FIRST DAY AT HOME..SUNDAY

Hello everyone! I have been home almost a full day now. There has been some adjusting but nothing beats your own shower, bed and comfort of being surrounded by your own things. My first shower was amazing, beyond what anyone could ever imagine....I did not want to get out. And in case anyone wants to know, baby oil does work well for adhesive tape. I was going to go with Vinegar next but the oil worked and it smells pretty too. I am pretty much on a tight schedule here of sleep for 3 hours, bathroom, eat, take medicines and then back to bed again. The morning continues to be the hardest but I will beat that this week!!! Still a bit nauseas when getting in and out of bed. My appetite stinks but Ryan helped that by bringing me Mcdonalds ice cream about and hour ago. I think its going to be nothing but movies and mags tonight. Thanks again for your continued support and prayers and thoughts...I feel them!!!!

Saturday Escape...

HI everyone!! Its Saturday...time to ship out!! I was not sure until later this afternoon if I was to go home or not. I had a great nurse who recommended switching to a different pain regime. The urologist and my primary care said it would really be up to me and my pain control if I was to go home today or not. I tried this new pain medication and it made a world of difference. By 1015, I was opening the blinds and washing my dirty face and brushing my teeth. I took a walk in the hall and decided...today must be the day!!!! Not to mention that Bears tickets were going on sale at noon...just kidding, being the hospital didn't stop that....got one game, Dec 13th...of course Bears vs Packers.... Anyway, the nurse just took out my drain and I ordered dinner and my pain meds here in a little bit and then I will be leaving with my entourage of flowers at 645 pm.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MY BLOG FRIENDS AND FAMILY.....I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL (WHEN MY HAIR IS WASHED :) AND GIVE YOU EACH HUGS (LIGHT ONES) AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT WHAT ITS LIKE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED....NOW I KNOW WHY PEOPLE WRITE BOOKS ABOUT THIS STUFF...DEFINATELY HAD A VISITOR TO MY WINDOW ONE NIGHT...A BLUE AD GREEN BUTTERFLY..... I WONDER WHO THAT WAS :) LOVE YOU ALL, PAMPERS

Friday Finale

This morning was a little bit rough getting started for the day. All the doctors came and decided it would be best to go home on Saturday.

I had my first solid food today and I am slowing down on the IV pain medicines. My heart monitor is coming off in a few minutes.

Tomorrow the drain comes out and hopefully a break free for me!!!!!

Anyone interested in going out in downtown Naperville tonight???? Maybe I can get Ryan to create a diversion and spring me free for a couple hours.

Thanks again for your continued support and prayers. I can't wait to talk to each and every one of you once I am at home. I can't drive for at least 3 weeks so everyone, come on over.

Thursday Evening Update

(Pam's words below)........

It's me. It's finally me.

Who would have thought taking a walk in the hallway would be the biggest accomplishment of the day? Today I feel the reality of this whole thing has finally kicked in and most importantly I see sunnier days ahead.

Things I did today:
*Went to the bathroom by myself for the first time
*Had something other than clear liquids
*Combed my hair
*Got to play with the dog who came for pet therapy. Burton jumped on my bed with me.
*Read some magazines
*Walked in the hall 3 times.

What a busy day!!!!

Oh and not to mention that I had a relaxing dinner. I with chicken broth and Ryan with Boston Market chicken.

Tomorrow is a new day. The drain might come out and the IV's might come off. If that goes well, I might be discharged tomorrow night. If not tomorrow night; then Sat. morning.

Again, each one of you has been on my mind and that has helped me do all the things I have done today.

See you all back here tomorrow.

Buenas noches,

Recovery - Day 2

As some of you may know; a couple of hours after the last post; Pam had some problems with pain control and nausea. The morphine was not co-operating with Pam. She suddenly had lots of severe pain. She felt like she had pins and needles sticking in her body all over. Also many parts of her body that weren't supposed to were getting numb, such as her face. It was a very rough night and most of the day today.

She ended up having them remove the epidural and switching to a different non-morphine med. This is working much better now. While she still has pain in the spot where the incision is; it has gone down to a 5 from a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10. Also, a pain in her chest that developed earlier today has gone away and the x-rays were negative thankfully. The numbness and nausea have gone away as well. This new medicine is making her extremely sleepy and she has been catching little cat naps most of the day.

Pam has now stood up and sat in a chair for the second time today. This time was easier than last time although this task really makes her tired even more.

She is now on a liquid diet as opposed to just ice.

Tomorrow morning could bring short walks as well as some solid food.

Thanks for everyone's continued support and prayers.

I am blessed!

I am back at the hospital and typing the below for Pam (her words)......


Thank you for all your kind words and prayers. I surely could not have done this without knowing each one of you was thinking of me today.

Look forward to seeing you all when I am outta here.

I will write more updates tomorrow.

P.S. Pam forgot to mention she is stealing ice from her ice pack and made me put her ear rings in. Imagine that!

Good night. Love you all.

Recovery

Pam is back in her room and is extremely tired. She will probably be sleeping the rest of the day/evening according to the nurses. She MIGHT start feeling better later tonight. Bill, Carol, and I have left for the day to allow her to get some good sleep.

I can only imagine how tough this is since Pam is the strongest person I know and she is on a lot of pain killers and had to ask for more. Not sure I could handle it. And not only can Pam handle the pain; she looks beautiful in doing it. Bill, Carol, and I are amazed at how great she looks as well as how well she has handled all of this.

For today she is on a strict 50 cc: an hour ice cube limit---no water or food yet.

She has her laptop with her in her room so she may start leaving the posts from here on out once she regains some strength....possibly later tonight.

Love you Pam and I will see you in the morning if not before that!!!!