How I Spent My “Fall” Vacation – Episode 34

...it just keeps going and going...

Episode 34 – December 3 – I slept like a log last night, solidly until 6:30 and probably would have kept going for another hour if one of the other patients hadn’t cried out. While doing my morning upper body workout it dawned on me that the one good thing about being locked up is that I would never have found the time to do a couple of hundred ab crunches per day. I promise to make every effort to make the time when I get home.

Being locked up reminds of the former Canucks radio broadcaster, Jim Robson’s signature line “I’d like to say hello to all the shut-ins and those that can’t make it out to the game.” I would officially be in the former category if there was Canuck hockey but I guess these days just about everyone that can’t afford to drive a Mercedes would fit into the latter category.

Before going off shift, Natasha checked my blood sugar levels and it was a very disappointing 7.0 up from yesterday’s 5.6. Natasha thinks it could be due to the calibration of different glucometers.

This morning my day nurse is Regina. I had her a few weeks ago and she is pretty good but she can be very difficult to understand when she speaks quickly. She also had assistance from a VCC student, Kam.

While eating breakfast, Dad called. I know that sounds boring but anything happening here is less than boring. Actually, the point is that I have spoken to him more in the past four weeks than I usually speak to him in any other given year. It’s nothing personal; it’s just we both hate using the phone. We get along great.

You know you’ve been here too long, when nurses get you involved in conversations about their personal life, like Amy yesterday complaining about not being able to sleep the night before because she had a big fight with her boyfriend. It’s like being back in high school! ;-)

I have been looking forward to today for almost a week because my therapy was being upped to 60° of passive range of motion. I usually have to nag most of the early afternoon to confirm someone but to my surprise, Jennifer, a senior physio (not to be confused with Jenny, the rehab assistant or my baby girl, Jen Jen) came in before lunch and gave both knees a great work out. I could actually feel the pressure on my upper legs and in the scar tissue around the incisions but absolutely no pain. This is a good thing. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Pam and Dennis came by just before lunch and Pam snuck me in a few of her famous shortbread cookies. Shh!! I promise not to eat them all at once. We chatted a bit about their grandkids and groused about another nasty special assessment the strata council is heaping on to us. Life is so much better when you have such wonderful neighbours like Pam and Dennis. 

Pam, today and my friend, Barb yesterday commented on how much thinner I looked particularly in the face. I noticed it myself while shaving yesterday and it seems my gut is getting smaller as well. Every cloud has a silver lining. The challenge of course will be to keep myself disciplined enough to continue this project when I get home. In addition to the weight loss, I notice my strength and flexibility improving every day.

After my physio treatment, I forgot to plug in my laptop so it was running on battery power and shut down on me in the middle of writing something. I realized immediately the problem because I have to plug and unplug it several times a day when I’m having work done on me or moving. I tried to restart it and it kept failing and I had this flashback of Costa Rica when my computer died near the end of my trip. I had all these ideas of sending the Crown Prince out to buy me a new one stat because there was I could survive here without it. I must have unplugged it again accidently when I moved the table and the laptop on the table. Phewww!!!

You know you’re lacking in entertainment when you burst out giggling when a nurse comes tell another one that there is a doctor trying to reach her on the phone and the reply is “Dr. Who?”. Hey, it ain’t Punchlines here ya gotta take your laughs when you can get ‘em! ;-)

Sweet little Jane, the VCC  student, came in around 1 PM and asked about my dressing and I told her that it was overdue for changing so she ran off to find Regina. Regina came back to check and I told her Jane wanted to do it. She was happy about that because it was one less thing for her to do. Jane returned at 2 and apologized because she thought the students were on for another hour. I promised I would hold off until tomorrow. When Regina came back to talk about changing it, I told her to wait for Jane in the morning. I’m doing my part aiding in the education of our youth.

They moved Marguerite, in the next bed, down to another floor so I was finally able to get to enjoy an unobstructed beautiful view outside of East Vancouver and Burnaby. I could see all the way to Central Park. I knew this wasn’t going to last. They moved a new guy, Gerry in at around 5. There is now a magic button machine within my arm’s reach. *insert evil laugh*

The dinner fairy arrived at a most inconvenient time because I was involved in a delicate procedure involving balance and angles. (Rhys will explain it). I had her call the choices through the curtain. It was a good thing I didn’t let her go because the choices were either meatballs or fish. Meatballs are at always passable.

I was supposed to be at The Killers concert tonight at the Coliseum with one of my favourite people. It would have been the first concert I had attended with a ticket at the Coliseum in over 30 years. I hope the Crown Prince and his friend enjoy the show. I used their tunes as my block out music tonight.

Finished the evening off with cookies and mandarin oranges.

To be continued...