Anyone who has ever stayed overnight in a hospital knows how little sleep you get, and such was the case with me. There were frequent checks on my vitals, one time the drip malfunctioned and had to be changed, blood had to be drawn, I requested bathroom breaks, and finally, a little before 7:00 a.m., Dr. M came to check on me. As was the case the previous time, he said everything went really well and that, presuming I passed my physical therapy tests, I'd be ready to go home around noon.
Although I dozed for 30 minutes after he left, the nurse brought my medications, so I finally decided to wake up and order breakfast because I was still feeling quite perky. I ordered and ate English muffins, peach yogurt, a fruit cup, and two cups of coffee. I just finished breakfast when the occupational therapist arrived. By the time she left, I'd had given myself a sponge bath, gone to the bathroom, changed into pajamas and housecoat, and performed several tasks (leg lifts, standing up from various surfaces, etc.). She left and right on her heels came my case manager who wanted to make sure I was happy about my treatment and asking if I had any complaints. I absolutely did not! No sooner had she left than the physical therapist came. We spent a long time together, walking the halls, going to the PT room, practicing going up and down steps with a cane, and learning different gaits for different situations. Stan arrived in the midst of this and accompanied us back to my room. All I wanted to do was collapse into bed and nap, but that was not in my future. The Physician Assistant came to review everything and, having inspected my incision site and having changed my bandage, she declared me ready to go home. The nurse and technician came back, helped me put on my "going home" clothes, and took all the wires and needles out of me. The pharmacist delivered my prescriptions,, the nurse returned with my discharge papers, and finally wheelchair transport came.
Right before leaving, we delivered a tray of goodies that Stan had bought, assembled, and wrapped to the nurses' station with a rather gushing thank you note. I got in the wheelchair and off we went. Our son was here to help Stan get me into the house (quite a production!), All this activity had exhausted me, so I lay down on the couch in our family room and was out like a light. Our son stayed and worked at my computer while Stan ate lunch, then went upstairs to take a nap, also. After our son left to go pick up the girls from high school, guess what I did? Yup, took another nap, this time on the daybed in Stan's office.
So now, the day is almost done. I've talked to our Florida son, I have eaten cheese and crackers for dinner, watched one HGTV show, and caught up on my blog. Meds have been taken, so it's about time to go curl up in the daybed where I hope to have a more or less uninterrupted night of sleep. My leg is very swollen and stiff, it's hot, and my calf hurts, but I'm home, the surgery was successful, and I'm puttering around the house very slowly with my walker. It's all going to be okay, but now, I need to sleep!
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