Under a Red Roof

Guest Blogger G: “Rose Colored Glasses”

July 24, 2009 in Admiring, Being, Giving, Learning, Loving, Receiving, Thinking by Colleen | 2 comments

Mount Hood is always a good photo to play with

Colleen and I are often “accused” of having rose colored glasses on. It used to be something I felt guilty for, as if I didn’t have a grasp on reality. I now view this ‘trait’ as something to embrace since there are many events in life beyond my control. Sometimes the only thing I do have the ability to shape is my view. Colleen is fond of saying “I’m not driving this bus”, and I agree.

A shift in perspective can be a powerful thing. As I look back over the past year and a half, it has been a little bit of a roller coaster and I thought I would share some of my hospital reflecting…

Colleen’s Surgery

This was a fairly serious body change for Colleen and obviously at the forefront of our lives at the moment. With the amount of endometriosis, it is probably one of the more invasive hysterectomies that a person can have. (Actually, the hysterectomy was a small part of the procedure. Think trying to free up taffy growing inside you that has been twisting your organs for 20+ years.)

With glasses: I have a lot of hope that Colleen will feel a good sense of freedom from the abdominal issues that she has suffered with. After all, the whole point is of all this is to make things better than they are now. I’m hopeful she will enjoy her time in Colorado without having to worry about serious cramping and pain this September. From a “me” perspective, the event has been a great chance to be able to help someone I love who can’t help herself. It is a great gift to be able to make a difference in her recovery and feel that much closer to her.

Job Changing/Economic “crisis”

I have changed positions three times in the last year, gone from having a large chunk of vacation to having to fight to get a chance to help Colleen for a day or two, and taken a fairly significant financial hit.

With glasses:I now work for a functional company with people I enjoy being around. My commute is smaller. I am not making as much and not as able to save as much, but a good portion of the 401k savings went up in smoke anyway! My work is much more varied now and I really enjoy this variety. My boss and colleagues are pleasant and I feel a strong desire to truly help the company I work for grow and improve. I find myself very content and intrigued with the possibilities that the future holds.

It is certainly not always easy to find a positive perspective on perceived ‘bad’ situations but I have enjoyed the challenge and awareness that comes from the search.

I think I will put my glasses on now and rest near my lovely wife as she does some healing…

Tags: Endometriosis

Guest Blogger Gregory: “Colleen, My favorite topic”

July 22, 2009 in Admiring, Inspiring, Loving, Watching by Colleen | 5 comments

A smile like that after a 6 hour surgery. Inspiring!

For a rather verbose start as guest blogger here “Under a Red Roof”, until Colleen is back at the helm, I will just post some status on Colleen as she is easily my favorite topic. I love her very much and am certainly inspired by her love of life. As you can read from previous posts, Tuesday was a day of surgery for my wife Colleen.

The surgery started out as a laparoscopic procedure that would last about 3 hours or less. As the Dr. was working it became apparent that there was going to be more to do and Colleen had to be opened up. I believe it became a laparotomic procedure with a single horizontal incision, but I can only play doctor so please forgive the terminology. It ended up being quite a long day with a surgery from about 10:00 am to 4:30 pm and then recovery until about 6:00 pm or so. Her doctor said that the reason a transfusion wasn’t necessary in surgery was, in large part, due to the good care Colleen has taken of her blood (which isn’t easy with the heavy monthly blood loss).

I am grateful that my best friend in the world was sleeping through this ordeal! I am also very grateful that the most excellent doctors took their time and patience to really do things correctly and safely.

Today, the day after the surgery, was a good day. Colleen is in a good deal of pain but her vitals are good and her body is healthy. Fluids are passing normally, lungs are clear, and there isn’t any blood loss. Naturally I wish she was feeling better, but I am happy her body is working well!

Legacy Emanuel hospital in Portland Oregon has been absolutely wonderful. The doctors are first class and the nurses are very capable and helpful.

I would like to also apologize if you feel slighted for not having been notified more personally. Please feel free to give me a call or send an email as I’m trying to connect Colleen with the outside world as much as possible. I think Colleen is remembering more than I am right now and I don’t even have any Dilaudid in me! (The morphine didn’t do much for her.)

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Dilaudid or Drugstore Cowboy here’s a lighter view of the drug… Much lighter:

What is Dilaudid? (Warning: Rated R perhaps, take with grain of salt)

(PG-13 (PG-13 perhaps)perhaps)

Tags: Endometriosis

Old and New

July 15, 2009 in Admiring, Learning, Remembering by Colleen | 1 comment

Ahh, another deeply satisfying Facebook reunion. I’ve known Gretchen since elementary school, and for anyone interested in the math – that’s more than thirty years! She came into town on Monday for a business trip, and we were lucky enough to eat lunch and spend the afternoon together. It was a whirlwind of Porque Non?!, VooDoo Donuts, and Northwest 23rd, including the least welcoming greeting from a fella who’d had one too many, or perhaps, not quite enough.

I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about our visit. Gretchen and I had always been on the periphery of each other’s lives. We knew the same people, but ran in different circles – she was a cheerleader, played softball, and sang in choir. I wasn’t terribly athletic, only sang in the car, and had, let’s just say, slightly less mainstream pursuits. What might we talk about besides the weather and beautiful Portland, Oregon?

I turns out, a lot, and the conversation came so easily, too. In fact, we talked (and laughed) so much that my throat is still sore. Of course we reminisced about all the people from school, but the highlight, at least for me, was really learning about Gretchen as a person. She’s had her share of heartaches in the years since high school, but in no way have they diminished her intelligence, empathy, caring, or passion for life. I had always thought she was pretty, but now, I know she’s beautiful, inside and out. I’m really looking forward to our next thirty years of friendship!

Nothing Fancy

April 15, 2009 in Admiring, Being, Eating, Loving by Colleen | 1 comment

Something that I love about the life I share with Greg is the fact that we are just happy to be together. Maybe it is the fact that we’ve been a couple for eighteen years, but we realize that there is so little we truly need from each other. We are each our own source of happiness and joy, modified by the fact there is someone truly wonderful to cuddle with each night in bed.

We have no grand expectations or idealized versions of what our life should look like. What we have is what we want and relish, every last bit: being in the same room, listening to music, watching a movie, sharing a smile, a laugh, or, in this case, a meal.

This was our Sunday dinner. Neither of us has ever outgrown the fish fillets of our youth. So we baked some up, and I made tartar sauce and rosemary (fresh from the garden!) home fries to accompany them. It certainly wasn’t anything gourmet, but, with his company, it sure felt like it. Every bite was delicious. A real treat!

This Smile Brought to You…

February 26, 2009 in Admiring by Colleen | 2 comments

With the support of the Dewey Dental Clinic. Though I am a rather vigilant brusher and flosser, I learned yesterday, much to my chagrin, that I had twin cavities! Thankfully, the lovely people at the best dentist office known to Portland had an opening today, and voila, my mouth is as good as new again.

Seriously, too, they are really good. I am a picky person. I was a little worried when Dr. Wheeler retired, but the Dewey’s are super people and the staff is the same. Kelly’s been cleaning my teeth for more than nine years! I feel like a part of her family.

This is also my second post for the day, so I figured that the picture needed to be a little nutty. Hope you like it and all the exclamation points! What can I say? I am a rather enthusiastic lady.

Oh, and Dr. Jeff – hope to see you running by the house soon…