Twelve Hours

I have a funny reaction to drugs that normally make people drowsy. For example, when most people take Benadryl, codeine or muscle relaxers, they want to sleep. Not me. I feel tired, but my mind races and I feel a sense of energy. They do take the edge off and relieve the pain, so at least they are worth taking.

Given this weird reaction, I couldn't sleep at the hospital. I felt pretty good so I asked to be discharged from the hospital a little after five o'clock. A physical therapist stopped by and I practiced climbing stairs and getting in and out of my bed. Once that was done, the nurse took out the IV catheter, had me sign discharge papers and I was in a wheelchair on the way to our car.

The ride home was not very fun. Jane's car has a sporty suspension, so it is pretty stiff. Hence, the ride home was bouncy and a little jolting. It took about 15 minutes and I was back home. In total, I was away from home yesterday less than 12 hours.

I was hungry for chicken alfredo, but we couldn't think of anywhere to get something decent "to go". So we decided on Minsky's Pizza (a new post-hospital ritual for me?) and Jane ordered a large sausage pizza.

Most of the evening was spent pacing around, practicing sitting, stairs and getting in and out of bed. I tested the recliner at about 8:00 and was ready for bed by 8:30.

As soon as I stood up, I got hiccups. Really heavy, loud hiccups. We tried spoons of sugar, lemon drops and drinking water. Nothing helped. After about 1/2 hour, Jane told me to close my eyes, take deep breaths and she rubbed my neck and upper back. Like magic, they went away.

I got ready for bed, climbed in and closed my eyes around 9:15. My back was really tender and turning from side to back is a complete ordeal. I could quickly tell that the morphine and other pain killers were still active. My eyes were moving under my closed eyelids and I saw little flashes of light. I knew I was doomed as far as sleeping.

At about midnight, I was frustrated from not sleeping and switched to the guest bed. It is much firmer. By about 1:15, the drugs had subsided enough for me to fall asleep. I awoke about every 2 hours and had to use the bathroom. I got up around 7:00 and washed up (no showers until tomorrow, bleh).

Jane changed the dressing over the incision. The scar is very thin and about 1 1/2 inches long. I have a picture, but decided it was best to only show the dressed incision above.

Jane's parents brought over a grabber so that I can retrieve things from the floor. Much thanks to them as I can now put on my own underwear and pants!

I'd like to thank everyone for their warm wishes. I'm tired and going to lay down for a while.