Monday, March 31, 2008

I Have Been Sprung

I have been released! i apologize for not getting that information out to you earlier, but my wonderful scribe was not able to get things up on the blog. my attention span is not that long. today is the first time i felt good enough to get things up on the blog. i promise to keep it up do date. i guess since i am home, it does not matter as much. thank you all for the kind words, the calls, the text messages, the visits, the flowers and all the love you all have sent. i am truly blessed!

they let me go late Saturday night from the hospital. i have to say i was quite surprised. my heart rate is still quite slow. i have to have a monitor on to make sure it does not go too low. my heart rate has always been fairly low, but they believe that due to the surgery and the manipulation of my medulla that it has slowed it even more. it feels so good to be out of the hospital.

before i left i had to do a battery of cognitive tests. i guess i passed, but i seriously have to question my logic and how i came up with the answers. some of them reminded me of Montessori school. i had to complete puzzles, mazes, word associations, matching, word problems (i forgot how much i despise word problems), and an assortment of math problems and last but not least listing all of the animals starting with the letter 'm' i could come up with in a minute. it was a truly humbling experience. i feel exceptionally slow. like i said, i passed. i have always been a bit slow, but this is ridiculous.

i also had the pleasure of making a meal to show that i am self-sufficient. my options were limited so i made an cheese and ham omelet with toast. it would not have earned me a stop spot on Top Chef, but it looked good. i also had to walk stairs, do laps around the Cardio unit and simulate taking a shower. i did take my first real shower. i have yet to take one today (like you care).

they sent me home without giving me many bandages or tape. luckily i know people. i have to say i was taken care of exceptionally well at United. i have to say the ICU nurses were the best, but all of them were sweet. the physicians were kind. i am so glad that i do not need to be poked and prodded every hour.

i have not had as much pain as i imagined i would. i try to hold off taking any pain medication until i go to bed. this may sound strange. the pain seems to help bring clarity and keeps me grounded. i still have to take anti-inflammatory pills.

what is up with the weather? i cannot believe my eyes. thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Patrick-
I had no idea you had surgery! I am so glad to hear that you are on the mend and on your way home again.

My thoughts and prayers are with you! I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Best,
Wanda Loerch

Anonymous said...

Dear Patrick,

When Carolyn wrote that you had "checked out" of the hospital on Saturday night, that got me worrying it was a euphemism for something else! Glad you are recuperating at home and no longer being subjected to getting poked at every hour and taking tricky animal-naming tests.

Many blessings,
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Yeah Patrick!

Keep up the good work. I've been waiting for this post. Keep them coming.

Take care,

~Anise

Anonymous said...

Yo, Patrick!

I'm happy you've been sprung and hopefully you'll be back to work soon.

Peace,
Steph

Sarah said...

sending love from berlin! the keyborads are very different here! I am glad you are home-stay up and don't do too much too soon-keep it slow and steady-don't want any set backs ;)

Kris said...

YEAH!!!!! What great news. I can't wait to hear more stories about the cognitive tests (having seen many administered!) and the joys of PT & OT.

Thanks for sharing so much detail, and know that we are all sending much positive energy and many healing vibes!!!! Kris

Anonymous said...

WAHOOOOOO! Way to go Patrick!

So glad you're home!

The vibes continue.

Eric

Anonymous said...

Hi Patrick! So I guess I was wrong in thinking you were traveling overseas while you were out (something about a yearly trip to barcelona?) Thanks for setting up this blog, it's fun to get to know you outside of work stuff...although I'm sure a blog under different circumstances may be preferred. Rest up and enjoy the slow paced life...things generally move too fast for us to enjoy them thoroughly. Jenny Porter

Anonymous said...

Patrick,

I am glad to hear that you are at home sweet home now. I am sure it makes a difference. I hope your therapy sessions keep going well.
The student parent day was a great success! We missed you having you there.I look forward to see you again soon.

Lourdes

Anonymous said...

hey friend,

love to hear this good news, keep it up. it'll sound cliche, but maybe this is a bit of a disguised blessing giving you the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and enjoy the smaller surprises coming your way. o.k., 'twould be nice to do all that without major surgery!

keep the good news coming...

con amor,
christy

Lucy said...

Hey Patrick,
I'm glad to hear you are home and getting rest. I wish you a speedy recovery!

Take care,
Lucy Reile