On our way home

Happy to be leaving

I was darn near ecstatic when Dr. M's resident told me I was doing good and the plan was to send me home the next morning.  I was relieved.  The surgery had been a success, I was fixed, and I was going home.

Not that I wasn't enjoying the care and attention provided by the nursing staff.  But Mr. D.A. was really getting on my nerves and the food was getting a bit boring.  And I was feeling pretty good about myself.  I was walking the unit with no problem.  And I'd even done a flight of stairs under the watchful supervision of a physiotherapist.  All other body functions were operating as required too so I certainly felt like I was fit to be discharged.

My nurse that evening said I could disconnect the heart monitor leads and the two 'jumper cables' they'd installed before stitching me shut which were connected to my heart and ready to be used in case I needed a temporary pace maker.  I hadn't needed any pacing by this time so out they came.  It felt sort of like a big ingrown hair sliding out of my skin as she tugged them out of my chest.  A band aid over the two small holes and I was good to go.

And now, finally free of all wires and sensors, my skin was my own.  It was time for a shower!  I was pretty stiff and sore but it felt glorious to shampoo my hair and to scrub away at some of the sticky tape residue from the dressings.  I felt like a totally new man when I was done.  Even the fresh set of hospital duds felt good.  I was a new man ready for home!

The nurse showed F how dress the incisions that were still a bit oozy.  My very own Florence Nightengale.  Then ... one more sleep ... and I'd be ready to go.

It was tough to sleep, actually.  I was excited.  I woke up a couple of times and took circuits around the unit.  The lab blood-drawers woke me up one last time for a sample at 1:30 a.m.  Finally it was morning.  A great day to go home.

The shift changed and I ended up with a male nurse.  Damned if he wasn't as good looking as the female nurses.  F agreed.  He got me going on the paperwork and juggled signing me out with another patient who was also departing and Mr. D.A. who managed to find something to whine about for attention whenever the nurse passed by his bed.

It took a while, making sure I had prescriptions, a copy of the discharge note, and all of the other bureaucratic necessities to exit hospital responsibility. It felt great to dress in my own clothes.

And then we were away shortly before lunch (one less hospital meal).  I walked out on my own steam and into the sunshine and fresh air.  A great day to have a properly pumping heart.  I felt wonderful.

The drive home was uneventful with a couple of rest stops to stretch my legs and to keep the circulation going.

We arrived to an auspicious sign ... the yucca plant was in bloom!  It was a clear signal that all was right with the world.

And how great it was to be able to cook a good meal ... BBQ'd chicken (low fat, low salt, of course) and rice.  And wonderful to sleep in our own bed.

Ahhh, great to be home.