Debbi Bifulco Update

[wendysig]

Hi Debbi -

Greetings from sunny Florida!   Glad to hear your eye is de-puffing and things are looking up.  Good luck on your visit with Dr. Louie tomorrow.  I hope he does pronounce you cured!  We went to St.Augustine today and it was even hotter there, so we didn't do much.  Walked around downtown a little,checked out some shops, had lunch and back to my brother's house.  We're heading down to Orlando tomorrow for a few days and heading home on Monday oir Tuesday, I forget which.  Any definite location for our NY/NJ luncheon on the 19th?

Keeping my fingers and goes crossed for you,
Wendy

[cmp]

The nurses and doctors all cracked up when they saw me tottering around in my Freudians - not sure if they were laughing at me or the slippers, but who cares?

 

You went in armed with a great sense of humor, that's for sure! And I find your decision to keep a photo diary of your progress very courageous, and very sane since you knew it would help you track your progress and know you were getting somewhere!

My husband pointed his Iphone camera at me on day 3 in the hospital and then spammed the pic to all our family and friends--I was too loopy at the to stop him! And I'm so glad to be doing well that I've forgiven him since... What is funny is that when we got home I asked him to take a pic of my incision--it really bugged me that I had no records from the original surgery, only even knew the surgical approach used because my current neurosurgeon knew how to interpret the scar. DH's reply: "OK, but I don't want you to look at the pic for a few weeks till it's healed!" Now, how's that for doubledealing?

Best of luck with Dr Louie tomorrow!

Carrie

[leapyrtwins]

Close enough, but thanks for pointing out the distinction, minor as it may be and reflective of the university's neo-misogynistic attitude of the time.   

Notre Dame University is among the top 25 colleges in the country.  You did alright, Jan.

Thanks, Jim.  Actually SMC has been the top women's catholic college in the nation for many years.  So I did do all right!  Now I'm trying to convince my daughter what a great place it is.  SMC is very big on generations of women attending, plus being a contributing alumnae should solidify her place 

Debbi -

good luck tomorrow.  Hope everything goes well.  Don't forget to post an update for us 

Jan

[wendysig]

Hi Debbi -
The story about your slippers is making me rethink the slippers I'm bringing to the hospital.  I was going to bring my lucky bunny slippers (they are about 20 years old but look good for their age -- like me!!) and then thought it would be kind of silly.  I'm bringing the lucky bunny slippers now!

Good luck with Dr. Louie today!  I'm looking forward to your post.

Wendy

[leapyrtwins]

Wendy -

how could you NOT bring your lucky bunny slippers?!

Go for it 

Jan

[lori67]

The bunny slippers are the first thing I'd pack!

Maybe they will detract from your hospital gown not quite covering all the important parts!  Everyone will be so busy looking at your slippers that they'll hardly notice that you're mooning everyone in the hallway!   

Lori

[Debbi]

Yes, definitely bring the bunny slippers!!  If nothing else, you'll need a good laugh yourself.

Debbi

[leapyrtwins]

Wendy -

I'm thinking you need to post a picture of yourself wearing the bunny slippers 

But only if you've comfortable with that.  I don't want to be accused of peer pressure 

Jan

[Debbi]

Hey, Wendy, maybe we can wear our slipplers to the July 19 lunch!  We'll be in NYC, no one will notice...

Okay, so the Dr. Louie visit ...  all good!  He pronounced my incision to be "good" wihch is strong praise coming from him.  He poked and prodded me all over the place, asked lots of questions, took more blood and told me he'd call early next week with the blood results, but expected everything to be fine.  Wahoo!  I now consider that chapter in this story to be CLOSED! 

And, brace yourselves ... I am off to get my hair "done" for the first time in three months tomorrow!  That will definitely warrant a new picture.  After three months of no color, compounded by tons of nasty drugs, my hair is beyond hideous.  This rivals day 5 without a shampoo! 

And, Lorenzo, I am going to follow the trip to the salon with a nice glass of something red - and I ain't talking raspberry iced tea!!

And, now I am off to see how everyone else is doing...

Debbi, giddy with excitement

[Jim Scott]

Debbi:

Great news!  So pleased to learn that you're now 'officially' moving onward and upward with your recovery.

Enjoy the salon and the vino.  Salute!

Jim

[jerseygirl]

Great, Debbi! I will never see you with a PICC line and your hair will look amazing on the 19th! Wonderful! Congratulations!

                   Eve

[Tamara]

Debbi -
  2 days before surgery, I colored my hair, but didn't bother coloring the hair on the temples on the left as I figured that part would be shaved.  I was wrong, and now have lovely hair except for the grays on the left....AND I even asked my dr. if he made sure to shave all the gray and he told me he had!  Liar!

Tammy

[Debbi]

Eve, yep, you'll only get the see the "Good hair" me!

Tammy, I also went to get the hair touched up a few days before surgery - never imagining that I'd end up having to wait three months!  Ha.  Well, I am just thankful that it is long enough to pull it up with a clip - that way the gray hairs aren't really all that noticable.  And, no one can see what a scraggly mess it really is...   

I feel glad to be worrying about something as silly as this!

Debbi

[cmp]

So glad to hear Dr Louie approves of your incision, Debbi. Hooray, hooray, hooray!

Hope your salon trip and celebratory toast are thoroughly enjoyable! And yes, please do post an "after" pic, so we can revel in the results along with you...

Tammy--I am getting a good chuckle out of your story, which I'm sure wasn't a bit funny to you at the time... My pre-OR request was that they goop as many layers of my hair out of the way as possible and not shave half my head, but I think Sweeney Todd (with an electric razor only, thank goodness) ran amok on the back of my head. I have a theory that the folks who shave you pre-op nod reassuring consent as you pepper them with specifics like you've just been wheeled into a hair salon, while remaining so focused on the actual surgery all along that any aesthetic/styling abilities they may have fail to see the light of day...   

Carrie

[Debbi]

Now you've both got me laughing!  Sweeney Todd, indeed!

I learned during my second hospital stay that Dr. Roland does the shave himself and his residents refer to it as the "Roland Technique".  I suspect he - rightfully - prides himself on shaving an absolute minimum of hair.  Here's photo I took myself today of the incisoin - see for yourselves!