hey gang…

just a quick post to let you know things are improving everyday. I’m moving better. my ‘bullet holes’ are healing nicely [i’ll barely have any scars!] and now that we’ve addressed my ongoing stomach-acid problem with a heavy duty acid-blocker for a few weeks [felt like i was still having baaaaaaad gall bladder attacks up until today] things are looking up.

i still get exhausted from doing even little things like walking around too much, going up and down stairs too fast, breathing… i do know that i am feeling much better than last friday [surgery day] and my strength will improve with time.

thank you for all the caring emails and well-wishes. it’s so nice to know that people care. love to you all!

hey gang. i’m up and moving around. slowly and very very carefully. but i’m moving.

surgery went well on friday and everyday there is less pain. i have 4 - 1/2″ holes in my tummy and my bellybutton hurts like heck [that’s where the camera went!] but i’m healing well and getting around.

just wanted to let my concerned friends that the surgery went well and that i’m on the mend. that’s it for the computer for me today. sitting for more than 15 minutes at a time is pretty uncomfortable. i’ll update again in a few days.

thanks for all the well-wishes! C

hitting the sack early tonight as my surgery is scheduled for 8am and i have to be in hospital by 6:30am. yuck. thank you for all your well wishes…

t will post tomorrow night or saturday about how i’m doing. for now… peace out! catch you in a few days.

i saw my surgeon today and we bonded over hockey - go figure LOL!

we talked at length about the problem, went over the current state of my health and what he figured the situation dictated and sure enough, he agreed that a speedy removal of my stone-filled gallbladder was a ‘must do’. and quickly. 

also… in light of the fact that t and i had plans for other ‘procedures’ this month, my surgeon is expediting my surgery date and i’m going in on friday june 20 to have my gallbladder removed! ack! it’s a little sooner than i was psychologically ready for, but i’m super relieved to be getting it dealt with this quickly.

so… from june 20 until july 2 i’m going to be a bit spotty on the posting since i’m not sure how quickly my recovery will go. i’m expecting about a 7-10 day recovery time based on the fact that the doc is doing laparscopic surgery and i’m only going to have two smallish incisions [about 1-2″ each]. organs will be adjusting to their new locations [since now the gallbladder will be gone lol!]. there is a less than 3% chance the doctor will be ‘unzipping’ me for the surgery so i should be recovered fairly soon. and back to eating a more normal diet quicker than anticipated. yay!!! i may be able to enjoy butter chicken again before the summer is done.

so that is the update my friends… i’ll post again very soon.

aquarium anemone

Originally uploaded by studiowerx

love these pics from the vancouver aquarium!

i took them over the weekend while attending my favorite niece’s birthday party. how cool was it to get a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of a vancouver tourist attraction? pretty darn cool i have to say.

thank you to joyce and percy for allowing us to attend, since we missed the weekend before with family obligations. it was really special hanging out with you and kids [yep, all 16 of em!] for the afternoon. we had a ball!

the photos were shot using my canon 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens. a cheapie $80 lens worth every single penny. the low lighting conditions and constant movement of the fish [damn you fish!] necessitated the use of this lens, and i gotta say i’m thrilled i have it in my arsenal. so much so that i’m investing in a wide-angle, fast, fixed f/1.8 sigma lens. those of you out there in photo-land know what i mean by fast… you just can’t beat a low-lighting shot without flash! atmosphere and ambiance that is truly amazing… magical even.

for more jellyfish, anemone and dolphin pics, please visit my flickr site.

now this is ambiance… look at that lighting. pure magic!

hey gang…

just wanna say thanks for the words of encouragement regarding the surgery. i’m getting over the fear-factor and know it will all be fine. your kind words of encouragement and support are really appreciated and i just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all who have emailed their well-wishes for a quick recovery.

love you all…
C

diagnostic results came back. gall stones. lots of them. too many to pulverise successfully and guarantee they’ll pass. so… this means surgery.

and too many stones means not just a de-gravelling of my gallbladder…they’re going to take out the whole kit and kaboodle. yay! not!

