The remainder of my hospital stay is pretty fuzzy. This post will be less story-like and, instead, be a list of what I can recall (since it will not form a complete story).
- The inability to swallow anything without choking — I was put on a liquid diet. Things like applesauce I could swallow best. Drinking items like water were the hardest to get down without constant choking (even on one little sip).
- Being taught to use the mechanism that tests lung capacity (googled it and found the name to be Spiro-Ball) and my lung capacity was awful.
- Rob staying the first night in the hospital with me (I remember he did but cannot remember that night at all)
- Realizing, after being constantly itchy, that I am allergic to morphine (instead of giving me an alternative medicine, they just gave me Benadryl and continued with the morphine drip)
- Being told I needed to walk more but really doing the bare minimum
- Not really being taught how to put my brace on and adjust it correctly (or at all for that matter)
- Switching rooms and trying to reach my parents before their visit. This ended up in my parents first going to the first room and then having to walk to the opposite side of the floor and my mom falling.
- My mom refusing to immediately get an x-ray (which the staff probably would have gotten her into ASAP) and instead, after an hour or two, going to ER and being there til 1 in the morning.
- The nighttime staff being non-attentive the second night when I needed to make my several trips to the bathroom
- Still being allergic to morphine (so not using it as often as I needed) and given Benadryl. FINALLLY, before being discharged after the second night in the hospital, they took off the morphine drip and gave me pills: Tylenol 3 and muscle relaxers. Trying to swallow pills with water was a nightmare.
- Telling the nurse how I was given the instructions to only take one Tylenol 3 every 8 hours and up to 3 times a day for the muscle relaxer after she told me to repeat the meds in 4 hours. She could not believe that infrequency.
I do not remember the drive home (although I do remember waiting with the nurse for Rob to drive up). I do not remember walking upstairs and lying down for the first time. It is probably best not to remember those things too clearly for I am sure they hurt like hell.
Tomorrow I will try to post about my first week at home (or at least the first full day).
Spinning Wheels 