Greetings to all! You're going to be hearing a lot from me the next few days! I really want all of you to know where your prayers are going and why I need all of you so much! I appreciate you coming along for the ride! Let's see ..... I woke up in recovery @ Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, CO on Monday, mid-day ~ had a very nice nurse that was attentive. I opened my eyes and started looking around and tried to assess my situation. Closed my eyes and started praying Hail Mary's and Our Fathers and tried to be still and rest. Ever since getting my trache - as horrid an experience as that was - my waking up in recovery has been easier and less of a trauma for me. Of course I was told I could not bend my right leg, as Dr. Yakes had done a groin stick for an arteriogram. After a bit, it was finally time to be put in a room and I remember wondering where Mark was. He's usually so good about being right there when I open my eyes! Apparently he wasn't told until a little later that I was awake and ready to be put taken to a room. Anyway, I vaguely remember the male nurse on duty that helped switch me over from the OR bed to the hospital bed in my room. So I was moved to the hospital bed and was left alone in the room. I happened to look over toward my right, and saw that my IV had come loose near the back of my hand/wrist area and blood was flowing all over my hand and on to the floor! I press the Nurse button on the bed and a cheery voice says, "Hi! Can I help you"? I just whispered, "help". Had a couple nurses come by quickly and take care of the situation and shortly afterwards, Mark showed up! What a relief! Course next thing I know, the nurses and Mark are joking around and I hate to spoil the fun - but I had to put an end to that! I remember telling Mark, "excuse me, but I'm tryng to get my bearings here - can all of you keep it down"?! Yikes! I never know how good or bad I'm going to feel after an embolization - and my main concern on being @ Swedish this time was getting the bleeds I had been having under control!
Didn't have much of an appetite, so I knew I would be ordering a light dinner of something like cream of wheat, juices and yogurt! Mark left after a bit since I was sleeping most of the time, to run out for a pizza. He watched Alice in Wonderland courtesy of the free movies the hospital offers! Later, I watched Up in the Air starring George Clooney and Ana Kendrick from Twilight! We both watched Iron Man 2 before leaving in the morning! Can you tell we don't get out much?
Don't remember whether this was before or after dinner, but once I put the little button top over my trache, I had to get some good hacking out of the way and guess what happened then? Yup, a bleed! At least I was in the best place possible! I was trying to remember where that was coming from and luckily Mark had already had dinner and all, so he was able to help me out a lot! I was bending over the trash can and trying to pull some of the coagulated blood clots from inside my mouth - which is tough to do, since I can't open my mouth very wide! I know you are not supposed to pull those out until they are ready, but they were making me gag! Since I remember having a bad bleed a couple years ago while in San Antonio visiting my cousin Art and his wife Grace, I ended up in the emergency room and the ER doctor got a couple of those long q-tips and used them to pull out a long, glob of coagulated blood and it must have been ready to be pulled, because no more bleeding happened after that. Anyway, back to the scene @ hand .... I was coughing and needed to take in a lung full of air, but didn't want to suck in those blood clots either - yuck! Thankfully, the nurse came in while all this was happening and it didn't last much longer. I know I was thinking something along the line of - what the heck is going on?! Stop the insanity already! Got back in bed, Mark stayed with me until about 11 p.m. before going back to the hotel to and got some much needed rest!
Here is a photo of nurse Becky Bowman and I -she had taken care of me before. She is very sweet, attentive and professional! Always has time for a kind word and to visit and share stories! Thanks for all your help Becky! Earlier, one of the ladies in Housekeeping came in to empty the trash and she recognized me from being a patient! Said she and the people @ her church continue to pray for me! Told her prayer is always welcome! Again, to be continued!
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