Here I am checking in first with admitting, then into my room. The first person who spoke with me (the one on the right) introduced herself as my day nurse ANGELICA. Daniel and I knew we were in the right place when an Angel greeted us. My night R.N. on the left clued me in on LOTS of how to make it work for me. I have more pictures of my room that I'll post later.
I’m settling in for the easy ride of my hospital stay. I got my central line about this time yesterday (after waiting all day to be called—with no food or drink). My time down in the “Intervention Radiology” O.R. was a bit like an episode of the moving/TV show MASH. Everyone was in fine shape for kidding and jokes and I joined right in. That was all before they gave me the “good stuff.” I remember that the joking continued after my drugs started to work, but I’ve completely lost the details of what happened. This “conscious sedation” stuff is a real time warp. I could hear what was being said, but I couldn’t remember it from one moment to the next. It was as if time collapsed so that everything happened within five seconds. Daniel and I have been in many conversations ABOUT TIME recently. I even got one of Brian Green’s books on CD to help me further explore the new scientific understandings of time.
I feel that I’m living in a time warp.
How come I’m so busy all the time when I’m in the hospital? My best clue to passing time is the view of two trees I have from my fifth story window. When I checked in (was it only yesterday?), the trees were in “heavy bud,” but no green showing. Today they are chartreuse. What a difference a day and a bit of rain have made. Their color is so vibrant that at first I thought they were flowering trees, but now I think it is only the first show of green. Even though my room is very small, I’m happy that I have a “cavern” view instead of looking out onto a flat wall.
My chemo drop never times out; it goes on night and day until Friday. I can unplug my “drip tree” and stroll around the halls running on battery. I’ve yet to find interesting halls (like Stanford has) to stroll in, but I hope to extend my strolls more and more over the next days; today I did a half mile.
If one is to be confined to a hospital, what could be better than one where ones daughter works. Debrah came by for coffee break with me this morning. What a joy to hear about her scholarly exploits such a presentation she did last night. I love being with little Jack but it is also great to have a chance for adult talk with my adult children. AND she brought me a latte. I don’t drink hospital tray coffee. The tea is bad enough. Deb brought me REAL tea that is sustaining me through the afternoon. Great time, well spent.
My prayer group from seminary came for our meeting HERE today. We had to be interrupted for one blood pressure count, mandated by the drug trial I’m participating in. But other than that we had some fine time together. In addition to prayer and check in, we had Eucharist. The visit and the ritual was yuumy. I think they might have found the extent of my medical apparatus to be bit incongruous with my overall appearance (which was the same as Monday’s). Someone with this many lines and shots to boot should look a sicker that I do. In addition to everything else, some steroids I got this morning are driving my blood sugar way up, so I’m getting my finger picked for tests and insulin shots. I’m about to get the third one because my count is over 190. I also have to wear a mask whenever I leave the room because my white count is down down (this is good—it means the chemo is working).
I came off without a book I needed for my Pilgrimage course. I have wanted to read The Alchemist for a very long time, but never quite got around to it. You know the problem. I was looking forward to reading it when I got here. And then I packed it in one of my “bring later” bags before I realized I needed to have read it to answer this week’s questions. In one of those little miracles that happen to me everyday, I thought that Audible.com might have it—and they did: an unabridged edition, read by Jeremy Irons, at a reasonable price! I was able to complete the two hour download (dial-up, you know) while I was in surgery yesterday. And I’ve now heard the whole four hours. I loved the sense of time in the book, especially when it was read over time to me. Of course, Daniel brought me the book last night, but by then I was WAY into the audio. Now I have the book to refer to when I’m answering the questions, but I’ve also had the delicious experience of having that great story read to me. It is the perfect book for listening. I may just have to buy all the books that Jeremy has read.
All of this chatter must sound like “Bonnie as usual” and in many ways, it is. I am savoring my time doing the Ignatius Exercises (plenty of time and reminders for four times of prayer/meditation a day, starting at 5am). I have a wonderful Vespers/Compline music CD for my last prayers of the day. I have music from my wonderful collection from friends to listen to all day long. Plus sublime visits from Debrah and EDS friends. AND yet, I’m missing seeing enough of my husband who has what we think is a “bug” and can only do limited visits right now.
Speaking of Daniel, check out his BLOG at: danielshurman.com It is a new BLOG, but that rascal figured out how to time-warp the BLOG with post-dated postings!
Time drags for me around here only when I’m waiting for breakfast, which was 40 minutes late this morning.
Love to you all, Bonnie-in-hospital
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