It could be worse

Every day brings its own challenges. We all have them. I have a friend who has trouble staying asleep at night so she always feels tired. Another friend was in the London Life bus accident a few weeks back, so she's struggling with the after-effects of that traumatic event. Another has aches and pains from a knee injury, a cousin has sciatica . . . well you get the picture.

I've complained about my current woes in my blog earlier this week. In addition to those, I've been worried my port site was infected. This freaked me out because I know the biggest risk of these drains is infection and if that happens, the radiologist would have to remove this one and insert a new one in another location. I didn't think I could handle that scneario. But my home care nurse told me yesterday afternoon the site looks good and normal. I asked about the pain and she shrugged as if it were no big deal.

But it's a big deal to me. Sometimes I have to moan and bend over from the discomfort. I realized last night, the culprit may be gas. Apparently, if the bowel is awash in fluid, it produces more gas. Even with the pigtail, I can't eliminate all the ascities; only that which comes in contact with the drain. So I'm sure I've got lots of fluid sloshing around and as a result, I'm full of gas, which would explain the bloating, discomfort and general unwell feelings.

But even as I whine about my latest complaints, I have to be thankful. I've been reading the blog of a woman who is attempting to beat myelodysplastic syndrome through a bone marrow transplant. She (and her husband) are having a horrible time with the treatment and side effects. She vomits blood, has mouth sores and mucus, has no energy and is completely hospital bound. She can't be exposed to germs and she gets blood transfusions regularly. They're waiting to see if the transplant will take to give her a fighting chance. When I read her blog, I feel sort of thankful for my situation, as uncomfortable as it is.

Even when my situation is bad, there are others who are far worse. I have to remember that.

It probably won't stop me from moaning, complaining and even crying, but it does make me a little bit thankful.

Tina