Walking Spirit

So, as my sister enjoys pointing out, the nurses in the Burn Unit are very cute. They also take very good care of me. However, these are not the reasons why I felt so great yesterday. The difference between yesterday (the day after surgery) and the day after previous surgeries was that when I woke up, despite the pain, I felt great!

Don't get me wrong, the night of the surgery I threw up twice due to the anesthesia, was in a lot of pain, and couldn't stay awake for more than about ten minutes at a time. When I woke up the next day I was still in pain, hadn't urinated in at least 15 hours (we've decided I'm part camel), and had been awakened several times throughout the night. With all of that in mind, I felt emotionally better than I had in weeks, and I hadn't even taken any drugs yet!

Renee and I talked about this while I enjoyed the chocolate croissant and coffee that she brought to me. She felt that this was a good sign and that it probably had to do with my subconscious awareness of my improving overall health. Since second breakfast (hospital food) didn't bring me down I figured Renee must be on to something. I mentioned it to Dr. Stewart and she said that she felt that I was more intune with my body than most patients and that it was probably a good sign that the infection was gone.

I'll be continuing with the antibiotics for another four weeks and it will definitely be a set back in regards to walking and advancing to the permanent prostheses. However, I'm going forward with the driving evaluation on the 20th and I'm certain each week will continue to bring progress.

Of course, I want things to move forward faster and with no set backs but, with each set back comes a deeper understanding of my new way of life. While I was at the burn unit a 27 year old man, who had lost his left leg and left arm in an electrical accident, was just waking up. They were having a real difficulty due to the language barrier as he only speaks spanish. With the help of the Chaplain, who is Hispanic, I was able to speak with the boys parents. They seemed to feel better about their son's future when we finished talking and I will go back and speak to their son after he comes down off the drugs. It may be a strange way to look at it, but if it weren't for the continuing infection, I wouldn't have been there to speak with them. And, yes, it did me some good to talk to them as well.

Have a great weekend. I'll still write on Wednesday and I promise to keep you informed. Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming. No matter how positive I am we're still not out of the woods yet!