Now where was I?

Sunday was not fun. THE HEADACHE occupied most of my attention but the flank pain from the kidney infection and the ongoing nausea which I still think came from the contrast fluid they made me drink for the CT it was an all around foul day. The Dilaudid helped the flank pain and there drug whose name I can not remember took away the nausea but THE HEADACHE steamed on with no sign of release. After a couple of other meds whose names I also can not remember someone asked what I took for headaches at home. While I rarely get headaches when I do I take acetaminophen. So what the heck. A half hour later i was down to a headache and not too much longer after that, for the first time in two day it was gone.

I can not tell you how much relief it was to escape the pain, light sensitivity, eye pain and neck pain. Well there was a bit of neck pain but nothing compared to what had accompanied THE HEADACHE. The flank pain emerged as dominant but they could control that. Once THE HEADACHE was gone I could finally sleep. As anyone who has ever been in the hospital can attest, sleep is difficult to maintain, There are vitals checks, meds and general inquires that disturb leaving no real stretch of time to rest despite best efforts. But after so many days of restlessness and pain even an hour of sleep felt like heaven.

I still had the pleasure of waking up drenched, changing my gown frequently and while they provided pain killers upon request (except once when the doses would have been too close together and even then an alternative was found.) they were upon request which meant I ususally woke in pain and then had to wait a bit for the medication to kick in. For the record though, IV medication kicks in pretty fast so no real complaints. Some time during Monday night THE HEADACHE returned, I woke from a nasty nightmare involving to fairly backwoods type and a large razor blade wielded with enough skill to lop of limbs in a single stroke. Heart racing, head pounding I could barely speak more the "headache" and "Brand Name" for the acetaminophen. Of course medication must be fetched, scanned, administered and then awaited for absorption. Especially the pill form, which this was. It was a very, very long 45 min. When it eased I was still trembling, drenched and exhausted.

Monday morning I had my first fever since I arrived at the hospital. I have a very low base temp so "normal" is not so normal for me but this even registered on their scale of fever. The unfortunate side effect was the hospital policy that one must be fever free for 24 hours in order to be discharged. This one fever bumped my release from Monday to Tuesday. It was probably for the best because I had not seem the last of THE HEADACHE or the backwoods boys so adept as razor amputation. Monday night I was revisited by both but knowing I could banish them made them less agonizing the second time around.

Monday afternoon I had slept long enough and managed the pain well enough to finally recognize just how long it had been since I had last bathed and how unpleasant I was feeling. They told me I could shower if I wanted as long as they wrapped the IV site. My Darling had brought clean clothes and my shower kit so I set to work. Showering was a challenge. In an effort to assure that not a drop of water contaminated the IV site the nurse had applied an almost tourniquet cover restricting the movement of my left arm forcing me to wash my hair with one hand. For once I truly understood a need for wash, rinse, REPEAT. Man was I nasty. I emerged from the shower feeling human for the first time in what seemed like forever. I wasn't done with all of it but I knew I was definitely over the hump.

Monday evening, while My Darling and the kid were visiting I complained of feeling weak and my stomach hurt. My Darling reminded me I had eaten nothing in the days before I was admitted and jello and juice after. I thought he might be right so we asked if I could eat. I was greeted with a handful of crackers (not really all that good) pudding and eventually was satisfied with graham crackers spread with peanut butter. So good after so long. An hour or so later I took up the offer of a sandwich peeled away the bread and snacked on turkey and swiss. Probably more than I should have eaten, my stomach felt uncomfortably full, but it didn't last and after watching a little TV headed off to sleep expecting a good nights sleep followed by discharge in the morning.

THE HEADACHE wasn't about to let me go that easy and although as I said above, I knew I could banish it, I was happy for the random fever that meant I had professional help accomplishing that task. By morning both THE HEADACHE and the razor blade were fading away. A little neck and back pain that felt like the kind one gets when sleeping in a different bed was all that remained. Even the flank pain was gone. The only thing left for me to do was get my last IV dose of antibiotics, see the doctor and pack up and go home.

After taking my last dose I killed time watching TV. We don't have TV at home having abandoned it as a cost savings a few years ago, so I had to flip through some channels before I found a movie worth watching. I couldn't even tell you the name because it wasn't long after I settled in that I began to cough. The hard core, bronchial, hacking, cough up a lung kind of cough. Out of nowhere. I remember say out loud "Seriously", I mean here I am waiting to be cut loose and now I can't stop coughing. The nurse comes and and asks me if I am allergic to anything cause she thinks it sounds like allergic reaction. "Nothing, I'm allergic to nothing" then goes to call the doctor but when she returns I have remembered and squeezed out between coughs "Christmas trees". She looks at me confused. "I am allergic to Christmas trees, not the trees themselves but the particular fungus that only grows on dying Christmas trees." Yes since childhood a tree or a wreath would have me hacking and eventually struggling to breath. Cardio comes up, gives me Adderal, "lungs are clear" and heads off leaving me confused and still coughing. When the doctor shows up she agrees that my lungs are clear. I could have told her that, its all in my upper chest. "But I want to go home" I plead. She smiles and tells me I can still go home I will just need another medicine to take care of the acute bronchitis I have obviously picked up in the hospital due to my diminished immunity and the fact that hospitals are teeming with bugs. It is after all where all the really sick people are.

Tuesday afternoon I signed the papers giving me permission to leave and walked out with my bag of stuff being helped out by the kid. Oh I forgot to mention the Awww moment. Monday night the kid shows up with his tiger. Somehow, without actually trying, I ended up with my own C@lvin and H0bbs. A white tiger, gifted by his grandfather on a whim (one stuffed animal a day for the length of his visit) has become he best friend. When he picked away the tigers mouth he came to Mommy to fix it (Mommy Fixing Queen) and I allowed him to choose the color of the new mouth, offered any color he chose blue. My little Darling boy brought his best friend, his blue mouthed white tiger, to stay with Mommy and help her get better "Cause Tiger is good at that Mommy". Still tears me up, what a great kid.

So Tiger helped to defeat THE HEADACHE and razor blades, comforting me and making me smile. He is a bit of a bed hog though. Seemed no matter where I turned to lay there he was stretched out in my way. White tigers are like that I am told, especially the blue mouthed ones.

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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