Thankful for travel mercies

Thankful for travel mercies. 🙏🏼

We’ve arrived home safely - after a 9.5-hour drive: with frequent stops to stand and stretch.

There were moments when, standing next to the car, lifting the boot was just too heavy for me. But I tried my best, knowing the importance for circulation. I also l sat on the passenger seat - legs out the car and did some lifting and stretching.

I’m really tired now and looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight! 😀

I know that my body is going to adjust to home setting now and I’ll soon find my groove.

Did I have a premonition two weeks ago?

I was trying to get things in order around here before leaving on the trip. I’ve always ensured that home is spotless before going somewhere - even my weekend trips from Cape Town to East London. 

But this time I said something like: “Anything can happen while we’re away and I need things in order when we get back.” What a pleasure walking into a neat place after all this drama. 

Thank you for your amazing messages. As I said - I wish I could hug each of you! 💞

I've been discharged!

Yesterday, for the first time since I was hospitalized, I felt like I’d had enough. Enough of my hospital gown. Enough of brushing my teeth while seated.  Enough of hospital food. Enough of being woken at night by patients screaming in pain.

Well, talk about divine timing…

I didn’t disclose this yesterday because we weren’t 100% sure, but… I’ve been discharged!

After a session with the physio this morning, I was given the green light. Trying to move with the crutches with this weight on my left leg and then my right leg also feeling weak is challenging. I need to spend time moving and getting my muscle energy back.

Some of you don’t know that this mishap happened away from home. We have quite a drive ahead of us - especially as we’ll be making frequent stops.

🙏🏼❤️🤗✨🥰

My Warriors aka Parents

It’s strange for me to say that my Dad “lost” his battle with cancer. My Dad was anything, but a loser. He was a fighter! When this photo was taken, my Mum & I had no clue about my Dad’s cancer diagnosis.

Two days before this photo was taken, we didn’t know if my Mum would make it to Cape Town for my wedding because she was hospitalized.

I’ve been told that when I feel like I can’t go on, I need to remember that I am a product of these two amazing people - both incredible fighters. Warriors!

Some of you may remember when my Mum was in ICU in 2013. We didn’t know if she’d come home from the hospital. 🥺 Look at her now!

Last night, Mum reminded me of my own setback I had halfway through my first year at university. Some of you may know my story, but it was a scary period. People tried to persuade me to de-register from Rhodes and start afresh the following year. I downright refused to give up the work I’d done. Even though I still had my challenges - I picked up two extra subjects in my final year to make up the credits I lost. And I was able to graduate with my peers. 

This past week I’ve received so many messages from people sharing their stories of how they’ve come through injuries and challenges.

I go to sleep thinking of all these beautiful messages of hope and encouragement. I truly wish I could hug each and every one of you!

I never thought I’d be in this position, but there is good coming out of it. ❤️✨

It can only get better from here

When my hubby was here during visiting hours, the physio asked me if I wanted to try again with the crutches. “Yes!” And I went further down the passage than this morning. 🙌🏼 Later in the evening we put on my right sneaker and it felt slightly better. 

My right side still feels weak. He showed me some exercises I can do to strengthen - like while lying down, using the right leg to “write” my name in the air.

Remember that even going from the bed to the bathroom was in a wheelchair so my muscles need exercise. 

Any tips/exercises that have worked for you? Please share. 🙏🏼

I’m alone again tonight. 

My hospital roommate was discharged. 😮 

This morning there were some “lost in translation situations” with the nurses. The lady was Spanish-speaking, but able to understand English so I helped where I could with her interactions with the nurses. 

She was grateful. ✨

There are times that I seem to zone out and I find that this happens when I’m over-stimulated: too much information coming to me at once, a lot of noise or too many people around me.

Having said that - with every hour that passed this afternoon, I felt my confidence grow and my spirits lifted a bit more. It can only get better from here. 🙌🏼

Crutches for the first time

The physio was just here to help me move using crutches. 

Because I’ve been laying down for a week, my muscles have weakened - in my right leg too. So it was really new and scary for me trying to balance. The physio assured me that it’s normal and nothing to be afraid of.

I made my way out of the room to move down the passage, but I burst into tears. The nurses were giving me supportive smiles and another physio who was passing by told me to focus on her and not look down.

Is this really me? The one who jumps out of bed every morning, is independent and is constantly active throughout the day. I know this is just a phase and I am going to come out of this stronger.

Even while lying in the bed I need to keep moving both legs and bend my knees to strengthen my muscles.

I need to keep this boot on day & night and will have another surgery after six weeks. I will not stop praying and believing I will be fully healed and back to my old self again. 🙏🏼✨

Deep breaths

I didn’t have a sound sleep. 

At 22:30 last night, two nurses told me that there was a lady coming out of surgery and asked if I’d mind if they put her in my room.

As much as I enjoyed having the room to myself, there was no way I could have said no. They didn’t even have to ask me, but they said that rooms would fill up this week with many scheduled operations.

But this lady was loud & restless. She was talking on her phone. Switched the light on, off, on, off. Turned the tv on. Called the nurse. I tried to be tolerant because she was just out of surgery and getting to know her new surroundings.

I remembered myself in the same position last week - terrified, so I let it go. 

The combination of not eating much, the strong medication, anesthetic, laying down & the stress has strained my tummy a lot. My goal today is to drink more water than I have been. I am usually very good with my water intake, but it’s been a challenge this week - knowing the effort it takes to get to the loo. I know its importance, though - so today will be better.

I think the physio will come by today. And then we should have more information about being discharged (this week, I guess). I’m slightly nervous because I still need assistance getting out of bed. Oh, and I can move my toes more than I did a couple of days ago! 🙌🏼

Deep breaths and one day at a time. 🦋

Craving Indian food!

 

I’ve been in this position for a week now. I lie down or sit up - using a button to adjust the bed when I need to eat something or drink water. 

I could write a post about every nurse who has helped me this week - Flavia, Anastasia, Julia, Maria, Wana, Çem, Monica and more. And I may still do that. I think I would have been in a different mental state had it not been for the warmth of the people around me. I told a nurse now that she’s so kind and she told me that that I am too and that her colleagues love me. 🥰

My thrombosis injections are now administered in my stomach instead of the leg. The nurses are lenient with my husband staying a little after visiting hours, especially now that I’m alone in the room. My energy was low this this afternoon so we went for a stroll in the wheelchair in the passage - just to be out of the room. It hurts when I sit on the wheelchair and the nurse explained it’s because the leg is elevated most of the time, when I’m in a sitting position the blood flows down to the foot - causing a bit of discomfort. 

I have so many little stories I still want to share on here. Sharing my experience - all of it, is helping me a lot. I never thought I’d talk about me sitting naked on a toilet. Well - there are a lot do things I have experienced this week which has been different, but a learning experience.

I have been day dreaming of my mum’s dhal, rice, dhokra, veg biryani, sojji and more. My hubby managed to find an Indian place near the hospital and went and got me samosas. They were nothing like the samosas of my kakis in East London!! But the the flavour was satisfying 😋

I was happy to join virtual mandir (temple) this evening. I didn’t mind sharing a room with the older lady, but I’m glad that I have my own bathroom now and that I can listen to my bhajans (devotional music) as I fall asleep. 

I am still reading all my birthday wishes - thank you so much. I really feel the love. 💝