Dave and I drove to NY to visit my family for the first time since my rupture last October. My sister Dori had flown in for my surgery, but no one else has seen me since I was in ICU. Thankfully, I looked much better than I did then!

Dave did all the driving and it’s probably a good thing. The drive was very tiring for me. I was still awake at the end of the 11 hour drive, but I can’t say I was too alert! LOL We did a lot of visiting, but kept our schedule relatively open to leave us free time so I could rest…which I didn’t do much of. Only a couple of days during the trip did I really “feel” it. As I walked, I kept waiting for my hind quarters to catch up with me….meaning my arse was really dragging, but it was all worth it.

One amazing thing. We stayed at a new hotel and casino. I really wasn’t sure I’d even be able to go into the casino with it’s flashing lights, bells & whistles. So, I was expecting to not even go in, but lo and behold, it didn’t bother me. The first trip through was a little rough, mostly because they allowed smoking, but was extremely well ventilated. That kind of threw me. We did not gamble, so I’m not sure if actually playing a slot machine would have bothered me. I wasn’t going to push it.

I know I waited too long to make this trip, 7 months, but I really wanted to make sure I was okay and that I could do the trip. I would have hated to get there and be useless and not be able to spend the quality time that I did with my friends and family.

Now getting back into the swing of work again, I’m really feeling the strain of looking at my computer all day as I hadn’t looked at a computer screen for seven days. I don’t think I went that long without seeing a computer when I was in the hospital. I worry about my job longevity on days the strain of looking at the screen all day bothers me. I guess until I CAN’T do this job anymore, I won’t worry about it…easier said than done though!

For those of you who have suffered a ruptured aneurysm, or have a family member who has, be patient with them and enjoy any time you have with them….it may just be your last. Savor those moments.