On the mend again :)

Hi again, I’m still alive – don’t they say that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger :)?  I must be super woman by now!  So to give you a recap of the past 5 days – I woke up in ICU Wednesday evening around 4:00, after more than 7 hours of surgery.   Through my loopiness I heard my Dr. telling my parents that it went extremely well and I laid there knowing that I definitely had less pain than last time I woke up in this situation.  The nurse I had at that point was very attentive and I even got on Facebook to say "hi" to ya’ll, with my cute sisters giving you further updates on my blog.

So my family left for the night, assuming I was in good hands, not realizing that the night shift nurses were not so empathetic and kind as the first one.   I had a sleepless night in ICU – partially due to the heated rubber raft they placed over my chest and the fact that I couldn’t eat until the next morning in case they had to wheel me back in to surgery.  The SGAP surgery is apparently fairly rare and so the nurses were somewhat uninformed or forgetful about what positions my body was capable of and this as well as their general unempathetic attitude about my situation caused some panic for me.  After trying to reason with them I was feeling so traumatized that I could hardly control my emotions the rest of the day, even after my 2 sisters rushed to the hospital and my Dr. showed up and handled things in a more appropriate manner.  Note to self: never let them leave you alone with the nurse at the hospital when they are not used to patients who can talk back and voice their opinion.  Apparently ICU nurses are not used to patients like me :).

After my Dr. left all of the nurses and medical staff were great – aside from a couple of loopy CNA’s :).  When I finally made it out of bed on Thursday around 10:00 a.m., I was so glad to be out that I didn’t want to get back in.  My left leg/foot felt completely numb and I was determined to stand/walk until I had some feeling back.   So I walked from ICU to the regular unit, where I spent the rest of my time at the hospital.  Friends and family filled up my entire day/evening and it helped the time go by so quickly.  They also brought great meals and I was able to avoid eating most of the hospital food.

After a good night’s rest, Friday was a good day and I was doing laps around the hospital floor every couple of hours.  More friends and family visited and my mom stayed the night and the next day, Saturday I was released after a visit from my Dr.

I made it home after an interesting car ride, due to the fact that for at least the next 2 weeks I have to keep my left leg totally straight.  Have you ever tried to ride in a car with this scenario?  I dare say my techniques are the latest and greatest in how to creatively maneuver.  If you see me in the next 2 weeks, I will be wearing a skirt – not because I am being formal but for reasons we aren’t going to discuss here :). I am learning how to pick up things with my right foot/toes- like those cool people you see on TV – America’s Got Talent acrobats have nothing on me :).

After a visit from my cute aunt and cousin Saturday evening, I had a pretty good night minus a minor episode at 2 a.m. when my body finally rebelled against all of the medication that has been pumped into it over the past month.  I am now down to taking only half a pain pill every 6 hours + advil and pretty excited to be getting back to my regular vitamins and supplements I had to stop pre-surgery. 

Sunday has been a great day – slept until noon, showered and did my hair (on my own) and had dinner with my family and a visit from some wonderful friends.  I am feeling fairly mobile considering I can only lay flat or stand.  I am enjoying the ability I have to talk to so many friends and family on a more regular basis than I normally have time for.  Truly I am blessed through this trial.  My sweet aunt shared a special book with me today, which contained a beautiful quote that resonates a a deep level for me:

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven." Orson F. Whitney

I know this to be true and I testify that God has been with me through this trial.  Thank you for caring enough to read about my experience. 

Love you!