Dad update.... Injury update

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!

I really am going to try to get back into the swing of things when it comes to this blog. As I told you last time, things with my dad are looking up and I'm hoping life regains some semblance of normalcy eventually.

Dad update
Let's start with my pops. He was released from the rehab facility March 12th and is doing great. He's had various checkups with various docs and therapists and will hopefully be able to be weaned off some of the wacky drugs he's still taking. The physical therapists are really impressed with his strength and endurance so the main thing they'll be working on is balance. Dad is still using a walker and sometimes a wheelchair (only for really big outings) and he's getting pretty adventurous. In fact, he's given my mom a couple of really good scares when she can't find him because he's just taken off on his own to a different area of the house or the yard. This whole experience is presenting everyone with a lot of life changes to get used to, but we're all grateful my dad is still alive and still himself. The other day he told me that he'd been to the workout facility because, "I haven't seen a lot of those old farts for a long time!" Priceless. Michael and I are going to Arizona for a visit next month and we're looking forward to spending time with my folks outside a hospital setting!!!

Injury update
Now on to my latest medical adventure. You may vaguely remember me posting about a very weird injury I sustained last spring during a workout shoot. It happened after Sonya and I did a gazillion different types of brutal sit ups during a kickboxing-type class. My back was killing me the next day and I ended up sprouting this big lump that started at my tailbone and extended up my lower back. After it didn't go away for a few weeks, my doctor decided to biopsy it. The lab reported that it was tissue and bone. Strange. I saw a couple of different specialists and no one could determine what the thing was or what exactly had caused it to form. At any rate, I was scheduled to have it removed in December - the day after my dad collapsed. Obviously, that appointment was cancelled so I've been living with my "tail" and the discomfort that has accompanied it for nearly a year. That is until last Friday. I underwent an outpatient surgery under local anesthetic and got to listen to the surgeon, resident and nurse saying things like, "Wow! This is so weird! I've never seen anything like this before! What do you think it is? What could have caused it?" You get the idea. What they took out of me was a huge, calcified mass. It's being sent to pathology and they're calling me a "mystery". All I know is that I'm glad the thing is gone. Unfortunately, now I have about nine inches worth of stitches and my butt and lower back are killing me. That's why you won't see me on TV today - I'm getting ready to go back home, pop some pills and lie down.

Have a great week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com