I appreciate everything everyone at the hospital did for me, and the care I received there but there is nothing like the comfort of home. I did not sleep well last night, so again I was very sleepy throughout the day. At 6 am my PCA took out my catheter, then the orthopaedic resident removed my drain and put a new dressing over my incision. It looked a bit different from my incision when my right hip was done. This one on the left looks kind of bumpy (I think the stitches kind of go underneath, but I know it will smooth out eventually) and they didn't use steri-strips - they used the special surgical glue, instead.
My OS stopped by for a visit and to see if I had any questions. He is truly one of the best doctors I've ever met and the hospital staff speak so highly of him, you'd think he was a celebrity. Later this morning, the anesthesia nurse removed my pain catheter, leaving only my IV start keeping me from feeling normal again. During physical therapy, I practiced going up and down steps and walked in the hallway a bit. I won't disgust you with the details, but I was thankful to have a successful trip to the bathroom before lunch, if you know what I mean. I was glad to get that over with and rest a bit before getting dressed, going over discharge paperwork with my nurse, and heading home. When I was discharged in June, I had to call the nurses' station from home to find out when I last had certain meds. Today, I remembered to ask the nurse about this, and went home understanding what meds I needed to take and when I needed to take them next. My husband filled my prescriptions at the hospital pharmacy while I ate lunch in my room, then we got things packed up and I said good-bye to my nurse and my favorite PCA (she had helped me out in June, too).
Joe pulled the car around to the entrance and I was wheeled out in a wheelchair. I took it easy getting into the car and kept my eyes closed for most of the ride home. As you can imagine, my meds make me kind of dizzy and riding home was the most movement I had experienced for several days, but I felt fine anyway. We got home and I made it up the stairs and into the house without a problem, using my walker of course. My husband got things unloaded, put Jillian in her crib for nap, then stood nearby as I made it up the stairs to get settled in for a nap myself. I had a great nap in my own bed!
Joe baked a macaroni and cheese casserole that a friend had made for us. It was so nice to have a delicious meal at home that he did not have to make from scratch. It was fun to watch Jillian devour her dinner then run around and play, she has such fun getting into everything. We got a call from Joe's sister, my 4yo is staying with her until Saturday, and heard an update on all the fun things they got to do together today. I miss Eliza, but am glad she is having lots of fun with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She was so excited to get to stay at her cousin's and it has helped me to have a smooth transition home since I otherwise would've struggled to give her the attention she would want. I got to see her on Tuesday when Joe brought the girls to the hospital and I look forward to seeing her on Saturday when I'll hopefully have more energy.
I'm so thankful for the support of friends and family during my recovery. It allows me to relax and focus on getting better knowing that I have so much help.
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