Note from the Cave

Thank you so much for your prayers and caring for me and my whole family. It truly is more than I can say or even know. But simply, thank you. It is so good to be home.

Tonight, I peek out of my little cave - or cocoon. I will pop back in soon. I am on a tight schedule. I never realized recovery was such complicated work. Glad work, of course.

I have been working on refining my schedule today. Some things just seemed impossible, like taking thyroid medicine and iron both on an empty stomach and one hour before food, but four hours away from each other (the iron needs to be taken twice in the day). It boils down to, I cannot just wake up or eat when I choose. All the meds and other tasks need to be coordinated very closely.

You might not know this part. Two conditions of my coming home Saturday night were that I wore home my catheter and that I have a home health care nurse. Our first visit was Sunday. My bladder needs "retraining" (not uncommon for this kind of thing). So I am on a schedule of clamping the catheter off for three hours and leaving it open one hour.

As for intake... At night, I pour into a pitcher my next day's allotment of water, so as soon as I get up, I can get the first pill and be on my way. I started out drinking way too much water, thinking that was a good thing, and wreaked havoc, with the "training" schedule of leaving the cath clamped for three ----- whole ----- hours. When I called in discomfort, the doctor's message was to follow directions Exactly. Drink 6-8 glasses fluids....which by the time I take my meds does not leave much for pure pleasure or wetting my whistle if I talk too much. I asked my family, that unlike our usual schedule, to try to have most conversations with me before 8:00 p.m. when fluids are stopped for the night.

We see Dr. Malviya Friday to see how things are doing.

In the meantime, I am trying to lay low, walking around some (to prevent clots, etc.), while today, also keeping my feet up part time because of leg swelling.

My parents drove down to see me today, and are staying at Allan's (my brother) in Novi. Carrie is also still here, managing to work a lot by phone/computer while also helping John care for me. James and Sarah planted his herb garden kit (Christmas gift from Carrie) here tonight... My life at home ... I love it.

And now, back to my cave, where one of my goals is still to sleep through the night, because there seems to be no time left in the day for naps!

Thanks for your patience in my time tucked away. I know you are there, and I appreciate it. I am between a place where I really want to write and do more... and a place where I need, beside prayers, quiet and peace and time away from the world for this first week of recovery at home.

I am still here.