all of it.

Things were difficult enough that while I was in the hospital Cyndi (my best friend) called my son and told him that he needed to come see me. Many of you know it had been like 4 or more years since I had actually seen Greg face to face. This was the week before Thanksgiving that I was in the hospital and so Greg arrived the Monday of Thanksgiving.

I have new pain atm so I need to stop this for now and move to my chair. I'll finish tomorrow....

I have been remiss in sharing this journey. Not sure exactly why maybe because it make me come face to face with it more, but I think I'll try to blog a little.

After I last wrote the next event was getting fitted for prosthesis and bras. It was a very unpleasant experience and I left angry and tearful.

For those in the 'business' it is just that 'business.' But what they have forgotten is that some of us are coming through their doors (probably most of us) for the first time just having had surgery removing one or both breasts and could use a little compassion AND communication.

The lady took me into a 'dressing room' of sorts and asked me to remove my shirt then began to measure me. She pulled out bras and prosthesis and started fitting me but never ever talked to me about what she was doing or why. She had her hands all over my 'breasts' once she had the prosthesis in the bra to check eveness between the two, etc. Of course I knew what she was doing but it would have been so much more helpful and kinder had she been a little more communicative. She started choosing bras for me without asking if I had a preference or even offering me choices. I spoke up because I had already done some online shopping to see what was available.

There are other places to go and I will try them before I go back to this particular business...if I even get to that place of needing new prosthesis and bras.

So while it was not the most pleasant experience (not that I thought it would be, it just could have been better) the blessing in that experience is: my insurance covers 100% of the cost of prosthesis and 3 bras a year.