[Elfsea] Home and getting better

[Vicki Marsh]

Greetings from Xene,

I just wanted to say thank you to all who have e-mailed and called to check
on me.  I was *very* glad to get home after being at Baylor Medical. I won't
go into all the details, but my calls for a nurse during the night were
often ignored completely, and then I wasn't given breakfast.

Since coming home, I've had wonderful support from Anthony (even though he
is recovering from the flu himself), Llywelyn, Donnel (who brought by a
chicken dinner), and Lauren, who is busy vacuuming upstairs as I am writing
this. My pastor, Rev. John Kay, managed to catch me at the hospital Thursday
morning before I left.

I cannot tell you what it means to me to have friends who care during times
like these.  I have a huge sausage-like bandage on my right foot and calf,
and have to keep it elevated most of the time.  It's a lot harder to get
around the house than I thought it would be.  I go back to the doctor on
Dec. 30 and it I'll be getting a hard cast then.  I can't drive until then.

  The doctor did find an incredible mess - a lot of "junk" in my heel- and
said it looked like I had problems with it for years.  There was
calcification, build-up of sinovial fluid, I don't remember what all he
said - but it did surprise him at the amount of damage that I had in there.
I know that he hadn't completely believed how much pain I had been in until
he actually did the surgery.  I looked at him as asked him if he hadn't
believed me and he just hung his head.

I'll be at least 6 weeks in the hard cast, then I get to have physical
therapy for 1-2 months.  I don't know when I'll actually be able to walk
again on it.  I'm still not sure about how much I can do at Gulf War, but
Llywelyn and I are sending in our reservations.

In June, I get to start all over and do the left foot.  Yahoo!!!

We are very blessed to have wonderful friends, family, jobs, and insurance
during the days.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Mistress Xene Theriane