Tile on the cheek

Mar 21

I got hit with the flu this week, and I’m finally starting to feel better.

As I was laying on the bathroom floor last night, with my cheek pressed to the cool tile, I remembered the last time I was laying on my bathroom floor.

It was nearly exactly two years ago.  I was (very) pregnant with Greta, and I had been seeing a podiatrist to get rid of the plantar’s warts on the bottom of my foot.  The podiatrist gave me a bottle of cream, and told me to apply it to the warts on the bottom of my foot for thirty minutes, then wash it off, and go to sleep.  Oh, and he did mention that I should wash it off thoroughly, otherwise I might end up with holes in my sheets from the acid.  Yowsa.

So, I applied the acid cream to the bottom of my foot and after 15 minutes, I was done.  It was burning, so I hopped (yes, hopped, at 8 months pregnant) to the bathroom to wash it off.  The pain in my foot increased dramatically when I lowered my foot to the ground (rather than having it elevated above my heart).  After I washed the acid off, I lay on the bathroom floor with my foot propped up on the counter waiting for the pain to subside.  I’m pretty sure that’s about when Brad walked in.  Since the acid keeps working after it is washed off, the pain increased for several hours before peaking.  I remember laying on that bathroom floor and wishing that the stress of all this foot pain would send me into labor so that I could go to the hospital and get an epidural for. my. foot.  It hurt sooo badly; childbirth sounded good in comparison.  The next day, my foot was so swollen and sore after this acid debacle that we retrieved crutches from the storage area in our basement, and I spent two days on crutches.  Crutching at 8 months pregnant with no abdominal strength whatsoever was not. fun.  I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I was miserable.

I still laugh when I remember wishing for an epidural for my foot and being on crutches at 8 months pregnant.  All for warts.  Oy vey.

It’s hard to believe that two years ago I hadn’t yet met my Greta.

Today these memories made me realize that during all of my chemotherapy treatments last year, I was never lay-on-the-bathroom-floor sick.  I felt bad at times, but the meds that my oncology team provided were really effective in controlling those negative symptoms.  Not all chemo patients are that fortunate, but medical technology has come a long way in controlling the side effects.

And now, as I dig out from piles of nothing-got-done-this-week, I will be thankful for my TWO beautiful girls, for our health, and for the promise of spring.

 

 

6 comments

  1. Banita Bailey /

    Glad you are feeling better

  2. Patty /

    You rock Princess…

  3. Pat Powell /

    Jennifer – you paint a very pretty picture of the balancing required by an 8months pregnant lady – did you get so very fit with all the sport you played to be so fit when pregnant – no wonder Greta Rose can be so very inquisitive in all around her – that she must try – her mother tried all ways to cure plantar wart – so do not wonder what she gets up to – when you see her experimenting !! Love Ma XX

  4. Jennifer Morgan /

    Dear Warrior Mama,
    I am regular follower of you blog but have never commented. My daughter (former teacher turned photographer) just did some photos of her friend that I thought you may want to see. Her friend Angie, has just completed chemo and had her second mastectomy yesterday…she is doing well. She is also a warrior mama of two little girls. I send your name up every morning to the universe for strength and healing. 🙂

    http://www.jaimelenhartphotography.com

  5. Amen & Continued Blessings 🙂

  6. Wanting an epidural for your foot made me laugh — and yet I know how very much it must have hurt, to have that desire.