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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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c-sections (long)
i've been meaning to post about this for a while now, but just never got around to it. i'm at work now and it's a slow day, so i finally got the chance to write my thoughts down....
i don't know if i just never paid attention or what, but i feel like no one ever talks about the recovery involved with a c-section. going into things, i absolutely knew that i wanted to avoid a c-section at all possible costs, though i was open to moving forward w/one if it was what was best for the baby. being in the medical field, i knew what a big deal it was - i mean, it's major abdominal surgery. i guess i just never knew how hard recovering would be, though.
it seems like every woman's experience is different after the surgery, as i have seen many moms on the 0-3 board talk about how their recovery was a breeze and totally no big deal at all. for me, that was not the case. after my epidural wore off, they wanted me on my feet as soon as possible. the more you walk, the faster you heal. but let me tell you - it's easier said than done!! i still had a walking epidural after my surgery but even getting up to use the bathroom was a daunting task. first, you have to get from laying down to the sitting position... that's not too hard since the hospital bed elevates...but then you have to get from sitting to standing and just doing that hurt. and then i didn't realize that i would even need help to do simple things like shower and go to the bathroom. the nurses had to help me bathe myself - i got my top half but they had to get my bottom half b/c i could not lean over to wash my legs. and to use the bathroom, i had to have my mom or DH pull my underwear down b/c i could not lean over to pull them down. these are all things that i did not even think about until i went through this.
at first, my attempts to get on my feet entailed just getting up and going to the bathroom and getting back in bed. eventually i felt well enough to try walking around so i went and tried to walk the hospital hallway. it took me about 30 min to get out of bed, out of my hospital room, and about 30 feet down the hallway and back to the room again! 30 minutes!! and i was hurting afterwards. i could not believe that it was so much work to do something so simple, and that it could possibly take me so long! thankfully, it got easier after that and each subsequent time i got faster and it hurt less. i can't tell you how jealous i was, wheeling little A in her bassinet down the hallway, literally shuffling my feet along, taking baby steps, and taking forever to go down the hallway, while seeing another mom (who had obviously had a vaginal birth), just walk down the hallway w/her newborn like nothing had happened.
getting pain meds was interesting too b/c i was very reluctant to take any. at first the nurse told me that i was still getting pain meds through my epidural, but that if i wanted a "boost" that i could push the button a max of once every 15 min for additional pain relief. initially, i kept telling her no, i didn't need it... but eventually i decided i should just get the relief so that i could get around better and get to healing faster. same thing happened w/the oral meds...she kept offering me percoset but i kept telling her "no, i'm fine" but after about a day i started taking it as often as they would let me LOL. let me just say that i have spoken with other women and heard them say they did the same thing. if you get a c-section please don't be shy about taking the pain meds. we all want to take a little medication as we need to, but the pain relief allows you to move about sooner and allows you to heal so you can take care of your LO.
my recovery continued even after coming home from the hospital. i was able to go up the stairs, but i had to take it easy. getting in and out of bed was very difficult - i had taken the hospital beds w/the push button up/down mattress for granted! you really don't realize how much you use your abdominal muscles until they get sliced open and it hurts to use them!! i had to have DH help support my weight as i lowered myself into bed... initially i tried to get on my side to lower myself b/c that was easier, but unfortunately i couldn't even do that b/c it hurt so much b/c the gravitational pull of turning to my side would cause my uterus to shift as well and i could feel my uterus moving and it would hurt my uterine incision!! if i was by myself, i would have to try to hold the headboard and lower myself slowly. getting up was really hard, too, unless i had someone there to help pull me up. i was taking 2 vicodin every 6 hrs, alternating with 3 ibuprofen every 6 hrs (so i was taking something every 3 hrs)...and had to continue doing so until i was 14 days post partum. there were days when i would feel better after the first week where i thought i didn't need the pain meds anymore but then i would start hurting again and would need to take another dose. one of the worst things was that it hurt to laugh...and if someone made me laugh uncontrollably, i would be in a world of pain afterwards from all the abdominal movement!!