to tell the truth i’m a little freaked out. but it’ll be ok. <breathe deeply> it’s going to be ok… but i’ve never had surgery before. i’ve never even been unconscious. this is the main reason i’m freaking a little bit. the fear of the unknown and fear of what will happen. so… for the next 6-8 weeks until i have surgery i will be doing the following:

1. maintaining my bland, sucka$$ diet
2. learning breathing technique to regulate my stress and post-op recovery anxiety
3. trying to relax and not freak out about stuff i really can’t control

in the end this is a good thing. my gallbadder being taken out means no more painful attacks at 3am. no more back and side pain for days on end. no more nasty a$$ indigestion at the most inopportune times.

whew! it’s gonna be a long, uncomfortable summer…

i’ve been itching to create a collaborative book with other mixed media and paper artists. it’s an idea that has been swirling around in my noodle for a while now…

i’m thinking about a collaborative mixed media art publication. something fun… a little avant garde, a little altered, something fresh, and definitely something unique and exciting. are there any peeps out there who may be interested in contributing to this type of publication? the end result would be your artwork(s) in a beautifully printed edition of outstanding mixed media artwork.

the publication would be available for sale “at cost” through my website to collaboration participants only, and then would be made available to the public for a higher fee. my goal with this book is not to generate a ton of additional revenue [although a few bucks might be nice for all the design work i plan on putting into this publication]… my goal is to give individuals who have not had their artwork published in the past, an opportunity to do so; to expand creatively as an artist; and to be part of an exceptional collaborative project.

if you are interested, please post your comment below or email me.

i don’t have a limit/number of participants in mind at the moment, but depending on the level of interest, i may impose one when it comes time to finalize the process… in the meantime, i’m just trying to get a feel for who, if anyone, may be interested in participating in this project.

so i went to the doctor for the blasted ’stones… man those things are u-g-l-y! google gallstones and the wikipedia pictures tell quite a story. yuck! amazing what the body produces isn’t it?!?

bad news: it is definitely gallstones. yup. sucks big time.

good news: i’m in for an ultrasound on friday morning to determine size, type and number of stones in my gallbladder. nice. fasting for 12 hours ahead is making me hungry just thinking about it! but at least i’m getting into to the exam FAST [by bc medical standards - it’s usually a 2-3 week wait for ultrasounds. my g.p. had me scheduled in under 4 days… must be a record!] and once the exam is complete we’ll know what we’re dealing with.

results should be back by late mid-late next week and then we look at the treatment options…

1. if the stones are small enough and not too many of them, i can be treated as an outpatient with laser/ultrasound therapy where the blast the crap out of the stones. the literally pulverise them so that can pass them ‘naturally’. the doc is optimistic this will be the approach we take. fingers-crossed on this option!
2. if there are more stones than initially expected/hoped and if they are larger than expected, i’ll have to have lapiroscopic surgery to remove the damn things. again… an outpatient type surgery, but surgery nonetheless with about 7 days recovery time at home. i’d end up with a couple of small incisions and some discomfort but at least it’s not the old-school 8″ incision, hack and slash of years past like my mom had to endure. ick!

so that is the update… a number of my online/offline friends have emailed their concerns and i thought this would be the quickest, easiest way to keep everyone updated.

in other, happier news… i have 6 new mixed media collages in the works and will be posting them soon!

thanks for tuning in…
hugs to all of you who cared enough to email your well-wishes. i appreciate your concern more than you know. xoxoxo

hello!

portobello went well yesterday under the circumstances. very hot outside meant very very hot in the building. like ‘ewwww… i’m sweaty’ hot. not fun. but it’s always cool to hook up with the vendors and chat, trade and get to know new people. this time i traded a couple of reproduction canvasses for a super cool, eco-screenprinted and hemp fabric hoodie from mahadevi designs. love jules’ designs! you rock girl… chatted with another collage artist too and got great feedback on my artwork from fellow artists and buyers. nice!

other nice news… no major ouchies for 48 hours! yay!! gall bladder has temporarily settled down with my yogurt, skim milk and blandest of the bland diet. nice! no pain is good news.

this afternoon i’m off to see the doctor to get the prognosis and treatment options for my lovely gall stones. will report back later. did you know that people can sell gallstones?!? wtf? strange strange things on ebay…

in the meantime, have a great day peeps!