Sibley Memorial Hospital reposted this
Well, remember that perforated colon in May that almost stopped me from seeing Taylor Swift in Edinburgh? It turns out after further review, I needed inpatient surgery to have my colon re-sectioned. 🤦♀️ It has been two weeks post-op and I'm doing well. I've had time to reflect on this wild and bumpy 1H 2024 that I've been on ... 1️⃣ Listen to your body: I had no pre-existing conditions. I ignored pain for too long. Good thing I listened to my husband and finally went to the ER! 2️⃣ Manage stress: All my doctors said it was "bad luck". I was probably born with a weakened colon wall. However, stress doesn't help. Stress causes inflammation and slows your immune system. I need to do better here! 3️⃣ Thank your doctors and nurses: I cannot tell you how wonderful the doctors and nurses were at Sibley Memorial Hospital. 🏥 Thank you for taking good care of me (twice)! I have an even greater appreciation for those who work tirelessly in the healthcare field. 4️⃣ Do not be ashamed: I had no idea what folks suffer with Crohn's, IBS, IBD, colitis, etc. The pain can be unbearable. It's a humbling experience to monitor your 💩 performance (and maybe I did go overboard with my analytics on a whiteboard.) I never thought I would be "potty trained" again late in life. Thank you for those who were comfortable sharing your experiences with me to help me navigate and stay strong. I never felt alone. Thank you! 5️⃣ Be grateful: I owe my husband so much for all his care and support. I appreciate all the support from family, friends, and coworkers too. Also, I have said a lot of prayers that all of this happened while I was close to home and not traveling. I even got lucky with a perforation away from major organs. I am very blessed, and so very grateful. I need to remember that every day! I'm going to take some time off to recover, relax, recalibrate, reconnect, rediscover (how many "re words" can I come up with ... ?) I owe a lot of follow ups. I'm excited to network and catch up with so many of you soon. I'm starting to resurface as my energy levels increase. Get ready for me. 😊 And yes, my finance friends, let's definitely hope the Hobik re-forecast for 2H 2024 looks better and brighter with my re-sectioned colon. 🙏 🎉 Thank you to all of you for checking up on me, praying for me, thinking of me. You have no idea how much it meant. ❤️