[jessmith07]

Hey everybody...I've been of the air for a while...it's been a helluva week...

So, let me first start with how I'm doing, which is great! I've been off all narcotics for almost a week, and just take a mild muscle relaxer (1000 mg Robaxin) at night and the Arthrotec is back down to once a day (the German docs had me up to twice a day after the surgery). I still have a little bit of achyness in my hips, but really, it's just irritating, and not really painful. My back feels fine, unless I trip, or step funny, then I get a very mild version of the pre-op stabbing pain, but I attribute that to lingering inflamation and healing bones & tissue. The incision site is healing nicely, but is still a little painful with certain types of pants, like low-rise jeans that aren't stretchy...

Overall, I'm still very happy I had the surgery, and would do it again.

Now, for the bad news...my mother-in-law had a heart attack last Friday and has been in the hospital all week, because she's also diabetic, and her blood-sugar levels have been very unstable, and uncontrolable. I got laid off from my job on Monday, which has sent me into a panic...so all of my computer time lately has been spent job hunting...I'm SO upset about this...this was (at least I thought) a great company that I've been very loyal to (my husband has been trying to lure me away for a couple of years, but I just wouldn't leave), and then WHAM! Unfortunately, because it was such a small company, I wasn't covered under FMLA...there has to be more than 50 employees, and we had about 20...

And life goes on...