right around 2 wks post partum things got much better. i was able to get in and out of bed unassisted, but it still hurt so i had to do so very slowly. getting around the house was ok, but i don't think i felt normal until about 4 weeks post partum and it was about 6 weeks before i started feeling good. thankfully breastfeeding shrunk my uterus pretty fast, but i could still feel pain from my uterus shifting whenever i layed on my side for about 6-8 weeks. even now, while there is no pain associated with things, i swear i can feel all my abdominal contents shifting whenever i go to lay on my side... i am not sure if that is b/c i am more aware of things, or if it is a consequence of the surgery.
let me add that i had this rough recovery even though my ob was wonderful and made an amazingly small incision!!! all the nurses at the hospital would comment on how small my ob makes her incisions whenever they would go to check my incision. i spoke with my friend whose sister had a c-section and she said her scar extends completely across her entire abdomen more or less...my incision is only 4.25 inches!! that's tiny. i can't imagine how much more painful it could be if the incision was even bigger.
i've never understood why some women elect to do a c-section for no other reason except that they don't want things stretched out "down there" or b/c they think it's quick and "easy" compared to a vaginal birth. i know everyone woman is entitled to make her own decision and i'm not judging those who do elective c-sections, but i'm saying that i would personally never make that choice myself, esp having been through what i have been through now. at least from my experience, the recovery is not easy and so not worth it unless you have to do it. i am not sure if a VBAC is really an option in the future, given my small pelvis, but i will certainly explore the option with my ob when the time comes...b/c i do not want to have another c-section unless i really have to.
if nothing else, i hope that my experience helps those who are considering an elective c-section to reconsider, and those who do end up needing a c-section can know what to expect...and hopefully you won't be so hesitant to take the much needed pain meds during post op recovery. listen to your nurses, take them! 
Re: c-sections (long)
Thanks for posting this Jaime, I swear I could have written it myself. You really don't realize how much you use your abdominal muscles for every little thing you do!
The nights were definitely the worst for me in the hospital. I remember crying one night because I was in so much pain. Trying to get comfortable, and like you said turning onto your side is nearly impossible without feeling like everything inside of you is shifting around in there. I remember the nurse going to the restroom with me and having to pick up my undies for me because I couldn't reach down to get them
.....ugh!
Getting home I had the same issues with the stairs. Having the c-section really did affect every single thing I did for those first couple of weeks. Taking care of a newborn & trying to take care of myself certainly wasn't easy! So for anyone who is reading this, definitely take the drugs if you need to!
Unfortunately for me, if I ever do have #2, it will be another c-section.
My situation was somewhat unique, since I ended up with an abdominal sheath hematoma, which is incredibly painful. I had a patient controlled morphine drip (where I could press the button when I needed more)for the first 10 days (Percocet for the month after the morphine), which I swore did nothing, but I was afraid to stop taking it b/c I hurt so bad even with it. I couldn't walk or sit at all for 7 days...I only got out of bed b/c I had a bed sore and c.diff and didn't want to use a bed pan anymore. I was getting sponge baths in bed and the nurses would have to physically roll me over b/c I was unable to use my abdominal muscles at all. There were times I had to get out of bed to pee but it was so painful, I peed the bed b/c the pain stopped me from getting up. It took me a month before I could walk erect and 2 full months before I could do normal activities without needing a nap. Even now, I still get very itchy around my scar.
I think people have no clue of what recovery from surgery is like b/c they haven't had surgery before. I also think people just assume the complications won't happen to them.
If I could have another child, I likely would have had another c/s, b/c DS had a true knot in his umbilical cord and I can't imagine laboring with the anxiety I have and worrying about that, too. It's a non-issue for me now, but I think avoiding a c/s at all costs the first time around is the way to go! I can't imagine choosing a c/s!
Thanks for sharing this honest experience - my good friend is going through this right now and feels totally let down that she didn't know what to expect in terms of recovery from her (un-planned) c-section.
I wish more people were like you and shared their not so great experiences - up until now she had not been exposed to an experience such as yours and hers in terms of c-section recovery so I get the feeling that not only does she think her body failed her (her doctor told her the baby would not have been able to fit out anyways) she also feels like it's failing her again by not just letting her spring back to normal.
