Out on a Weekend Pass

Saturday, September 3, 2022

7:44 PM

The doctor promised and delivered on a weekend pass out of the hospital. This is me on that Pass absorbing Vitamin D, naturally, in the front yard with the grandpuppy, Rowdy.

The discussions with doctor and nurses, the preparation, the packing up and moving out of the hospital and finally arriving home this afternoon took a lot out of me. I’m weaker and more prone to becoming breathless with activity. It’s taking me a little longer to recover my 90%+ blood oxygen level. If I thought I was moving slowly before, this version of me is akin to trying to run underwater. I even think my voice has that slow-mo quality you hear in movies.

The number one reason I’m home is to catch up and rest and sleep. As everyone knows, a hospital is no place for those two important elements for recovery. The constant barrage of noise from voices, coughs, crying, yells, monitors, machines, beds moving, dishes clattering means I can’t really rest peacefully. As for sleep, they don’t let me. They’re at me at least four times a day taking my vitals: temperature, blood pressure, blood oxygen level. Then they listen to my lungs. And then different four times a day, they’re administering an IV of broad spectrum antibiotics. And then there are the random check-ins with, “how are you doing, dear.” If I was really fortunate, I might get three or four hours in the middle of the night to sleep, but with my current roomie, I was lucky to get one or two hours of good shuteye. The poor man is in desperate straights not being able to breathe well and being fed through a tube that ran from his nose to his stomach. His snoring, snorting, gurgling noises are louder than anything I’ve heard. Mix all of this together and I think it’s called cacophony and it is not conducive to sleep.

It’s so good to be home with Mary, in the peace and quiet. Not that I can do much. As I said, I’m quite a bit weaker from being tethered to a hospital bed for most of ten days. I will be taking advantage of this reprieve to catch up on sleep, get some rest and exercise, and Sunday, more Vitamin D, naturally.

I’ve promised the doctor I’ll be good so if anyone sees me rollerblading tomorrow, you have my permission to call the authorities.

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