Monday, December 12, 2022

Hematoma- What A Beautiful Word

So I was halfway awake from 4:30 on this morning, worrying about not getting enough sleep because I am logical like that. I got up at 6:45 and it wasn't really that bad and I felt fairly upright and coherent and so forth which was good. Mr. Moon was already up and on the road to Arkansas with the knowledge that he has a hematoma in his leg, or at least he was in his mind. He was dressed in his shorts which he had to wear so that they could get to his leg with the ultra-sound and the needle and he was cheerful and happy and completely ready to get past this hurdle while meanwhile, although I was dressed it wasn't in what I would be wearing to town, it was overalls and a raggedy shirt but you cannot ask me to put on a bra-like garment before the sun comes up unless you are taking me somewhere which involves the Miami airport and Bloody Mary's and an eventual landing in the Yucatan Peninsula. 
So I drank some coffee and read a few blogs and then I got dressed in "real" clothes and Mr. Moon folded his blankets and put them in a bag with his pillow and with that he was finished packing as he had spent yesterday filling his truck with the things he would need. We had to take two cars to town because he was leaving from the appointment to go on his journey and I was leaving the appointment to go do the grocery shopping. We checked into the medical place early. I've been there more than once. Sometimes for mammograms, sometimes with a grandchild for X-rays. We all know how medical things affect me which is to say- I had already started dissociating by the time I got in the car and it was not an easy thing to keep myself fully in that seat behind the wheel but I must have because here I am. So I was a mess but my husband was, like I said, already on the road in his mind and we had to check in a second time at the desk upstairs where we'd been sent and then we sat and waited for about forty-five minutes. We finally saw a guy walk through the waiting area in a Radiology Associates T-shirt and khaki pants and we knew that must be the guy and sure enough, within five minutes, they called Glen back. Now the reason I was there in the first place was not only to offer my support to my man, but to witness and take note of everything done and said. So I got up and started to walk back to the procedure area with him and the woman who'd called him said, "You have to wait in here." 

"What?" I said. 
"She can't come with me?" my husband said. 
"No. She can't," the woman said and that was that. 
Well, fuck me. 
So I waited and waited and he finally came out and handed me his phone and a package of gauze pads and grabbed the bag with his jeans in it that he'd planned on changing into and before I could even ask him how things went, he was in the restroom, changing into those jeans. 
Well, fuck me again. 
So I had to wait until he came back out and we were heading downstairs for me to say, "Well?" and he said, "It's a hematoma," as if...obviously. 
Okay. Excellent. 
He said they aspirated first fluid and then bloody fluid and the guy said it was a hematoma and they did send in a sample to pathology because the surgeon had insisted on that. They also irrigated it with saline and I am not sure why and I will never know because I wasn't in there, was I? 
NO. No I was not. 

At this point Mr. Moon was getting into the truck and noticed that despite a lot of bandaging, the aspiration area was leaking like crazy and he decided that he needed to change out of his jeans which were getting soaked and put his shorts back on which he did very discreetly in the parking lot in a manner in which no one could see him and then he tied a rag around his leg below the dribbling place and kissed me one more time and then...he was off! 

Well. 

Of course I was crying because all of that was A LOT and every day this man becomes dearer and dearer to me but as I told him right before he left, he is a crazy, crazy person which made him laugh but he did not disagree. 

And then I went to Costco with Jessie and then Publix by myself and then I came home and scrubbed toilets and cleaned up cat puke and that's about all. I have zero energy. 

Oh! I did go out to the garden. Remember when I planted the garlic last week? 


Can you see the sprouts? I think those little bulbs were happy to get out of their dark bag and into some dirt under the sunlight. 

I picked my first carrot of the season today and although it's not very big, it is beautiful. I am going to make roasted salmon with miso rice and ginger-scallion vinaigrette for my supper although I have no miso and I think I'll cook the salmon on the stove instead of roasting it. The recipe calls for cabbage or any other crisp vegetables and I do have some cabbage but I will also add the carrot, some turnips, and some mustard greens to the mix. 

I'm back to hunting widow status. I am pleased to report that I sat down at the piano for the first time in weeks and golly gee- I seem to have improved by not practicing. It's a Christmas miracle. I even clapped for myself, spontaneously and with glee! This is not to say that I was any good at all but it is to say that I sound at least as good as a first-grader. So yay.

As it is December 12, I must mention our dear Reina de Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is her saint's day. Or whatever Catholics call that thing. 



As with so many of the Catholic saints, the Spanish simply appropriated a native deity- in this case Tonantzin- and turned her into their own mother goddess, Mary. Tonantzin translates to "our sacred mother" and she is representative of fertility and the earth. The appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe supposedly happened at the same site as the Temple of Tonantzin which, of course, the Spaniards destroyed. 
Here is a picture of a statue of Tonantzin. 