I'm glad everything went well and it's great that safe c-sections are an option when needed, but it really shouldn't be a first resort and I don't know how it has come to that.
I have heard of a doctor in my town that has a c-section rate that is somewhere in the 90%, I didn't really believe it but recently met 3 women that went to her. They could see that I was pregnant and proceeded to tell me how wonderful their births were and how scary (and painful) vaginal birth is. She tells them it's "empowering" to decide not to labor, she has also told them that babies are just too big these days and 1/2 of women shouldn't be vaginal birth candidates in her opinion
so they all 3 choose c-sections as first time moms and were trying to convince me (someone they JUST met) to do the same. I just don't know how I feel about that. Any choice you make over your body is empowering, I just can't wrap my head around choosing a major surgery before attempting a vaginal birth. To each their own, but I was seriously just sitting there shell shocked.
Thank you for posting this! I've often wondered what the recovery is really like, since as you mentioned, all I've ever seen on boards is "oh, it wasn't so bad" - I don't know if it REALLY wasn't so bad for them, or if they're just trying to put on a happy face.
I actually have some experience with a lot of the things you mentioned - even though I've never had a c-section (obviously lol), I had my appendix out about 5 years ago in Alice Springs...and let's just say those doctors had never heard of keyhole surgery - my scar from the incision is about 5" long.
And you're right - it's amazing how much you use your stomach muscles without realizing it! I was in a ton of pain, but I didn't get any drugs for it - I have no idea why, but the only thing they'd let people take after the appendectomy was Tylenol. Doesn't really do the job when you've had half your side cut open! Anyway, as you said, having abdominal surgery makes even the simplest things - walking, showering, getting in and out of cars - stunningly difficult. I think it took me about 2 weeks before I started really regaining any mobility...I can barely imagine trying to look after a newborn in that period of time!
Unfortunately, I may have to have a c-section with these kids (still don't know for sure yet), and I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing after my experience with the appendectomy.
Oh absolutely! I'm not anti-c-section at all!
I do agree with Jaime that I don't think a lot of people really know what one entails though. I have a friend who recently told me that when she has her second child (she's not pregnant, she was just mulling things over), she hopes she gets a c-section because it will be "easier." I told her how hard recovery is, etc., and she was shocked...she really thought it was just a minor thing and a good way to avoid the pain of childbirth.
I hope you'll share my experience with your friend so she doesn't feel like she is a failure. It's totally normal, I think people just don't talk about it, I don't know why...b/c it's not like it's shameful or anything. Or maybe they just want to block it from their minds after the fact
It's so common these days for ob's to schedule c-sections, just like you are talking about. Honestly, a lot of them do it for selfish reasons...b/c they'd rather do it during work hours than get paged in the middle of the night to do a L&D. MH says he sees it quite a bit from the docs he has been around, sadly.
Lisa, I'm sorry you didn't get pain meds! ouch. this is also why it boggles my mind when people get their dog spayed and try to say that they don't need pain meds b/c they don't thinnk their dog is in pain! Unfortunately, dogs are just good at hiding their pain! They've even done studies with dogs on camera that got pain meds after a spay vs those that did not....those that did not were showing signs of pain in their kennel when they were alone but the moment a human walked up to check on them they would act all happy and like nothing happened....vs the ones that got pain meds were calm and rested no matter who was around or not. but anyway, I digress
I know you may have to have a c-section w/the twins but I wouldn't be too worried about it. what happens, happens, and the recovery is manageable... I just did not know what to expect and i feel like no one talks about it! I am always shocked when I see someone from the 3rd tri board posting on 0-3 asking if c-sections are that bad and everyone chimes in, saying how it's not bad at all. I know some women do have that experience, my ob said some only take the vicodin for a few days after leaving the hospital and some never have to fill the Rx even... but I know that I'm not the only one that had a rough time w/it too. Thankfully, it's not a constant pain, it just hurt to move and do things if the pain meds were wearing off (like hitting a bump in the road while in the car was uncomfortable!) I was in nowhere near as much pain as I was during labor though
but I was in enough pain that I needed the vicodin for the full 2 weeks post partum. and while it is hard to recover and take care of a baby at the same time, we all do it and manage ok. luckily taking care of a baby does not require a lot of mobility. the c-section recovery is just one more thing on your plate to deal with on top of adjusting to mommyhood, that's all. It just helps a lot to have someone there to help you with things like getting in/out of bed. that was the hardest thing for me to do alone. you should have seen me the few times i was by myself and trying to lay down...a few times i decided instead of being all awkward, trying to bend my arms backward onto the headboard and going slow and hurting, i'd do it quickly, kind of like pulling off the band-aid quickly...so i'd brace myself and then let my body flop backward onto the bed/pillow in one fell swoop, hurt for a second, and then be done with it LOL. otherwise, I was ok on my own.
