Still Healing

 There's not much else I can do.  I am learning creative ways of doing almost everything without a right hand or arm.  The pain is much better, with only Motrin at night sometimes.  

Emily changed my bandage, and I got the courage to look at the incision.  I thought it was an amazing job of stitching, but I've got a scar that's pretty impressive.  First visit to physical therapy is next Thursday, and I'm hoping I'll do okay.  I can let Emily move my arm around and show me what to expect, but I know there's much, much more to come.

I think my biggest concern right now is the atrial fibrillation.  I'm on some new meds and will have to have a cardioversion. I don't remember anyone giving me a choice, so I guess I'll do it.  Getting shocked, even under anesthesia, is not something I look forward to.  If the rhythm gets back under control, that's good.  If not - I think 15% of people don't - it can be managed with blood thinners.  I've been told to expect to take those the rest of my life anyway.  

I feel like I have caring doctors who have explained things and taken much time with me, so I'm not really worried about anything.  I knew I was bound to have some ailment one day. Two at a time is a little much though.

I've been spending a good bit of time at hospitals lately, and doing that sure does make you grateful for the blessings you do have.  I sat at the entrance to Swedish yesterday and watched people walking in, rolling in, limping in - and then some being wheeled out and some walking like they had a great burden on their shoulders.  It makes me so sad.  And then I remember to be thankful for all the dedicated people inside the hospital who work to try to heal them and save their lives.  

This sweet lady and I exchanged smiles and exclamations in spite of our masks at the size of the service dog going out the door.  It was like a Shetland pony.  It was a moment out of time that cheered us both up, I think.  

Those stairs looked a lot different to me on Valentine's Day of 2013 when we were almost running up them to see our sweet one-day-old Graysen.  Now she's almost as tall as I am and such a treasure.  I do miss my babies.  Katherine took her mom's phone upstairs last night to whisper secrets about what she had just wrapped for her Mama's Christmas present.  She was excited about every picture she had drawn, and I know Emily will be too.

I'll be back there next week for more vein poking and blood drawing, but I'm still feeling great.  I do miss our girl parties we had the first two days I came home from the hospital.  It's a little lonely when everyone goes back to work or their own activities.  But not really.  I have plenty to do.  It seems to take me half a day to get my teeth brushed and clothes on.  Then I have phone calls and texts and emails and other fun things. 

I have cats to watch.  Layla seems to be back to normal from her 5-week vacation, and she and Bowie are getting back to tolerating each other well.

I might need to try some left-handed vacuuming.

I'll love it when I can finally get away from hospitals and post about some interesting things, hopefully really soon.