I am assuming that she was no virgin and hurray for her! 

But as most long-time readers here know, I have been infatuated with our Virgin of Guadalupe for many years and I love and cherish that little carving of her that I got in Cozumel many years ago. In my heart of hearts, I do not believe she was a virgin either. 

Dang, Mary! That's enough! What a day. But all-in-all, a very good one. Thank all of you for the good wishes in respect to today's procedure. All is well. 

Love y'all...Ms. Moon






34 comments:

  1. I'm glad all seems to have gone well, and hope you'll soon recover. Mr Moon seems to have a very pragmatic approach, not ss dramatic ss some guys undergoing what the hospitals call Procedures. Good for him.

    There is learning when you're not practicing, that's true. It's as if your brain is processing what you did and needs time away from practicing. Good for you. Happier today.

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    1. Mr. Moon is quite pragmatic about medical things. If he sees a need, he gets it done. The opposite of me, really.
      I thought that about the piano too- and then today when I sat down, I was all thumbs. Sigh.

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  2. Hooray for Mr. M and his reduction to a hematoma of the lump in his leg. The aspiration seems a trifle messy, but give him a rag and he's up to it. And hooray for Mrs, M and her infatuation with the Virgin a Guadalupe; hooray for her conviction she was not a virgin, either.

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    1. I talked to the man today and he says the hole in his leg appears to have dried up. Human bodies are amazing, aren't they?
      At least I'm just infatuated with our V of G, not obsessed. Why in the world was virginity such a hallowed state? Oh yeah. The patriarchy.

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  3. not sure (having worked in medicine for 35 years) you would even attempt to aspirate OR irrigate a hematoma that is a month old? but hey... it sounds like good news all around and that is what matters. I know some bad ones can take a long time to re-absorb...... glad you found solace in your un-tuned (get my drift?) piano, but SO glad you did....... and have salmon on tap for dinner. Hope you bought some peas at Publix...... and wish you a sweet night with cats to keep you warm and snug.
    Susan M

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    1. They were trying to determine for sure what the mass on the scans was. And so they aspirated a little of it to make sure. Now as to the irrigation- I am clueless about that. Seriously clueless.
      My salmon was so good. I made enough for today's lunch, too. I have to try that again. It would be excellent with tuna instead of salmon as well.
      I slept so very well.

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  4. FRESCA here (why am I anon.?)
    Excellent news about Mr Moon's leg!
    I am smiling.
    How frustrating, though, not to be allowed in the room where it happened...

    This Catholic can answer your question: "Feast day" is the term for a day celebrating a saint...feast as in "festival".
    Also, I expect you know this, but you can call her Our Lady of Guadalupe and leave out the "virgin" (forgive me for being pedantic, but that seemed to annoy you?)
    I looked her up--don't actually know much about her, though I see her a lot in the neighborhood where I work--and found this nice point:
    "Remember that Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego in Nahuatl, the indigenous language he spoke, not Spanish."
    She's good like that.
    Maybe she's good with legs too! :)

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    1. Feast Day- exactly! I knew that. And I also know that she can be called Our Lady and I do like that. I just have a such a visceral reaction to virginity equating to holiness and goodness. It is so demeaning to women. And of course it has arisen through the ages and eons of the patriarchy. A woman who is a virgin is untouched goods. Unspoiled property. Still pure. Ugh.
      Here's a blog post I wrote on the subject many years ago. https://www.blessourhearts.net/2010/09/haiku-my-heart-jerry-hall.html
      Yes, Our Lady did indeed speak to Juan Diego in his native language. I tell you what- she is beloved in Mexico. Her image is everywhere.

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  5. I'm so glad it's a hematoma. I think I'd be irritated though that he just took off with fluid soaking through his pantleg. I'd have a good cry too. You were worried it was cancer and it wasn't which is a lot of emotions to deal with.

    I read a book years ago that you might like. "Our Lady Of The Lost And Found" by Diane Schoemperlen.

    Sending hugs woman.

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    1. He's so funny and so determined. If that had been my leg, I would have had to go to bed for a week. Not for healing or any pain, just due to the emotional damage I'd experienced. Not him! Hematoma, okay! Next stop Arkansas!
      I'll have to check that book out. Thanks for the suggestion and the hugs. Back to ya!