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Just as an aside, recovery from vaginal birth is no picnic either. I had a really rough time for several weeks and have had 2 girlfriends plus my sister have c sections where they were up and fine within a week, all 3 said they would have a C again.
I think ease of recovery from vag or c-sections varies from person to person.
I thing this brings to light the issue of recovery from child birth in general, c or not. I remember being shocked at how little i knew about recovery. I had spent so much time planning for the birth and learning how to care for a baby, that it never occurred to me that I would have to heal from childbirth.
When I was reading about child birth before Ella was born, I remember thinking that there was the whole school of thought about how the medicalization (and rise of C sections) of childbirth is all BAD and that natural childbirth and birthing on "The Farm" is all GOOD. Honestly, both ideas really pissme off. I went to a birthing center run by midwives to see if it was for me and I hated it! I hated the fact that although they "said" they were promoting options for women, when you listened to them, they tried to scare the living daylights out of you. They wanted you to know that if you went into a hospital and godFORBID had an epidural, you were basically weak and on the road to be sliced open like cattle. I did not appreciate the fear mongering at all.
We seem to want to live in a fairytale of childbirth being this beautiful and spiritual experience, and for some it is. But for many it is scary and regardless of if you give birth vaginally or not, it is a pretty major trauma to your body.
Cerclage placed @ 21w6d due to CI (IC)
Cerclage placed @ 21w6d due to CI (IC)
also a very good point. I was just lurking on 3rd tri a couple of days ago and was reading the most horrible vaginal birth experience - a 4th degree tear (or episiotomy, I wasn't quite sure - only that it included hours or repair work down there after the birth) that then got infected and now she has MRSA and can't be around anyone (including her baby). EEK!
I think the birth class I took had a pretty balanced, honest, and complete perspective of anything and everything - including post partum. I learned a lot and I know MH learned A LOT and got kind of queasy in the process. Oh well, at least we are prepared.
Kristen, I agree and totally see your point... not all vaginal births are easy breasy... my good friend delivered vaginally and got a 4th deg tear and it was a LONG time before she was even able to have a BM without severe pain! when her ob asked her about birth control at her 6wk pp check up, she almost died of laughter b/c she said she couldn't even poop pain free let alone even think about sex w/o hurting LOL
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Wow Jaime, I am sorry you had such a tough recovery. Thanks for sharing though...it helps demystify the whole thing.
I agree...there is a lot unsaid about post partum...I was a lucky one...felt great just hours after my L&D even though I had a tough third stage and lost lots of blood. Within hours I felt great. That said, I am STILL taking 800 mg ibuprophin three times a day, because when I don't I have aches and pains "down there." I only had a second degree tear and not many stiches, but the healing process is achy. And I had major hemorrhoids for the first two weeks! Awful. Never had them in my life, but with vaginal delivery and pushing they can appear.
And even though I had read and prepared myself, there were still things in the hospital that shocked me. Like I was on an IV for 36 hours after L&D (I needed antibiotics due to the cutterage). That my urine output would continued to be measured (as it was during L&D, which was also so irritating to me at the time). That I'd be wearing THREE maxipads at once while in the hospital!
FWIW, I sort of knew what to expect in terms of recovery if I had to have c/s because I had assisted J with recovering from two hernia repair surgeries. Not fun.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
Good points about recovery from v-birth as well!
As a kind of side note, the nurses at my local hospital (who also run the pre-natal classes) are very notorious for this:
I've been warned by a coworker (whose wife had twins about 2 years ago) that I may be treated badly by the nursing staff because I will have an epidural shunt and the nurses are EXTREMELY anti-pain relief.
