Hello Blog family! I have been away from the create space for over 50 days now. I was so excited about October’s content that I didn’t think much about November. However, as you know my extended Hospital stay completely ruined October’s content. I had high hopes for creating content and then Covid hit. Most people know that I was in the hospital for 47 days but what they don’t know is for day number 5-17 I was quarantined due to Covid. While I did not have a lot of symptoms, I was extremely tired. I believe I can thank the foot pain and pain medication for the lack of symptoms. 90 percent of the time I was looped up on pain medication for my multiple fractures during those days of Covid. When I got through quarantine, they allowed Jeremy to return, and thank God because I thought I was losing my mind. Not to mention I felt dirty and quite nasty even though the nurses were giving me little baths here and there. Honestly, I do not remember those first days. I remember worrying about my foot because they were concerned about bone infections etc. Then I caught a UTI and the surgery had to be post-postponed.
They called the part of the hospital where I had those first days “M_6”, and those days were HOT and uncomfortable. I had to get Jeremy to bring me two fans when he was allowed to come to visit. I don’t know how I survived those days before he was allowed. It was so hot and miserable. I guess the fever was helping me to not notice the heat as much. After I was allowed to see Jeremy and he brought in the fans, the nurses started making excuses to be in my room in the air of the fans. It started as a tease but became fact. I spent the first 25/30 days not ever leaving the bed and barely sitting up. When you have covid they just let you be mostly, and honestly, you are thankful for it. Once you get into a position you mainly stay there so as to not exhaust yourself by moving.
Then something out of the blue happened. I was losing too much blood. Where was the blood going? I was anemic and in order to have surgery they needed to make sure the anemia was gone and that I was not short on blood. One surgery was delayed due to the UTI and one for losing blood. I ended up getting three bags of plasma. To this day I do not know where the blood was gone. All we do know is that it wasn’t pouring out of my body in any location, I didn’t even have my period.
The next big change came about two days after I was allowed to see Jeremy. They moved me to a new room that was supposed to be cooler but from my brief time in that room, it was not cooler at all. I also got my first central line for blood draws etc. put in. Surgery time finally came and they took me down, around 7 am they prepped me and put me out. I don’t know how long I was under but when I was finally aware of what was going on it was around 1 pm and I was back in my room by 2. When I was waking up, the first thing I did was try and feel my foot and the pain I assumed would be there, but my foot felt exactly the same but had a tight bandage on it. I asked the nurse how the surgery went and she quickly got done with what she was doing and said the doctor would be in to talk to me. GUESS WHAT – they did not do the surgery. I started to cry. I was so upset.
Back to my room. Then they came in and had another form of the line put in this time called a pick line. So now I’m ready for blood draws and IVs. Then they moved me again. I was scared they were taking me to share a room with someone but what they did was bring me to the cardiac unit where they had a huge room with a view and a Hoyer lift. I was shocked at the room. It looked like a room only some big shot would get put in. They had to give me another bag of blood once I was in the Cardiac unit and life went on for a few days until they were ready to do the surgery again. While they did not do the first surgery because the plates had been un-sanitized, the second surgery was delayed an hour or so when they tried to find the plates (they had been lost). In the end, they decided they did not need the plates and went forth with the surgery. They, of course, were not telling me why it was delayed but I guessed it and the nurse confirmed. I learned during the time I was waiting that I was famous at the moment in the hospital because everyone heard about the surgery that didn’t happen, how long it was taking to get the surgery, and the entire misfortune of covid.
Honestly, it felt like a bad dream. Even though the room was amazing it didn’t cause a good mood. I felt like a joke. Although I was mentally miserable, I tried to keep a positive attitude. PT soon started coming and the nurses in that unit became people whom I trusted and liked. I could not have asked for better nurses the entire stay. The doctors (interns, residents, attendings) were all super nice and were looking out for my best interest. The only complaint I had was with the cardiac doctor approving me for surgery. He was very short-spoken with me and did little to no good at comforting me in the light of the looming surgery. Out of all the doctors, I guess I was doing good. I even felt like I made friends with a few doctors. That felt nice. I was glad I was able to shut out my pain and bad mood and be friendly and caring to those around me. Even just a few years ago that would have never worked. I would have been headstrong and my way or no way.
I’m thankful for an attitude change. I know living with Jeremy taught me a lot about how to treat others in the light of you not feeling it. Also, God was so close and carried me through the entire stay. Every time I thought I could not handle one more minute God brought me his words, songs, messages, and even his sons through Deacons with the hospital.
I would carry out the next three weeks in this big beautiful room with the nurses I grew to love. The scary thing I’d go through was the Hoyer lift. Boy was that pushing my comfort zone to the blink of not being able to handle it. No way is that fun. I wonder how older heart patients handle that. They kept telling me my blood pressure would go up and my heart beat faster. WELL DUH. I was flying through the air… I was thankful each time it did not drop me. Saturday Jeremy would come and after almost three weeks from surgery, he got me to stand with pressure on my bad foot. It was a miracle.
Last week they began to tell me after orthopedics changed my cast that maybe I could go home since they could not find a rehab facility to take me or my insurance. So, Monday went without anything out of the normal except I stood three times for pt. and then Tuesday came. Everything was going as planned for a Wednesday departure when all of a sudden, I was told I was going home. WHAT… They ended up letting me come home with the hospital chair and transfer board. The ortho gang showed up to wrap my leg but were under a great deal of stress this particular day so they had to rush. Amy, the discharge lady, got an ambulance scheduled for the fire department to meet us at home and help us get in the house. Everything ended way shorter than it began. 47 days and I was breaking out. I am sorry that no rehab worked out because I was not physically prepared to come home. However I was more than happy to come home and make whatever kind of arrangements we had to for this to work. I am almost two weeks in and I have no real complaints. Some things are hard but thankfully not too hard to make happen. Without Jeremy I would be totally lost and thankfully he is here by my side.
xoxo
Finding Evie 