The biggest inhibitor of movement is the chest tube. I've watched enough medical dramas on TV to know that there is something called a "chest tube" but I never knew exactly what it was. Now I know. It is the thing that makes it impossible to do the simple things that you want to do like get out of bed, reach for your remote control or scratch the itch on your lower calf muscles. To resolve this we have what we refer to in the "patient business" as the "call a nurse" button. You'd think it was only for those "I've fallen and I can't get up" moments but actually it is used more for the "my room-service menu is 3 inches from my fingertips" moments. All the people who work here seem to have no problem trekking over here for the most mundane of needs! Bless the nurses and PCA's on this floor!!
This morning they pulled both my chest tube and my epidural. I'm pretty much cordless now except for the heart monitor and that item is portable. (I'm a bit skeptical that that bundle of wires really does anything at all since it's just taped to my chest.)
Hey, I think I'll get up now and brush my teeth without calling anyone first.
3 comments:
Chopper Charlie,
I'm very happy at this turn of events and the continual good news.
You may recall that I spent seven days in Hagerstown's former shit-hole of a hospital two years ago. It sounds like your accommodations (not to mention the care you were receivnig)were really great. Of course, when you are in the condition you were in, you could have the young Isabella Rosselini as a roommate and it'd still be a drag. Hmmm...I need to hold on to that image.
Anyhoo buddy, keep the good news flowing and try and get a morphine doggy-bag for our next camping trip.
Mannie
Nice mumu by the way.
hey, how about taking some photos of your incisions and posting them!?! Maybe they're not gross enough?
Lee
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