Nassau, Bahamas February 1...The month started out well
February may be only 28 days, but this year it was VERY long. Oh, it started out well enough at the end of a trip to the Caribbean...but it was sort of downhill from there. And it seems to be lingering. Recently, these words from Jim Croce's Hard Time Losin' Man popped into my head.
Oh, sometimes skies are cloudy
And sometimes skies are blue
And sometimes they say that you eat the bear
But sometimes the bear eats you
And sometimes I feel like I should go
Far far away and hide
'Cause I keep a waitin' for my ship to come in
And all that ever comes is the tide
And sometimes skies are blue
And sometimes they say that you eat the bear
But sometimes the bear eats you
And sometimes I feel like I should go
Far far away and hide
'Cause I keep a waitin' for my ship to come in
And all that ever comes is the tide
Melanie
As many who are reading this already know, my daughter Melanie has been struggling with health issues in recent months. In the end these issues lead to the decision to perform a cystectomy with an Ileo loop (basically bladder removal with a reconstruction and urinary stoma). This is a surgery most often performed for bladder cancer, but in her case the issue was repeated and severe infections that never quite healed...which can lead to further complications (including risk for a form of cancer). After 6 or 7 hospitalizations in 5 months, the surgery was scheduled for January 4, but she got another severe infection and it had to be put off to February 15.
Her body did not make things easy...she got another infection requiring hospitalization (we think the 9th since September) on February 5. After several days of treatment, consulting with multiple doctors from various specialties etc. it was decided she would stay in the hospital until the surgery.
The weather
In December the weather was fairly mild. We talked about wanting to have some winter so we could snowshoe, etc. It was most definitely a case of "be careful what you wish for." The cold and snow started in January (and we missed much of it in our travels), but it kept right on going with over 20 inches in February, along with some freezing rain and bitter cold.
The worst part was that between Mel's stuff, training, and both of us getting miserable colds we didn't even get to do much snowshoeing. I think Glenda went twice and I never got to at all.
The weather also affected my races for February. On the 17th we started out for our Valentine race an hour away...it was snowing and the roads were awful and slippery. We turned around and came home. Fortunately there was a virtual option and so I ran the "race" on my treadmill later that day.
The other race affected was March 2 in Nebraska...It was to check Nebraska off my list. We were to drive starting the 28th of February. But as the day approached wind-driven white outs were creating havoc on Iowa roads that we would have to travel, and the forecast for the race was bitter cold on race day, with frozen rain the day before. So we made the decision not to go. In the end, it was the right decision as the race was cancelled due to ice on the course...they did not feel they could make it safe. We will be doing a different race there in June.
As many who are reading this already know, my daughter Melanie has been struggling with health issues in recent months. In the end these issues lead to the decision to perform a cystectomy with an Ileo loop (basically bladder removal with a reconstruction and urinary stoma). This is a surgery most often performed for bladder cancer, but in her case the issue was repeated and severe infections that never quite healed...which can lead to further complications (including risk for a form of cancer). After 6 or 7 hospitalizations in 5 months, the surgery was scheduled for January 4, but she got another severe infection and it had to be put off to February 15.
Her body did not make things easy...she got another infection requiring hospitalization (we think the 9th since September) on February 5. After several days of treatment, consulting with multiple doctors from various specialties etc. it was decided she would stay in the hospital until the surgery.
Happy that surgery day finally arrived
At long last the 15th arrived, Mel had all her parents there and her brother and a niece came by as well. The surgery itself went well. They did have to place the stoma in a more awkward position than was hoped which would/will require more practice for her to deal with, but that is relatively minor. We were in great hopes that in a week she would be home and on her way to a healthier, more independent phase in her life.
But it was not to be. She developed an ileus (basically a section of bowel that did not want to wake up). She spent her 37th birthday feeling nauseous and awful. All of this slowed down her recovery, but she finally went home February 27th...22 days after admission, making February a very long month.
I wish that was the end of this story, but on March 2 she developed another complication (an abscess and infection) and was re-admitted to the hospital. As of this writing (March 9) she is still there....
In December the weather was fairly mild. We talked about wanting to have some winter so we could snowshoe, etc. It was most definitely a case of "be careful what you wish for." The cold and snow started in January (and we missed much of it in our travels), but it kept right on going with over 20 inches in February, along with some freezing rain and bitter cold.
The worst part was that between Mel's stuff, training, and both of us getting miserable colds we didn't even get to do much snowshoeing. I think Glenda went twice and I never got to at all.
The weather also affected my races for February. On the 17th we started out for our Valentine race an hour away...it was snowing and the roads were awful and slippery. We turned around and came home. Fortunately there was a virtual option and so I ran the "race" on my treadmill later that day.
The other race affected was March 2 in Nebraska...It was to check Nebraska off my list. We were to drive starting the 28th of February. But as the day approached wind-driven white outs were creating havoc on Iowa roads that we would have to travel, and the forecast for the race was bitter cold on race day, with frozen rain the day before. So we made the decision not to go. In the end, it was the right decision as the race was cancelled due to ice on the course...they did not feel they could make it safe. We will be doing a different race there in June.
Triathlon training and coaching
Meanwhile a problematic situation cropped up in my athletic life, ending in a change in coaches. In hindsight I know that sometimes things just don't gel. As a teacher and academic advisor I've seen these things happen before both to me and others. No one's fault particularly, but highly frustrating, nonetheless. And just as in those other situations, a change was in order. A lot of things were up in the air for a while which was pretty unnerving.
On the bright side I seem to have connected better with the new coach. We have changed up some things, and I feel like things are on a more even keel. I will be cheering my previous coach and her athletes, I think she is a good coach and I regret that things didn't come together as I would have liked. I apparently just needed something different. So things have settled down, but the turmoil around this change initially, contributed to a long month.
Meanwhile a problematic situation cropped up in my athletic life, ending in a change in coaches. In hindsight I know that sometimes things just don't gel. As a teacher and academic advisor I've seen these things happen before both to me and others. No one's fault particularly, but highly frustrating, nonetheless. And just as in those other situations, a change was in order. A lot of things were up in the air for a while which was pretty unnerving.
On the bright side I seem to have connected better with the new coach. We have changed up some things, and I feel like things are on a more even keel. I will be cheering my previous coach and her athletes, I think she is a good coach and I regret that things didn't come together as I would have liked. I apparently just needed something different. So things have settled down, but the turmoil around this change initially, contributed to a long month.
There were still some blue skies
So, February was LOOOONG! But I would be remiss if I didn't point out that at least a few good things happened too. So I've listed the highlights below:
Started the month dressed as a mermaid in the Bahamas...not all bad!
Proud to start my second year as a skirt sports ambassador
Had a blast at my first indoor try of the year!
Here's hoping that March and beyond have more days...but aren't quite so long!
