Freedom! & Fresh Air

So, yesterday, I was down as being first to be seen by the doctors (I'm telling you it works in your favour to harress the staff) so at 8 AM, in came my doctor and a team of about 5 others. Reviewed my charts, asked how I was feeling and said it was time to think about plans for home. At which point, I smiled up at him and said today then please? he laughed and asked if I was ready to go home, to which i glanced around and said I can be in about 3-4 minutes. He said, I had done well, no sign of complications and I was a pretty dependable patient to know when something is wrong and what to do. So he agreed on discharge on the condition that I take a spare trach tube with me and if my breathing began to get bad, I stuck it back in and got myself to hospital. If I cant get the tube in, I am to get myself to hospital, though I will know more than the staff and either get them to transfer me back to london, or if that is not medically possible, then to either ET (mouth tube) tube me or stick the trach back in then get me to london.

So on that note, again I pestered a nurse (though it was ok, it was Corrine and she was lovely) with the aid of a big tin of chocolates and told them I didnt need to wait for meds from pharamcy as I had some at home (I would have had to wait around till about 3pm for meds) I was provided with a small bag of dressings and left the hospital by 11am.

Freedom!!
Walked down to the car, no trouble at all. My dad hadnt gotten the train home on Thursday as planned but stayed to drive me home friday instead and we left london. In true Kim style, I curled into the back seat and promptly fell asleep awaking 2 hours later as we came off the motorway at Birmingham. We had some dinner and then took back off on the motorway again. Yes, I did fall back asleep in the car, Im like a baby, the motion rocks me off hehe. I awoke about 2 hours later as we came off the motorway at Runcorn. We stopped at my sisters house for an hour as I hadnt seen her for a while.

The kids were excited to be able to talk to me and I loved getting hugs off Bethany. Adam told me now that I have my sense of smell back, he knows what to buy me for Christmas, scented Candles. haha that boy has a sense of humor.

Arrived home and saw one of my neighbours who was pleased to see me home. and then Alison arrived. She then talked my mum into making her a steak sandwich (her favourite haha) and we were able to catch up and talk properly.

It was really good actully being able to take part in conversations, or order my own drink at dinner time. But the better feeling was leaving the hospital with only a small bag! For the last year, every time I have gone into hospital, I have come out with a big bag of stuff, be it new equipment like nebulisers, wheelchairs or suction machines, or even when I steal the trach masks at oxygen tubing as its newer than the stuff I have at home. The only medication I had was a box of painkillers, no new permenet meds, no detailed plans of dressing changes and swab results and tests. Freedom!

Talking about things later when Alison was down, I realized that I have completely lost a day. Its a very wierd feeling. I mean I have lost days before due to medication, but I kinda knew they were missing, this time I didnt even realise it. Now however, my mind of course keeps sticking to it and trying to fill in the blanks.

In my mind, when I came back from surgery, I had one fairly dazed night but by sort of lunch time the next day, I was feeling more alert and fully awake by tea time that day before being transfered. However, I went to surgery Monday afternoon and I was transferred Wednesday night. Meaning I was dazed for 2 nights and one full day. I asked mum if I was alert and such during that time, she said that I was. I was fully talking and making sense. Though they did have to move the bed controls away from me as I kept trying to lie down and they kept insisting I sat up, to which I wasnt best pleased. I can see that and kinda remember it, I do truly hate sleeping upright. She said I was in a lot of pain, but with my rib, not my throat but she was pretty grossed out at the row of staples in my throat which looked sore. It is strange how much of it has now blurred. I only vaguely remember them taking the catheter out. In fact, if I am honest, I dont recall them taking it out, only that the doctor came back to tell me that he thought they took it out to early and may have to put it back in as I still hadnt peed since it came out (this was like 8 hours afterwards) I guess its just weird as I thought I was pretty alert, as did my parents, yet I have no memory of it.

This morning was nice. I did still wake at 7, stupid routine of getting obs done, but soon got back to sleep and didnt wake again till mum shouted at about 10. Saw another neighbour this morning and then managed some shopping with mum. I did a fair bit of walking and my breathing was so much better than it had been. I did give up half way through the amount I had hoped for. I was really exhausted and walking in a daze, but I would normally have pushed myself anyway. But then my stupid stomach decided to play up. Mix of adehsions from past surgery (After having my abdo opened 10+ times, I cant really expect to have no complications) and stress and IBS style stuff. At which point, I gave up and went to curl up in the car for an hour. Got home and slept for a couple of hours again. And that is my day.

Going to bed exhausted again and hoping tomorrow I dont ache too much from today.