Monday, April 23, 2012

My girlfriend picked us up at the airport...4/24/12

My girlfriend picked us up at the airport and I was in sorry shape by then. We took a long car ride to the city instead of to home. What a surprise for me. I was going to the Rehab Institute of Chicago!
This was my first experience with being told not to leave the bed without assistance by wheelchair. Needed help to the bathroom, needed help with everything.
The next day lessons began with physical therapy, occupational therapy , etc.
I am glad my doc hadn't told me that this was a possibility or I would have freaked out.
The days were long, I felt very weak and

Time to leave Stanford for a trip back to Chicago....4/23/12

Time to leave Stanford for a trip back to Chicago. I was a little scared to leave the hospital, but ready to go home to be in my own bed.
Little did I know that I was on my way to the rehab center to regain skills that I had lost in the hospital...
The plane ride home was maybe the first time that I comprehended that I couldn't walk on my own. So many times I had been to the airport and looked at people in their wheelchairs. Well, this was going to be my first time....
The ride home was like being in a rocket ship with many beautiful gardens surrounding me. The water was on sprinkinling the grass and I thought it was so lovely.

One thing I do remember was how important...

One thing I do remember was how important it was to have my family with me all the time.
I don't know how people handle major surgeries without a lot of support. I would have been lost without them.
After a 2 weeks stay , it was finally time to go home....

I had so many different dreams...

I had so many different dreams while in the hospital. FIrst of all, I thought all of my friends and relatives were there which I thought was so thoughtful. I would wake up and tell my daughter who I had just been visiting with and she would then explain that I was just dreaming. I had very little concept of how bad my face looked, if I could think straight, that I couldn't walk or function well.
It was really a blessing that I didn't know how sick I was, or how long it was going to take me to recover.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I can't begin to imagine how hard it was for my...

I can't begin to imagine how hard it was for my husband and my kids. Long. Scary. Wondering what condition I was really going to be in. Would I be able to function again. Did I have my mind?
Would I be an invalid? How scary for them. I was out in never, never land . I was not really focusing on my future. I kept picking at my tubes... My son would try to get me to stop and I could not imagine why he wanted me to stop.....

My memories of my hospital stay are quite ...

My memories of my hospital stay are quite different than reality. I remember having all my friends and relatives there with me. I remember every night being in a different room.
I remember one night being taken outside on my hospital bed not knowing why. When it was 10:30AM in the morning I thought it was dinner time because time goes so slowly in the hospital. I just remember bigs and pieces. I do remember the occupational therapist coming in and trying to work with me. She wanted me to turn my head which was impossible. After awhile she would come in and we would just talk about her boyfriend problems. I thought she was incredibly kind since I could not move my head much at all without enormous pain and the dizzies....

My memories of the hospital are quite different...

My memories of the hospital are quite different than my family,s more accurate recollection. I
Remember being in a different room every night. I remember that one day felt like a week..
I would ask my daughter when dinner would be and she would tell me it was only morning...
I don't even remember what the doctor looked like.. I vaguely remember one physical therapist because I convinced her I wasn't capable of doing anything she wanted me too. The only good thing she did was give me a neck collar which gave me relief and I listened to her boyfriend problems! I remember being outside, I remember being in the basement,etc..
Talk about being higher than a kite...

The first night in the hospital after surgery...

The first night in the hospital after surgery was uncomfortable, sleepless and a lot of pain in my neck where the cutting took place. I asked the nurse for some meds which gave me some relief.
My husband was in my room all night to watch me. I kept trying to get out of bed and to unhook myself. I had know idea that I was doing that until months after the surgery.
Awful night.