Jeff's Journal

Vicadinia

Yesterday, my doctor wanted to run tests on the levels of the immune suppressants in my system before releasing me. The testing took seven hours. After all the blood draws, it was late afternoon before we could head home and to the drug store.

The blood draws in the hospital were not too painful since they were drawn on a central line. The central line was this tube out my left shoulder. It was a good friend. Once we knew for sure we did not need the central line any more, the nurse cut a couple of stitches from my left shoulder and began to pull all these things out. One was a plastic tubing followed by a very large needle then followed by a longer plastic tube. I quit watching after those three things came out. By then end of the experience, there was a whole array of synthetic things on a tray in front of me. I’m glad I was out when they put the things in.

When I left the hospital, my blood work was at the max end of normal blood work. I have not had that reading in over a decade. I’m back to the hospital on Thursday. I’ll learn Thursday about the med levels and we will start again. They will repeat all the tests that were done on Monday, but without my friend, the central line.

One of Monday’s stops was the drug store. We dropped off a half a dozen prescriptions. I began counting and organizing the meds into pillboxes when we got the meds home last night. There are many pills to consume at various hours of the day and I have set alarms to remind me it is time to take something. I now rival my mother and mother-in-law in the number of medications per day as mine fill an entire nightstand drawer.

Today has been a day of vicadin as I feel the incision pain. The foley catheter was removed yesterday morning, a breath taking experience –literally. I suppose the pain of the catheter masked the pain of the incision, but not today. The incision has made itself known. (For the record, I’ll take the incision pain.) The painkiller has kept the edge off and I am calling “Vicadinia” home for a while.

I discovered today they cut a couple of nerves when they did the incision. I am numb on my right thigh, hip and areas around the incision. I have a clumsy, hobbling gait now, but I’ll take it since I did not have to canter to the dialysis clinic today.

posted by Jeff Waldo @ 7:26 PM