Two weeks have come and gone and I finally am ready to attempt to dive into "hospital stays according to Tracie." Now I don't know how many of ya'll have ever stayed in a hospital before, but it is not exactly a five star hotel and not a place that I would consider restful. They say that the best way to heal is getting lots of rest and sleep. I think I've done more healing at home then the "healing place"...strange.
Have you ever noticed in movies how comfortable patients look in hospital scenes? Well rested, mostly smiling, etc? I feel deceived that hospitals are not as pleasant as portrayed on TV. In fact they are a reason in and of themselves to stay as healthy as possible, and a great motivation to eat more vegetables, fruit and exercise more. I've always thought of hospitals as a comfortable place to rest and recover. Wrong. Since returning (and before then too I suppose, but especially since then) I've learned that rest is not necessarily staying still...one can go white water rafting, horseback riding, and hiking in one day, get home feeling completely exhausted, but rested. Vice versa, one can lay on the couch all day sitting in front of the computer, or watching movies and at the end of the day not feel rested at all. I make this point because laying in the hospital bed was not an experience I would have considered restful. First off you have the machines beeping whenever your IV bag is empty and the nurses who refuse to come fix it for at least ten minutes. Then you have the every two hours vital recording (blood pressure, temperature, etc). When you make it through the day laying there (unable to move really due to the pain) and finally try to sleep, one of the above happens, or you have to use the restroom (which is a forty five minute ordeal of humiliation). Once that is over, you finally start to close your eyes again and your foot or something falls asleep keeping you awake. Sometime around the hours of two or three am you fall asleep and at 6 am you are woken up for a blood draw. Well, the agony of the pokes forbid you to fall asleep again. If you manage to, you'll only be woken up a half hour later to try to eat jello which is disgusting anyways.
I always thought it'd be kind of fun to be a patient, to be fussed over, attentively have every need met...I learned the hard way that this is another Hollywood-ized idea. I was blessed the first day and a half with wonderful nurses who really helped me in my nausea and pain, and were quick to respond to my needs and patient in listening to my slurring and uncoherance. After that I started to feel like a nuissance. One can not fully explain the struggle of needing assistance getting to and leaving the restroom, of not being able to position yourself comfortably in bed and feeling like a burden whenever you hit that button for help. I learned a lot of humility (help in getting dressed, taking a shower, everything) those few days that felt like an eternity. I am forever grateful for the flowers, care packages and visitors that came for they alone were reprieve from my experience as a patient. I one time only experience I hope!
Moving forward, I went to my follow up appointment last week and got the A-Okay to resume a normal life. WAHOO! I am doing much better, with the wounds healing nicely. I've returned to work and am so glad to have purpose to my days again! I don't have much else to share for now related to hospitals, I'm closing this blog and leaving it all behind. To push me into post "I don't have an appendix" life I am going to share with you my very first time cooking a broccoli.
So, I've never cooked a broccoli before (as obviously stated by first time cooking a broccoli) and I bought some at the store in an attempt to eat fresher and healthier, hospital avoidance and all, :). Marie told me it was easy, just put some water in a pan, cover with a lid, let it steam, and cut off mushy part. Simple right? Lets just say I forgot to ask for how long to let it cook. So I found my own way.
1. Boil a little water.
2. Insert broccoli, cover.
3. Facebook, forget broccoli
4. Smell air, what smells good? Oh yeah!
5. Check broccoli. Is it done? Eh, few more minutes can't hurt
6. Resume facebook, forget broccoli again.
7. Smell air, what is burning? OH CRAP!
8. Look in pot, see all water gone, hear sizzling
9. Quickly toss broccoli on plate, throw pan in water
10. Sprinkle with cheese and seasoning
11. Watch movie and enjoy, relieved house is not burned.
I learn by trial and error, but it was quite good...first broccoli, next steak...maybe.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
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