HO HO HOME Again!

It’s been a whole week I have been home now and I finally have enough energy to begin  my blog again.  I was greeted at home by my mother and sisters, with a big, warm red robe for around the house and a big, white one to cuddle into after my showers.  There have been two of them around day and night for the past week, and they have not stopped a minute. I thank them and other friends who totally cleaned my living area to make it germ free.  Sometimes between my care givers’ cleaning and specific food prep we will watch a Hallmark Christmas movie together.  At one of those times Kathy remarked that it was like ‘Little Women’ and we were stuck inside for the winter.

I checked out of the hospital after 26 days. This is about average for many patients, but shorter for others.  I usually had a family member visit me each day, which was a blessing, but many of the hours seemed to go very slowly.  They had a TV in my room and a big library of dvd’s, but my vision was too blurry to watch anything.  I was happy to have Kathy’s laptop, but my fingers/mind wouldn’t work right.  So I did a lot of pondering and visiting (talking out loud) with the Lord. He understands chemo brain. (Kind of like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, minus the dramatics).  I tried to keep the thoughts positive and a big bulletin board of family pictures directly in front of my bed helped with that.  That was my focus and brought up many fun conversations about my beautiful family and the upcoming wedding.

One world record I might have broken was that I ate cooked oatmeal with a half cut up washed banana in it, three meals a day for the entire 26 days.  It worked for me.  There were times I could barely swallow and my mouth sores were so bad, that the soft texture would just slide down.  It agreed with my taste buds and stayed down most of the time.  I didn’t have to decide what I wanted each meal.  Some days I would eat a few bites, and other days, more.  Some of the nurses teased me about my diet, but I didn’t have to be fed via IV tube.

Some things I took for granted again and now realize that I’m home:  I can flush the toilet.  They had to measure every drop in and out of me, so I never got to flush.  My dad was the hero when he bought me some very soft toilet paper.  Theirs was so thin, you could see through it.  I also get to brush with a real toothbrush.  I could only use sponge ones there so my mouth wouldn’t bleed.  I also have a heater in my bathroom I can control during my showers.

My goal now is to be able to attend my daughter’s wedding (sealing) on the afternoon of the 18th.  It may be with wheelchair, gloves, masks, and maybe just parents, but it will be worth it.  The Dr.’s think this can work, so I’m trying to do more water drinking, walking, getting out in the sun each day, and doing back exercises.  Keep in mind these are approx. 5 minute activities, then I rest after each strenuous output. Ha.

My dad is also helping out by (not only sharing mom with me daily) but he calls me each day with some jokes to make me laugh.  He said that’s the best medicine.

I have returned to the hospital 3 times since my release so they can check labs and give IV’s if needed.  Today there was a man who looked pretty good, so I asked if he had been through this process.  He said it had been 8 years ago, but he told the Dr. it was the best thing that had happened to him.  Wow, just what I needed to hear as I strive for patience with little improvements each day.

It has been a miraculous process to witness.  The old skin peeled off my hands and I have watched the new cells form baby soft skin.  The same is happening in my mouth and other unseen areas.  Such a cleansing and renewal is taking place!  My hope is that my heart will also be stripped of hard, old cells, and impurities removed, replaced with Christlike love.  That would be the true miracle . . . but that is already available to everyone through the atonement!