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  6. I'm glad you managed to hold yourself together through that day! Had to giggle at Glen changing into shorts in the parking lot though! The hematoma will stop dribbling as soon as the needle hole heals up.
    I love your garlic patch! Mine died, not enough sun in that spot and everything else I tried is also not doing at all well, just not enough sun there for veggie growing. I did pick one tiny green bean yesterday. ONE! I was hoping for a couple of pans worth. Que Sera. Roasted salmon sounds delicious. Almost like barbecued.

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    1. Yes, he told me that the needle hole has indeed healed and the dribbling has ceased.
      Garlic does like some sun and heat, I think. Or at least warmth!
      Where one green bean has grown, others will follow! I am thinking positively for you!
      The salmon was so good.

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  7. Right now I am sitting next to a man who is still coughing his head off and he almost done with his antibiotic and my grandson caught covid. His mother caught covid. Now the man of the house is running a fever. I have this awful feeling that this is going to derail Christmas. I need to come and see your garlic grow.

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    1. Oh, honey. No! This just sounds awful. Keep us posted on how your man is. And I hope it's light cases for your grandson and his mother.

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  8. Hooray for the haematoma. Boo sucks to you not being allowed in. So Mr Moon is going hunting with a pair of blood soaked jeans. I guess he isn't hunting carnivores.
    I love how the Christian (predominantly Catholic) church requisitioned the pagan feastivals and icons and made them their own. I heard a woman on the radio the other day in high dudgeon because 25th December is the anniversary of the birth of Christ. No, lady, it was some pagan winter solstice festival they decided would do. Sorry. Getting a bit carried away here. Bit like you and certain virgins.

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    1. No, he's not hunting carnivores. And it was most just fluid, not a lot of blood. Oh god. He's so determined.
      Religion is insane and the people who really believe in it literally are also insane. To my mind, anyway. But as I have said so many times, I do not have the gene.

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  9. I can't believe your garlic is already up!!!!! I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I guess it just might have something to do with our climate (we had another six inches of snow last night)! And I'm glad Mr. Moon's test went well. Just hope his leg doesn't "dribble" while he's out hunting!

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    1. Yes. I imagine that growing garlic where you live might be tricky. But what do I know?
      Six MORE inches of snow? Better you than me.
      I think the leg wound has healed.

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  10. Love the way you write...lolol...the Miami airport and Bloody Mary's...lolol
    SO happy things went well for your husband...those are nothing to play with. He shouldn't be driving really. Hope he stops often and walks around a bit.
    Have a super week my friend!
    hughugs
    Donna

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    1. You don't have to tell me he shouldn't be driving! But, they have told him that since it's not in a deep vein, it's not that big a worry. He got the first ultra-scan because he was worried about DVT. He is prone to get those. His sister does too.

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  11. I was surprised to read in the Chicago Tribune that lots of truckers travel to Des Plaines, IL to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe every year. Lots of the truckers have large images of her on the front of their trucks as they travel to celebrate.
    Here's info about the event: https://www.solg.org/en/guadalupana-feast-2022/#Schedule
    Glad Mr. Moon is okay. I would be worn out from all of that!

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    1. Oh my goodness! That sounds like a huge celebration! I had no idea that Des Plaines, IL was such a center for the worship of Our Lady!

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  12. Well, I'm glad all is well, but it's weird that they wouldn't let you accompany Glen while he had the procedure. I wonder why? Are they afraid of people filming or secretly recording, or maybe there are x-rays flying around from scanning machines? Very strange.

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    1. The woman at the desk said that the room they were doing the procedure in is really small. I was not convinced. They were doing an ultra sound so I really doubt they're worried about X rays. I think you may have it right with the fear of filming or witnessing. It sure pissed me off.

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  13. Glad the leg thing is all sorted out. I have some elephant garlic but we don't cook with/eat it. We tried it but it is very mild and I like my garlic a little zingier. I let it grow for the flowers.

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    1. I had to plant this garlic because Tom would be so hurt if I didn't. One year I just ate the garlic he gave us to plant and I'm not sure he'll ever get over it. I, too, prefer the regular garlic but this will be nice eventually for some dishes.

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    2. Even with the milder flavour it will still have all the wonderful nutrients. Garlic is nature's antibiotic. Well that's what my health book says.

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  14. glad for the good report on your hubby! and the wonderful sight of the garlic sprouts! all I can say about Virgin of Guadalupe is that I wish my boobs had stayed that perky after my children were born!!

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    1. Tonantzin's bosoms are right up there, aren't they? Whoa, lady!

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  15. I think they're afraid you'll pass out when you see the needle go in...happens sometimes. Then they have two patients...

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    1. A. I've never passed out in my life although Glen certainly has, and
      B. I was a nurse.
      Of course they did not know those things but I don't think they would have cared.

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  16. So glad the leg was minor and has healed! That is a load off you!

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