Life on Hansen Farm

Surprise! I'm alive! Ok, ok so it's been awhile since I have updated my blog. I would say give me a break however after my total hip replacement I don't think asking for a break would be a good idea anymore.

Surgery was done on November 12 and was a complete success. I underwent 8 hours of one of the most intense surgeries on my left hip, According to my surgeon, “it was one for the books”. I like to think of it as having all new ball bearings installed. Now all I need is a new engine and starter and I will be Nascar ready.

I did have to spend 1 month in the hospital. MD Anderson in Houston is an absolutely amazing hospital. It is it's own self-contained city within a city. The food and care was amazing. It was like being in an upscale hotel..... other than the IV poles, bedpans, drugs, etc. Char & I ended up spending Thanksgiving in the hospital which actually wasn't all that bad. We had a lovely dinner and the TV all to ourselves. Which brings me to the subject of my sister, Charlene!

Let me start off by saying how much I love my big sister Char. She is an amazing woman with so many giftings. There is in fact no other person on this planet that I would want to take care of me....... if I needed a complete makeover. She is the BEST when it comes to making me look good even in the hospital. Hair & makeup are her forte. However, as a traditional caregiver Char would probably NOT be the Peoples Choice. Let me explain.

Char would rise each morning and immediately begin cleaning the room, ordering our breakfast, primp & fuss over me so I would look presentable to the world. Then the nurse would come in to perform some minor activity like check my surgical wound or help me onto the bedside commode. Char would RUN from the room making the same excuse each time that she had to make a phone call. Then there was THE NIGHT. In the middle of THE NIGHT I awoke in miserable pain. I had all the drugs onboard that I could have so the only other thing that might bring relief would be to readjust my body in bed. Being completely unable to do this myself had the effect of giving me a panicky feeling of anxiety. As I laid there whimpering for Char to help me she continued to snore in the bed next to me. Finally, she heard me and jumped from her bed. I felt a sense of relief that help was on the way UNTIL she reached the side of my bed. Leaning over the rail and getting almost nose to nose with me she FIRMLY made the following statement. " I need my rest and so do you, now GO TO SLEEP!"

Of course, to have your sister who is 15 years older go nose to nose and lay down the law instantly turns you into a 5 year old. I did what any 5 year old would do to avoid getting into further trouble. I went to sleep! The moral of this story is this. It is DANGEROUS to disturb a beauty queens sleep.

By now some of you might have noticed that I have not been home for quite awhile, in fact I haven’t been back to California since October 22nd. I have been recuperating from surgery in Oklahoma with Marla and her family since my release from MD Andersen in early December. In addition to Marla & her family taking care of me, my cousins Maureen and Larry came to visit for two weeks during their cross-country travels. Maureen cooked and baked EVERY DAY and left the freezer full, as well as, our tummies!! Also, my cousin Cher came for a week and was able to massage my “bad leg” to move after having a slight set back for the last few weeks. Both provided a lot of help and assistance to me, and a brief break for Marla who has been waiting on me hand & foot for the last 4+ months.

This week Char is coming to see Dad for a few days before we head back on Monday the 11th to MD Andersen where I’ll meet up with David. His parents will join us, in addition to his two brothers and their families for dinner one night – this will be the first time our families have met, which is scarier than waiting for the results of my tests (ha/ha) which is the reason I am actually going to Houston. I am currently scheduled to have the brace removed on the 13th, followed up by MRI’s, CT’s, blood work, etc to determine “Next Steps”. Bottom line is if the tumors are stable since the last scans/tests taken in December I will come back in 3 months for another round of tests. If there are any signs of significant growth, a chemo plan will be administered. Fortunately, if I do need more chemo, the plan will be lead by the doctors at MDA, however I will receive the drugs through the Dr’s in California.

I am looking forward to returning to California but will miss my Oklahoma family. Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts & good wishes.


Kelly Mae (my new Okie name)