Part 2 - Switzerland/USA

It's Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, I am showered, injected and dressed and now sitting outside in the Wangia's backyard, recovering from this morning's activity (which are basically the above-mentioned things; they take a lot of energy, believe me). I am able to put some weight on my leg now, which makes me so very happy! That means that walking is a bit easier and I don't need to lean heavily on Katee anymore (I mean that literally) to get around. I try to be smart about what I take where and what I am going to use there, but I also have no problem to ask Katee or Bradley to go get something for me. How strange life is. Katee took Joshua to the pool at the YMCA and Bradley is working on a project in the backyard. Of course, I would have rather gone with Katee to play in the pool with Joshua, but I honestly would not be able to do so. This afternoon after Joshua's nap, we will go do something fun together like yesterday (we drove to and around in Valley Forge which is a National Historic Park close to where the Wangia's live) and had ice cream at Dairy Queen. It was my first outing and I was so proud!

I want to tell you a little bit more about my 48 hour stay in the hospital. You can not be in the hospital to rest. There is a constant flurry of activity in the hallways and in your room. Nurses, nurses aides, student nurses, housekeeping, food delivery people, doctors, lab people, physical therapy people, maintenance people, you name it and they come by your bed to ask if you are ok, if you need anything, if they can take your vitals, if they can draw your blood, if they are treating you well, if you want bacon and eggs for breakfast, if the toilet is flushing well (which you don't know because you have not seen the toilet since you are on involuntary bedrest and need to call for help to use the commode or bedpan), and really: are you ok? Do you need anything? It starts before 6 o'clock in the morning and it lasts until after midnight. You may have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep if you or your roommate do not need to be put on the commode or bedpan, because then the flurry starts back up with 2 people in the room who are awake and working: are you ok, do you need anything, do you want to roll this way or the other way and so on and so forth. The food was quite alright, there was always plenty of ice water on my bedside table and everybody was extraordinarily kind.

Being discharged on Thursday was exciting, but also scary. After 2 days in the flurry of activity, it had also become a safe place, these people were comforting me by not freaking out when I was in a lot of pain and saying that it was normal for this Deep Vein Trombosis blood clot situation and part of the process. Helpful. Very helpful. Don't freak out when you are on your own, injecting yourself with blood thinner. The doctor says you will definitely know when things don't go well. Come back when it gets worse or when you experience shortness of breath. You will be alright to travel on Monday. Go see your doctor immediately. Ok. Alright. I understand. I promise. Katee comes and a volunteer pushes my wheelchair all the way to the curb where I pull myself into Katee's SUV. Painful. Gravity has its way with my blood flow or so it feels. I can't wait to get home and elevate my leg. Katee is my crutch so I can go to the bathroom and up the stairs when it is time for bed. Everything takes a lot of time and energy, and willingness to take the pain. I have also learned that I can not take my trusted Advil PM any more at night to help me sleep, because that interferes with what the blood thinner does. So that is another challenge: will I be able to sleep ok without? I am sure that there are other things out there I could use, but I have to do some research on all that. The nurse told me that I could use Tylenol for mild pain, and the doctor prescribed me something serious for when the pain got severe (he made me promise not to use them if not necessary ~ so far so good).

Anyhow, I woke up Friday morning and things seem to look up a bit. I seemed to be getting around a little bit easier, felt a little bit more confident, and after Joshua woke up from his nap, we decided that it was ok to go on a little road trip and have some icecream. That was really lovely! The weather was nice, the trees and grass were green, and the vanilla ice cream with chocolate topping was delicious! We came home, Katee made dinner, we watched a silly movie and had a great time just hanging out together.

This morning I am in fairly good shape, considering what it has been. As I said before I can put a little bit more weight on my leg now which makes it a lot easier to walk without having to hold on to anything and everything along the way. It is also easier to inject my medication. I believe now that one day in the (hopefully near) future, I will be able to walk normally again.

This afternoon, Katee and I are going shopping for a maternity shirt for her. Yes, the woman is almost 2 months pregnant and the family is very excited! Joshua cannot hold his mouth shut about being a Big Brother, although he does not entirely get the gender concept. In case the baby is a girl he would be a Big Sister in his mind. Oh well, he is only two and a half, he will get it! And we are going out to dinner! I so enjoy the freedom, ability and mobility!!! And I promise not to overdo; what the nurse told me is really true: my leg tells me what I can do and what not. I need to listen and obey... haven't I heard that before?