Ninasusan

Happiness gently landed on my shoulders

nephrectomy

  • Four Months

    As I was poking around my scar this morning, I realized that today is the 4 month mark post nephrectomy.  Palpating the skin around my scar has become a weird obsession for me.  Since he mentioned this little ritual to my gorgeous urologist a couple of months ago, I mostly do it in private.  The Read more

  • Frankincense and the scar

    Now just over 3 months out from kidney cancer surgery, I wanted to update my scar after using frankincense on it every day For the last two months I have been using the essential oil on the top half of the scar and nothing on the bottom half.  The difference is remarkable.  Here’s a 3-fer picture. I’m Read more

  • Nephrectomy….today is the one month mark

    …and today I am finally feeling almost normal.  Looking back on the ordeal, I have these little tidbits of wisdom. an organ was cut out, cut yourself a break and rest keep ahead of the pain with the narcotic pain relievers once you get home use a stool softener ice, ice, ice the incision sites Read more

  • I woke up sleeping on my left side….

    Two weeks and 5 days since my nephrectomy, I woke up in my favored sleeping position – on my left side.  It was just two days ago I whined to myself that if I could just turn over on my left side I could go to sleep.  This past week I’ve also been waking up Read more

  • The Belly Belt…..

    Please excuse the outfit in this picture…it is the retirement look on a blistering hot day in Missouri. I’m 2 weeks and 2 days post nephrectomy! This belly belt is amazing.  Jenny got it for herself after her pregnancy and loaned it to me for after surgery.  I am not kidding when I say that Read more

  • Total Reality Check…and not a pretty picture included in this post…..

    I’m a member of a kidney cancer survivor group on Facebook.  It is a very supportive, non dramatic place to connect, ask questions and feel not totally alone in your disease.  Between the group and what I learned about living with cancer from my friend, Tracy, I decided to go ahead and put my recent kidney Read more

  • That slo-mo time between diagnosis and surgery..

    I’m not exactly sure where I’ve drawn from to make it between March 9 to June 9….kidney cancer diagnosis day to scheduled surgery day.  I’ve had two “on the ledge” days where I had to lean on someone else to make it through the agonizing fear and the sobs….and I will say the extra special Read more

  • It probably not kidney cancer that will get me….

    I was sitting “indian” style on the exam table in the ER on my 59th birthday when the doc told me that I have a large tumor on my left kidney and it is most likely malignant…but first we need to get this diverticulitis abscess taken care of.  He and Jenny were in the room with Read more