Today was a tough day. Meredith's IV pump has been slowed down and has as a result the pumping sound has become much more annoying. During the day it is easy to ignore it but during the quiet night it is about enough to drive you crazy because it is a very inconsistent sound that varies in volume and tempo. A nurse finally ended up getting Meredith a pair of earplugs that helped her sleep much better.
This morning we had to see a lot of people and it got to be a little too much. The tech usually comes by at around 5am to take blood, they are followed by the first round of doctors that come through at around 6:30am, then comes the nurse shift change at 7am, then at about 7:30 the second round of doctors including the surgeon stops by to update us, then finally breakfast arrives, and a grad student stopped by and wanted to do a survey. The good news is the doctors said that she is doing great and that we will most likely get to go home tomorrow (Saturday). In addition to the usual morning visits we had our most comprehensive session with the stoma nurse so far and that took about an hour. We learned how to completely change and clean everything and talked about managing everything at home. After that another nurse stopped by and talked to us briefly about home care and finally they took Meredith completely off her IV's and we started to manage her pain by oral medication.
In addition to our busy morning we got to see our little girl again but in combination with our busy morning is was just a little too much for Meredith who was exhausted by this time. Meredith finally got to take a nap at about 3pm and once she was out and she was pretty much done for the day. I went to the main hospital food court across the street and got her a grilled chicken sandwich for dinner and we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
For me the past several days has been very challenging. I want to be here and help Meredith through her recovery but it is no walk in the park. The couch/bed that they have in the room really isn't too bad to sleep on but as anyone who has stayed a night in a hospital knows, it is tough to get rest regardless of how comfortable you are. I have really learned a lot and think that it will really put me in a good position to continue help Meredith when we get home. The hardest part has definitely been being away from our little girl. It may sound weird but I cannot wait to be woken up by her cry at 3am! I really miss her and getting to see her these past 2 days has helped a lot but I am really ready to be at home with my family. I would say this to anyone that has a spouse that is going through a similar situation, it is not easy but it is worth it. I feel that constantly being by Meredith's side has helped her more than I can know and will only strengthen our relationship. Boy am I ready to be home!
Phillip, I understand where you are. It takes me back to the days when Skyler had his open heart surgery. For 24 hours before his surgery the nurse came into his room every 2 hours to take his vitals. The only part I did not get was why they had to turn all of the lights on when they did it. It made for a very exhausted baby and mama. Getting home and getting back into your normal routine always makes things better. Make sure you take time for yourself to get some rest. You are so strong for your family but you also need to take care of yourself. I'm so proud of you and am keeping you, Meredith and Elise in my prayers. Love Aunt Anna
ReplyDelete