26 Other Blessings in the Hospital

- A friend amongst the other patients, in the room straight across the hall, for a few hours! That was unexpected and amazing. Via the nurses' station, I ascertained that a visit was welcome, and we chatted for about ten minutes. It was almost surreal, the timing and location of that. Neither of us knew that the other would be in any hospital that day, never mind that particular one, that ward, that hallway, and directly across from each other. I overheard her voice talking to a nurse, then checked the name on the door. I guess God really truly did ordain that Friday, May 2nd, for my surgery, in more ways that I realized.
- everyone in my family was JUST healthy enough to pull this whole thing off, after a week of various illnesses (including me); relief at that
- my husband drove me to the hospital, picked me up, and came to visit once in between, after my surgery, and cared for the kids between the driving
- private room
- peaceful setting, quiet for the most part
- my room was at the end of a hallway (next to the RMO's room, actually - I am guessing that is the Resident Medical Officer. I'm sure they weren't keeping any Rocky Mountain Oysters in there)
- a painting on the wall that looked just like the area outside Le Boulanger in San Jose at Camden & Union, with the palm trees (next to Albertson's, where a friend used to work; so I prayed for her).
- clean water jug constantly at my bedside, with a top
- dissolvable pain medication, for my non-pill-swallowing self
- cool moving bed (raisable head and knees)
- an open bedroom window during my whole stay, all day and all night, with fresh, cool air flowing in
- tree/sky view through the window
- purple flowers outside my window on a little hill (probably "ajuga" AKA "bugle", which is particularly fitting for a hospital groundcover as it is "also known as 'carpenter's herb' due to its supposed ability to stem bleeding.")
- I was officially allowed to send and receive texts on my mobile phone (despite the hospital brochure's statement to the contrary; it was a great way to keep David abreast (ha ha) of the situation)
- Gilchrist & Soames bath products in my bathroom
- Classic FM radio available via the TV
- time to finish reading my young author friend's novel-in-progress up to the last chapter given me so far
- time to keep up with my Bible reading
- time work on some modest creative projects (Mother's Day is coming, after all)
- time to finish another Francine Rivers Biblical history novella
- nothing I could do to help (this is hard to resist at home, I am finding; it feels wrong to have everyone working around me and me just sitting on the couch)
- I was able to sleep seven hours (in two chunks)
- hot chocolate made with milk
- the fun of counting ten different fruits in my breakfast fruit salad (plum, pear, kiwi, pineapple, red grapes, green and orange melon, yellow and green apples, orange)
- My surgeon was reportedly "happy" after the surgery; I was told that she also came to see me in the recovery room (but I don't remember it; I think I was still coming out of the anaesthesia)
- all of this paid 100% by insurance through my husband's company, billed directly to the insurance company. Amazing blessing and hassle-free.

Briefly, some facts on the very small, light, and momentary drawbacks of this operation, for completeness:
- The IV port in my hand started out "vaguely annoying" and by the end nearly drove me crazy, after only one night! That was my highest priority the next morning - to get it taken out as soon as possible! It bothered me more than my incision & bandage! This was partly because when I flexed my wrist, the needle seemed to dig farther into my flesh.

- Had to wear anti-embolism stockings the whole time in the hospital. They were very tight (that's the point, no room for blood clots to form), and open at the toes, but only enough for two or three toes to peek out, which felt very odd. I was super-happy to take those off, but I felt like there should have been some warning about not injuring oneself while trying to get them off! Between the incision on my left side and the sore hand on my right side from the IV port, I felt like I had no top-shape hands with which to contend with the removal of the very tight stockings. I eventually managed it, with a sense of triumph.

- And now, at home: I woke up this morning tired of trying to go back to sleep. (There's one of my weirder sentences for the day.)

Nighttime is my least favorite time of the recovery period - left alone in peace and quiet with my "disability" - however mild and temporary. The limited sleeping positions get to me a little. I even prefer "shower" time to the sleep time, and that's saying something - showering is a maneuver of three separated stages (lower body, head, and spot cleaning of the middle section).

But I know this is all so brief and worth it - only one week of disruption, and surrounded by wonderful loving people who help. That's why I prefer the daytime, so I can be with them! They're much more interesting than the dark.

P.S. here's a nice page with 216 html hex color codes easily viewable.