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Thu Mar  7 08:14 EST 1996
Joy's update

Joy saw the surgeon last night.  Her test results are fine.

Pertinent details: she is not allowed to drive for two weeks and
will be healing for six.  No snow shoveling either.  (Rats!)

Medical details:  Prior to these cysts (which were not asymptomatic)
Joy's uterus was swollen.  The doctor speculated abdomiosis (sp)
which means that some naturally occuring curly-like cilia may have
grown into the muscle wall of the uterus (or something like that),
but everything checks out.  I disclaim any resemblance to medical
descriptions (especially knowing several medical people on these
dist lists!).

She said that when she "got in there" last Thursday it looked as
if a grenade exploded inside my wife.  We were going to get the pictures
of the surgery scanned and sent with this mail but thought better of it.

We were told that laproscopy is still an evolving technology and
that in the last 5 years its been getting really good, but some
of the tubes they stick in you are getting larger for some of the more
sophistocated tools.  A 5cm (1/4") hole is not a problem (does not
require stiching the abdominal wall) but one of her new scars is a
10-12cm hole which will take longer to heal.  The stiches used are
"the 60-day kind" (don't remember the name) which will dissolve in
her body.  She said catgut dissovles in 7 days but that she felt
that this should go 60 days.

It hurts to cough, laugh, or even stand up to make her own lunch
but she is improving.  (As torture, I slurped up a blob of Jello
just to see how much control she had over her ha-ha mechanism.)

There are more feminine details, but to tell you the truth, I'm
really tapped out on all of this female plumbing stuff for a long,
long time.  I don't know if it is a new respect for what women
have to go through in life, or a new respect for the ancient Jewish
prayer of thanks for being made male.  I am ecstatic that my wife
will be restored to me in due time, though.  After all, we are the
Great American Love Story.

Mark
        __   __            Mark Metcalfe                         ,
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