It was an eventful day health-wise, both physically and mentally. PT came early and I got out of bed into the recliner. It was easier than last time. Later in the day I had two bowel movements sitting on the commode. It’s a much better angle than sitting on a bedpan.
The medical team stopped by in the morning and they tested the sensation in the toes of my right foot. I really don’t have any in the right foot, which I ascribe to peripheral neuropathy. I sometimes get total loss of sensation in my fingers that goes away after I massage them, but regardless they want to do an ultrasound to check for possible blood clots in my thigh and calf. They’ll try to fit that in for tomorrow.
Sharon, SLC’s Nurse Practitioner, stopped by to change the dressing on my left leg. It’s been a while since I had the surgery, and the incision seems to be healing nicely. Also, a tech, (Michael?) stopped by with a leg brace that he fitted to the left leg. I’ll actually be wearing it on the right leg, but because that’s still covered in bandages he can’t do it directly.
All through the day, when I close my eyes I’m quickly transported elsewhere. Most of the time I’m surrounded by people looking down at me. It’s not consistent though. In one instance there are two techs in the room working on fixing a pump or something. Both 30s or so, a tall white guy and a short stocky black guy chatting to each other. I don’t recognize either of them. In another instance it was a woman sitting in what looked like a pink macrame sling. That third eye is really working overtime! On some occasions I open my eyes and I’m still in my room but the perspective has changed. I may be on the ceiling looking down on my room, or my field of view has changed – some things that are closer than they usually are, and other things further away. It’s not scary or anything, it’s just that everything has changed.
My one-armed room-mate was discharged today. I never saw him or talked with him through the curtain that separates our beds. They wheeled in someone who sounded lie he was heavily sedated. I found out later that he’s a young black guy who has some stomach issues. His name is Lavon and his mother has been staying with him. He’s not allowed to eat or drink anything and is on a drip. I talked to him one time when I my call light was out of reach.
Kathy and Dave stopped by in the morning. Kathy already had an appointment with a specialist who is managing her breathing problems with a procedure. It’s called balloon sinuplasty and may need to be repeated every year. Maureen and Miranda stopped by later. The room is pretty small and it was hard to find a place for everyone to sit. The Oura ring came yesterday and she’s now wearing it. It’ll take a few days of tracking before the data will have anything to say.
There’s a dumpy grumpy nursing assistant who comes in several times a day. I think she’s from Haiti or maybe Jamaica. She tidies things up, throws out the trash on the bedside table, helps a nurse change bed linen, and things like that. She’s always muttering under her breath about things that don’t meet her expectations. One time when Maureen and Miranda were here, Miranda, who had just stepped out came back into the room, she suddenly became all sweetness and light. Another time when she and the nurse were organizing the loops of the bed-swing to lift me out of the recliner back to the bed, she and the nurse were chatting with each other like mother and daughter – I asked them if they were, but no.
A couple of times today they gave me a morphine shot for the pain. It kicked in right away and I can see why you might get addicted. It has a totally different hallucinating effect than dilaudid or oxycodone. It was really nice and peaceful. It’s only a temporary measure though and they’ll stick with 20 mg of oxycodone – every 6 hours I think.
Asking the regular nursing staff to sign the card. Some of the ones who’ve signed it are:
- Georgia (drew blood)
- Payton (night nurse)
- Molly (RN)
- Meghan (nursing assistant)
I’m listening to a lot of music this time, compared with 20 years ago when I was in for cancer. Last time, in 2005/6 I discovered the Afrocelt Sound System. Right now I’ve just woken up and discovered I was listening to “Spring Frost” by Brian and Roger Eno. (Roger is Brian’s younger brother). I’d bought Ambient 1 on a whim shortly after it was released in 1979, but it really didn’t fit my mood at the time, and seeing that it was on vinyl I have nor been listening to it. They say that some music is better on vinyl, but I think this is a case when streaming is a superior option. It’s hard to ignore the music if you have to engage your brain in taking the record out of its sleeve, putting it on the platter, and setting the arm in place. Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports came out either at the right time, or perhaps a little ahead of it. It originated the genre which has been taken up by many composers such as Hans Richter. I also used to listen to Stomu Yamashta who, although predating Eno, has incorporated the style as well. The music provides just enough form for the mind to follow, but by being ignorable helps the mind drift off to sleep. I’m using Apple Music (including Apple Classical) as they have a great catalog. I don’t like the design of the app as my fat fingers find it hard to bring up the search bar, and the ability to filter and sort is poor.
