Home

Well, I finally made it home yesterday.  

If you haven't read my last post and are unaware: I had some pretty involved surgery that was supposed to have a one night hospital stay afterward.  

Not my bed but looks just about as comfortable.

That one night stay turned into a six day ordeal.  The first night I thought to myself how nice and quiet it would be and I should try to relax and enjoy it a little through the pain and that night wasn't too bad, I'm pretty sure due to nurses staying on top of pain meds.

The doctors decided to keep me a second night because I had lost some blood during and after the surgery and they wanted to be on the cautious side.  After the second night I was done.  I was already uncomfortable and ready to go home.  I spiked a fever on the third day, they thought I might have internal bleeding, and they couldn't seem to get my pain under control.  Most of that third day was spent trying to figure out where the fever was coming from, testing to try and find a possible source of internal bleeding, and desperately trying to get the right combo of meds to get the pain back under control.   I was miserable.  I can't remember a worse day in my recent memory.  By the end of day three they somehow managed to reign in my pain and they put me on a barrage of intravenous antibiotics to address the fever. 

The morning of day four I woke up nauseated and with a nasty headache.  After a couple hours of more drugs to treat these new symptoms, a hospitalist came in and thought that this might be caused by all the antibiotics running through my body.  After those were discontinued I felt so much better!  The rest of day four actually seemed pretty good to me, pain was under control and things were going smoothly.  Other than the fact that I was bored out of my mind with cable tv, the internet and the bed is probably one of the most uncomfortable ones I've ever encountered.  Other than that, a pretty good day.  

I woke up on day five feeling a lot better than I had in quite awhile.  I was up moving around, eating, using the restroom (sorry if TMI), and I thought this could be the day I escape!  

Pardon the hospital chic.

But every nurse I encountered made it sound like I had at least one more night booked on my lovely hospital getaway.  WHAT? Why?  Nobody seemed to be able to answer this question for me.  It doesn't seem like that difficult of a question.  Why am I still here and when can I go home?  It took the hubby calling and being perhaps a little difficult to get the answer.  Apparently on the evening of day four I had another fever.  My doctor had put in his notes that I could not be released from hospital hell (my words, not his) until I had been fever free for 24 hours.  Now this does make sense to me, but I still can't understand why they didn't tell me I had a fever and the doctors orders regarding said fever.  I kinda thought I was in the need to know category.   

We had to call an audible on the home front as all of this was unfolding as well.  The hubby had a work trip that he left for on the morning of day five that he could not get out of.  It wasn't supposed to be that big of a deal since I was supposed to have been cut loose already!  So the three little ones, W and the twins, had gone to Frenchtown to stay with my inlaws and Ben and Hillary had D and F at home and Hillary was on call for my release!

So after I had resigned myself to another nights stay on the butt-numbing bed watching mind-numbing television I texted the hubby with some tears in my eyes and tried to get some rest.  I didn't care what they told me the morning of day six, I was blowing that popsicle stand.  I was DONE.

After yet another restless night I awoke with the hope of going home on day six.  Doctor came to see me and said that it looked like I could go home later that day!  Unfortunately, they way things go I wasn't able to get out of there until almost 4:00 pm!  Let me tell you, that was a long drawn out day of impatiently waiting for he nurses to come discharge me!  When they finally came in I was ready, dressed bags packed and just needing my iv out!  

Six days of an iv is not pleasant.  Mine was in the side of my wrist and it was quite painful.  Between the pain of the actual iv site and the fact that a layer of my skin peeled off when they took the tape off I wasn't happy.  Then to top it off my wrist was swollen, red and very, very sore.  

This is already way better than it was.

A huge saving grace for me were my amazing friends and family who brought me coffee and food to save me from eating hospital food.  Jenny, Andrea and Hillary brought coffee, Crystal and Melissa brought yummy treats and food and my dad and Pam sent an amazing gift basket full of goodies.  It was amazing and I love you all!

But, in the end I'm home.  I spent an amazingly comfortable night in my own bed, in my own clothing and took a shower in my own shower- well Ben and Hillary's shower.  Only downside was that I slept so well that I slept through when my pain meds were due so I was hurting pretty bad this morning.  I think I'll set an alarm tonight.

It's all uphill from here right?  I think I'll take a nap.

Until next time!