My Summary

My sister Michele was 17 years old when I was born.  So we've never really had the traditional sister relationship.  By the time I have memories as a kid, she was out of the house and far away.  While we've seen each other at holidays, family gatherings, and summer vacations and such, the chance for us to really just spend good quality sister time has been slim.  So it was very nice to have her make this trip with me and I loved getting to share a few days with her.  Thanks big sis!

Because Michele lives in Washington, I actually "traveled" alone this trip.  No biggy, it's not like I can't manage on my own!  Josh dropped my off bright and early and although I had one of the first boarding spots, I still didn't get the front row.  Man!  Arrived in Denver no problem, although the landing was a little bumpy as usual.  It's a good thing I'm not a nervous flyer cause landing in Denver is never smooth.  I decided to just hang out at the airport and wait for Michele to arrive.  The wait was only about 1.5 hours and I could easily check in on work email and keep myself entertained people watching.  Once Michele got in, we quickly picked up the rental and made our way to the condo.

Off to see Dr. Reed and Shanna Banana.  I'd been having a few little issues with bleeding from my gums and from inside my lip.  Nothing to big of a deal but enough to warn Dr. Reed not to push around too much!  My cheek wound was ok, but a little scabbed up and definitely getting bigger.  It just seemed to be spreading out a little and of course was still leaking all the time.  I had to admit that I had not been applying the ointment as consistently as I should.  He said it did look a little infected so antibiotics would be coming this trip.  Not much to review so the appointment was quick.

We ran over to the mall so I could pick up some little sockies for treatment the next day.  New glamour gown was black, white, and green so I got some cute little black socks to match.  They actually were a little old fashioned and "grandma-ish" but it just added to the charm.  Over to Thai Basil for a quick bite to eat, and got to sit in one of the fun booths.  But we couldn't sit and relax too long cause we had a very important appointment to make!!!

Our next stop was over to Swedish to meet up with Chris, a VM patient from SoCal who had back to back treatment for his leg that week.  I met Chris on Facebook after joining a new Vascular Malformation Group created by another Yakesee, Stuart.  I had promised to sneak Chris in some chocolate chip cookies and had also made him a scrub cap for future trips.  It was great to meet him, share stories, and just have a chance to hang out for a while.  We stayed well past visiting hours (thanks to the nurses for not kicking us out!) and then headed back to get a good nights rest before treatment the next day.

Check in was at 7:00 and we were there right on time.  We even stopped so Michele could experience Caribou Coffee, although she didn't get any Caribou poop!  Darlene took me through admissions and I brought her a fresh stack of "business cards" to pass out with my website info.  Then we were on our way up to the third floor.  As I was pointing out the purple line to Michele (there are colored lines on the floor to help you find your way) I looked up and saw Derek chatting with some people at the elevator.  He said he had been out to the waiting room to look for me but I was late (nuh-uh) and so we just followed him to pre-op by way of the secret back passage way.  Got settled into my room real quick and met my nurse for the day Karen (pronounced Car-en) who had already heard about my fancy gown collection!  All changed into my newest gown from material picked out by Josh, and Derek then insisted we do the weigh in... I can't figure out how to skip that part.

This trip was fun for so many reasons, but one thing I was excited about was handing out caps to the other patients that were in for the day.  Two little girls and one other woman were sharing the day with me and I had made a cap for each of them. 

My first stop was to drop off a an all pink cap for little Brooke.  I "met" her parents through my website months ago and we've been emailing ever since!  Brooke comes down from Canada and although she has been denied coverage through their health system, she has a truly wonderful support system through her community and church who have made these trips possible for the family.  It was very exciting to actually get to meet them in person and to give Brooke a very small little "pick me up" in the form of a cap.  She is a beautiful little girl and was all smiles despite what she was about to face that day.  We snapped a few pictures and chatted just briefly as the nurses were finishing up her prep and I had to go get set up also!

After I was corralled back over at my bed, Nurse Karen was able to get the IV in on the first try and I was all hooked up to the various monitors.  The other grown up in for the day still needed her cap as I saw them wheel her past me!!!  I wasn't quick enough in passing them out, but Derek grabbed the gift bag and ran it over to Radiology for me.  He's such a good guy even if his is a PITA!  We all do love him!  Later that day, Kelly told me that the lady had gotten the gift but didn't know who it was from.  Ha ha!  I think I like being the mystery gift giver.

The other patient in for the day was little miss Caroline.  Another beautiful little girl with her AVM in her arm.  Turns out Caroline was the little one who had been in at the same time as me in August and had such a hard time getting the IV going!  This time she was just hanging out in her bed waiting and chatting with her mom Laura, so Michele and I strolled over to delivery her a pink & purple cap.   We talked with them for a while before heading back to settle in for my wait.  I was last for the day...

Kelly came over to do the regular paperwork and to check in with me.  Eric had the day off so she was flying solo and expecting a pretty long day ahead of her.  Not much exactly to discuss on the AVM front.  Same old same old for the most part.  We reviewed how I was feeling, the changes to the warthog, my visit with Chris the night before...and just things.

We had a while to wait and Michele had her new laptop...so I introduced my sister to the wonder that is Facebook!  We got her all set up with a profile, started looking up her friends, and just played around being silly and enjoying our time.

Dr. Jenn (Dr. Quin) was my anesthesologist again.  We are quite a team I have to say!  And before long she was over to chat which meant that we would be on our way soon.  And we were going to the beach!  Michele was brave and went all the way to the beach with me and stayed until I zonked out.

Waking up from treatment I was surprised that I was actually in a little pain!  I've been spoiled for so many trips in feeling good and being completely fine in post op...that I wasn't expecting to not feel well.  Nurse Jenn was there waiting as I woke up and just let me know she was going to give me some pain medication and let me sleep.  I love Nurse Jenn.  She has a very calming quality about her and it feels very secure when you aren't feeling well.  After moving back to pre-op I was still mostly sleeping through the medication and wasn't as awake or talkative as I normally am.  Unfortunately this meant that I missed seeing Brooke, Jodi & Rob before they checked out for the day.  That was a little bit of a bummer, but at least we met in the morning.

Laura and Caroline stopped by as they were on their way out to say goodbye and to leave me with a little gift! 

That was a super nice surprise and I was very touched by the Willow Tree Friendship figurine they gave me.  The people that I have met through this AVM journey are so wonderful and I feel blessed to share these experiences with them.  Thanks girls!

Michele was a little MIA, as she wasn't in the waiting room and thought the nurses would call her when I got back.  She ended up finding out from Laura that I was back and awake, so she hurried back up to the third floor to be with me.  Nurse Karen was back to caring for me and Kelly also stopped by to give me my scripts and to chat.  I know I was there for a while, but have no idea what time frame!  I had to skip my traditional mac & cheese because of the pain and the fact that I couldn't actually close my mouth, but Karen must have been reading my mind when she suggested a milkshake!  How did she know???  :)  So after drinking some vegetable broth and my milkshake, I was ready to head home for the night.

The rest of the trip was pretty low key.   My face was much more swollen the next day and my little eyeball was shut.  So heading out to explore Colorado and show Michele the sights...not really the best idea.  Instead, we just hung out and enjoyed being sisters.

Saturday morning meant that we were on our way to the airport and to our respective homes.  Michele came with me to my terminal to see me off.  Such a sad moment to say goodbye to my big sis but it had been a good trip and we had fun.  I know we will do it again and hopefully the next time Michele makes the trip, I can show her the sites a little instead of just the inside of the condo!

Next trip is scheduled for Oct 7-10.  Can you believe this will be #20!  Wow...