The shunt isn't by choice - it's policy at my hospital for multiple births regardless of whether you actually intend on having drugs or not, so that just in case you give birth to the first baby and then the second baby goes into distress or something, they can instantly pump you full of drugs and do a c-section without any delays. So it's purely a safety measure, nothing else, but the vast majority of the nurses still treat patients who have to have it badly. Go figure!
Nope not a picnic at all!
I spent my pregnancy fluxuating between terror and resignation in regards to the labour and delivery, but I never even thought about the recovery.
I needed quite a few stitches because Elyse's shoulders got stuck. I never paid ANY attention to my perenium before this. You need that itty bitty area for alot of movements. Then I had a stitch pop so I had to sit with my legs closed for two days.
Thanks for posting Jaime, it's good to know about the good, bad and ugly of labour. It's good to hear about other peoples experiences so it's not so foreign when it happens to you.
My girlfriend swears she told me how hard her recovery was. She thinks I blocked her out
Married Bio
Isn't that just crazy? I wanted to shake them and say, "IT'S ABOUT OPTIONS YOU MORON!" To me, scaring some one into not having pain meds is just as bad as scaring them into it. I just want the info to decide for myself, just info, no spin.
Cerclage placed @ 21w6d due to CI (IC)
Thanks for sharing Jamie. I don't think I had things as bad as you did...gosh it sounded terrible for you. Totally TMI, but my issues was the bowel movements after Ashton was born...it took me two weeks to go!! I thought my incision was ripping open every time I tried to go. Oh and why didn't anyone tell me that I was not allowed to eat anything until I passed gas?!? It took me 2 1/2 days people before I could eat (4 days total!!!)
I did have a hard time getting in and out of bed. I went for a walk the next morning and took a shower after my epi wore off with the help of Adam. I sat on a chair in the shower at the hospital and did the same at home for the next few weeks. I do remember my incision BURNING once I was in the recovery room. It was like my skin was stretched at the sides of the incision that caused me the most pain. I did take my pain killers like clock work and also requested more after they ran out. I am glad I did.
To be honest, a lot of that part is a blur to me. Oh and my incision is about the size of yours Jamie..super small:-) I have not idea how they pulled an 8.5lb baby out of it.
I can't remember when I finally had my first post partum BM but I think it was probably about the same for me...some time between 1-2 weeks. and it took forever for me to pass gas in the hospital, too! i was so mad about not getting to eat anything but jello and chicken broth during that time!!! it was actually 3 days and i still hadn't passed gas and i think the nurse felt bad for me so she asked me if i wanted some real food even though i hadn't passed any gas yet... i immediately said YES!! LOL
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
So this post just sent me to the bathroom... To measure my c-section scar! It never occurred to me to measure it. Mine is 4.5 inches!
Anyway, I am so sorry that your recovery has been so hard. Having a c-section is a major surgery and not something to take lightly. I hope that sharing your experience helps others see what could happen.
I also hope that it's OK to share that my experience was VERY different. I gave birth at 5:14 pm on Wednesday and had the epidural in for another 24 hours. So I was in bed that whole time. They took it out the following afternoon, Thursday, at which time I had to use the bathroom for the nurse. It was hard to get up, but once I was up, I was fine.
The next day, Friday, I got up out of bed and took a sponge bath shower on my own. I then walked to a breastfeeding class down the hall. I would say that I shuffled... But the more I walked, the better I felt. Later that day, DH and I walked down to the cafetriea to get ice cream. We walked out to the courtyard and I walked around in circles and started doing yoga poses to stretch. DH told me to stop but it felt good to move!
The next day, Saturday, I took a real shower on my own. Then my sister and I walked to the cafeteria for more ice cream. I had some friends visit and I was walking all around my room. I went home the following day, Sunday. I walked upstairs to the nursery no problem.
I definitely took my pain meds... But I didn't notice if I forgot. I was a little stiff when I first got up, and it was hard to sit up without using my other arm as support. But I never was in much pain. After about a week home, I took Alexa out in a sling and walked a mile to Starbucks. That became a nearly daily routine for the rest of September.
