Category: Strength

Recipe for Recovery

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One of the kind care givers who stopped in to check on me gave me a copy of a poem a patient had written. I thought it was very appropriate.

Recipe For Recovery

    • 1 Cup of Hope
    • A Dash of Courage
    • 2 1/2 Cups of Trust
    • Several Months of Therapy
    • 4 Tablespoons of Faith
    • Work by the Load
    • A Bag of Knowledge
    • A Pinch of Reassurance
    • A Ton of Support
    • One Box of Memories
    • 2 Pints of Higher Power
    • A Handful of Friends
    • 1 Platter of Patience
    • Lots of time
    • A Plate of Mistakes
    • 1 Stack of Affirmations
    • Buckets of Tears
    • One Box of Crayons
    • A Bunch of Soft huggy things
    • 1 1/2 Gallons on Rewards
    • A good effort
    • 2 Big Bags of Understanding
  • Most important ingredient: LOVE!

Get Better Bears

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My family has a little bit of a tradition that whenever someone in our family is ill, we give them a “Get Better Bear”.  My sister Dori kept this tradition alive by getting me a “GB Bear” for my stay in the hospital. A real comfort from home.

Then along the journey I received three other bears! Some people knew of the tradition, others didn’t, but it somehow fit. They all share a spot on my bedside table now keeping me company and watching over me. They, as well as all the prayers and cards I received, have helped in my recovery.

Besides, who can resist a fuzzy, cute little bear! It just makes you feel better!

Not to be confused with the “Care Bears” I made reference to in my first entry!

Little Progress

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I was given another doppler scan and the results came back negative. As a result, then took out the last IV fluid Tuesday morning.

I showered, shaved and washed my hair for only the 2nd time in almost three weeks. Boy, did that feel good!! Still took a lot out of me, but I felt clean at least.

Then I checked out walking without the IV tree for the first time. At first, I was hesitant, but after a few rounds around the hallway, I felt a little more confident.

The Dr. is still saying I’ll be here until Thursday, possibly, still Friday. They may, or may not run one more scan on Wednesday. I’m not sure what will determine that or not.

While showering, I noticed my incision in my groin and I keep forgetting to ask the Dr. if I’m supposed to remove that protective tape or what.

My noisy, older room-mate left, so I had several hours of quiet. Now someone else is moving in. An  older lady again who was in a car accident last Friday in that horrible rain and wind storm. Broken ribs and a broken arm. Poor thing.

I feel pretty good. A little tired, slight headache, but overall pretty good.

Out Again

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Finally the next evening I felt better and was on my way. My appetite came back and my strength returned so that I could spend more time on my feet. I was getting sick of the 6th floor though. They told me I was moving to a semi-private room…AGAIN! I told the nurse to not mess with me, but it was true. AND I’d have the room all to myself…at least for now. I was elated! But, two hours later, a post-op patient came in. She had endured 9 hours of back surgery and was in a lot of pain. I feared it would be a long night. I did get a little bit of sleep, but the nurses in the hallway are too noisy. Again….hospitals are just not a place for rest!

Again, I was impressed with the nurses. They do a lot and are in demand a lot and do a very professional job of it. Some more than others, but all do a good job. Each set of nurses, day time and night time, have accommodated any request I have given them in regards with making taking my pills easier. One girl even made me peanut butter toast at 3:30 a.m. I got horribly sick of jello, then orange sherbet, so the toast was a nice change.

I worked more with physical therapy and our pal Lisa. Any concerns I had, she talked to the right people and got the balls rolling. Dave and I were both very impressed with her. Very helpful, easy to talk to and funny. I had been using a walker, but we decided a cane would be better suited for our house, so we practiced with a cane (dragging the IV tree along with me the entire time) and felt more confident with it. I also got some exercises to work on my muscles at home.