The HospitVALzation: Part 8, Homebound

My pickup from the hospital was fraught with uncertainty, with the snow still falling, and Hick having left SilverRedO in a ditch around 8:00 a.m., and waiting for a tow out of another ditch in A-Cad around 10:50 on his way to get me. I was dressed and ready, sitting up in a chair, my belongings in a bag on the bed. Just breathing, and taking pee breaks while I waited.

At 12:21, Hick and The Pony arrived at the hospital, and parked at the main door. I called my nurse, Alex 2, on the call button. He came in with a chair to wheel me out. It was not the standard wheelchair, but one of those hard plastic chairs on wheels. It still had the foot pads, and armrests to hold onto. I guess it was their SNOW CHAIR for getting people to the curb.

"Where is your coat?"

"I don't have it. It's out in my car."

"Here. Take this blanket."

Alex 2 took a white blanket off the bed, and draped it around my shoulders. Probably a $500 souvenir, heh, heh, from my stay. Alex 2 wheeled me the short distance to the entrance. As I said, my room had a window facing out on the circle drive. I was just a few feet from actually seeing A-Cad's grill. Alex 2 wheeled me out the door. The snow was packed, even though this exit/entrance was under roof. Hick got out and started around the front of A-Cad.

"No. Get back in the car. I'll get her in."

Alex 2 put on the brake. Adjusted my blanket on my shoulders. Stood in front of me, proffering a hand to get me up. He had the passenger door open.

"Watch your step. Come right over here. Grab onto this handle and the door. Careful."

I shuffled across the snow, and got settled in A-Cad. Thanked Alex 2 for all his help. Hick helped snap in the seatbelt, and we were off. The Pony pulled the blanket from my shoulders, and gave me my jacket, which I put on backwards since I was in the seatbelt. Pony rubbed my shoulders. 

"It will be okay. We'll get you home, Mom."

Well. After their just-towed experience, I was not so sure. The snow was still coming down. The hospital drive and all roads out of it were covered. We had to ease along, because people didn't want to stop at the side-street stop signs, lest they become stuck. Also, we had to creep up a slight hill behind a spinning car in front of us. Hick got A-Cad to the highway for our 20-mile journey.

"Would you please stay in the right lane? Just to make me feel better? I don't want to spin out. I can't be sitting beside the road waiting for a tow."

"I'll stay in the right lane. The passing lane is deep."

Indeed. The right lane was not clear. It had some tracks in places, but was pretty much snow-covered, though not deep. We came up on a snowplow. Hick stayed back, waiting. It turned off at an exit. We came up on another snowplow in the fast lane. Bided our time until there was room to go by on the right. Hick is a good snow driver, despite putting two vehicles in the ditch that morning!

The most dicey part was getting on our blacktop roads. They had not been plowed and there was only room for one vehicle in the ruts of previous traffic. If we met a car, somebody was going in a ditch. But we DIDN'T meet a car! So lucky! Got on our gravel road, which was also a mess. At least people were staying home and not rushing out for donuts or to pick up hospital patients!

Hick backed A-Cad into the garage so I could get out without stepping in the 7+ inches of snow. The garage isn't big enough to open the passenger door when parked the right way. The Pony went out to the steps, and swept off all the fresh snow. He stood behind me as I gripped the rail and slowly went up. The dogs were crazy happy to see me, even without a treat.

Once inside, I leaned on the back of the couch, exhausted. I was sweating like crazy.

"They said they keep the rooms at 69 degrees, because the patients seem to respond better to that."

"I can turn down the thermostat, Mom. It's only one more degree."

"Yeah. Do that. I'm going to try to have a shower."

All those four days, nobody at the hospital had offered me a chance to wash up, nor change the bed. That's okay. I sleep in my regular bed for four days without changing the sheets. But I do wash up! I hope they hadn't given up on me! Anyhoo... I got in the shower, planning on it to be brief. It was briefer than I planned.

Back when I had my bilateral pulmonary embolisms, the respiratory tech had told me that taking a shower was like walking up two flights of stairs. I felt like I was walking up the Empire State Building. Got light-headed. Got out quick after a hair-wash, which made me dizzy lifting my arms over my head. I had to sit down and rest on the toilet. I wasn't chilled, I was burning up. Had to cool off before toweling off and getting dressed.

I went to sit on the short couch. Later The Pony helped make me a chicken patty and fries. I was sadly missing the hospital supper I had chosen, which was going to be chicken with mushrooms, pasta with peas, and peach pie. But I WAS happy to be home.

TO BE CONTINUED...