Compared to some of the stories I have heard from friends who were in labor for hours, had cracked pelvises, hemmoragged and had big tears... I feel very fortunate.
If anyone asked me if the c-section was hard, I would say no... For me, it was easy. I did not choose it. It was medically necessary because my labor was not progressing. But the most pain I was ever in during my childbirth experience was hunger pain - and back ache. I am not saying this to rub it in.. I really hope no one takes it that way. I think what pp said is right... Childbirth is SO DIFFERENT for everyone.
At least the only thing that is the SAME with everyone's childbirth is the best part... A wonderful little baby to cuddle! :-)
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
absolutely the best part
and i don't think you are rubbing it in at all - I talked to someone else who was completely fine upon discharge from the hospital, so not that different from you... I am just jealous I did not get to have the same experience!! the first time I got up and out of bed, I got light headed and almost collapsed on the nurse that was helping me! it definitely felt better the more and more I moved around, it just took longer for me to get mobile to where it didn't hurt so much, partly b/c i was so reluctant to take the pain meds, and I think partly due to my low pain tolerance (I just assume I have a low pain tolerance based on all this, don't really know).
it's so true that everyone's experience varies!
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
Jaime, I feel so bad for saying that the recovery has been rough because I definitely don't have it as bad as you did! I do think I've been trying to do too much too soon, though, so I'm trying to take it easy now. (I'll post my birth story soon).
Just wanted to tell you what my OB told me - if you have a repeat c-section the recovery won't be as bad. She said that if you labor and then have a section, it's much harder because you're really recovering from both.
OMG, Renee, I'm hoping this doesn't happen to me! I'm almost one week pp and have yet to go. I've had prune juice and water, taken stool softeners, been walking and even had coffee since that usually does the trick for me. No luck yet.
Keep at the prune juice (and eating prunes)..it's what helped me. Sorry to scare you
You know what the ironic thing is? The reason it's the standard procedure for multiples at my hospital is BECAUSE of the anti-drug nurses. 7 or 8 years ago, they had a woman who was pregnant with twins - the nurses repeatedly talked her out of an epidural, and although the first baby came out fine, the second one went into distress. It ended up dying before they could knock the mom out and do an emergency c-section.
Needless to say, the hospital got some pretty bad PR out of that, and now it's standard to give anyone with multiples the epi shunt just in case, so they can instantly pump you full of numbing drugs and get the second baby out immediately if necessary. And yet the majority of the nurses are still sh!tty about it. *shakes head*
And Malia, I'm GLAD that you didn't have a terrible experience!
My c/s recovery was nearly the same as yours Jaime. The main differences were I didn't have an epidural after surgery mainly because I didn't have to labor at all so we went straight to the spinal.
My drugs started wearing off right as I finally got to my room and they weren't really allowed to give me much else for a bit which sucked hard core. Staying on top of the pain was difficult. I def. knew if it was about to beat me and would be calling for my drugs.
The first time they tried to get me out of bed about 8 hours after surgery I couldn't do it. My b/p plummeted so they got me back in bed. It was the next day after lots of prepping before my body would let me get up without passing out.
My first shower DH and the nurse walked very slowly to the bathroom on the other wing of the hospital because my room had a tub and I couldn't step in. It wasn't bad planning they just had kept me off the mom and baby hall for obvious reasons but this was one inconvenience of that.
That was one of the most painful walks of my life and the most difficult shower. I just sat there while DH washed me. It hurt too bad and I was exhausted.
When I came home it was the same for weeks. Little by little it got easier but it was slow going. The first night we came home I went to bed with DH's help but then I needed to pee and physically could not get up because my stomach muscles wouldn't work. I had to scream tow wake him up and he took me to the bathroom.
It was a very difficult recovery however I'll be facing it again in the future. You aren't alone though. It is hard!
Christine, don't feel bad at all! I'm glad to hear that the second c/s isn't as bad.... and I never thought about the fact that I was recovering from both the labor and the c/s!
I had totally forgotten about this part! I was drinking tons of water to help with the BFing so i had to get up and pee and every time i got up it was an ordeal!! I am sorry you went through a rough recovery as well.
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats