Every day while hospitalized I have opened a surprise picture and taped up on the side of my bed. Benjamin and James printed out, rolled up and tied happy memories for me so I could have something nice to think about every morning. Such a beautiful and thoughtful gift. Tomorrow morning I will put the pictures back in the box they came in. I’m going home! Yay! I will certainly miss a bed with buttons that I can use to more easily get in a comfortable position, but I will absolutely not miss the not particularly soft blankets that provide zero heat and just a notch more than zero comfort. I will miss the nice nurses that have taken very well care of me, but I will not miss getting interrupted at all different odd times during the day – and night. I will miss the lullaby jingle that is played throughout the hospital when a baby is born – what a special gesture and reminder that life goes on. I will absolutely not miss the food. Has no one that works in hospital kitchens understood that when people shake their heads when saying “hospital food” that that means it’s bad, like really bad? Who can mess up penne with marinara sauce? And it is not just because the lack of salt. Anyway some of the food has been ok, so I’ll go for the lasagna for dinner again today. 

I am most definitely still pretty reduced and at home I will continue to spend a lot of time in bed or on the couch. But it will be my bed and my couch at home with my people, my dog and my food – and yes James, your cooking is better than food from this kitchen. And oh my I’m looking forward to sleeping under a duvet instead of five thin scruffy blankets. But that said – what an excellent shiny new hospital with an amazingly talented and nice staff. We have paid an arm and a leg for it – or actually 5 cm colon, 15 cm small intestine, some lymph nodes, and a couple of nasty growths sprinkled on top to be more precise – but changing insurance to get treated here was totally worth it. I’m in the best hands in the world.

I still can’t walk very far without getting exhausted, but I’m pushing myself to walk without a walker while trying to straighten up. The incision still hurts every step I take, but at home I’ll use shoes with more cushioning and a tight ribbon around my waist. The alpacas (20 skeins of different colors yarn) have been in confinement for a week and have not been let out. I thought I needed to be here for a week longer and since I’m so close to discharge I didn’t bother opening the suitcase. When I come home all the stuff will come out and I will continue my crocheting project there.

It will take time before I’m healed and back to normal, but getting home is the next step towards working my way up to this summit. I’ll take it slowly but surely and I sort of already did the same routine in January even though this time waking up my bowels is taking significantly longer time and is significantly more painful. But I did it before and can do it again.