Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Hospital Day

First off, I want to apologize for my lack of pictures lately. Things, as you know, have been pretty crazy. And the hospital has very little to offer in regards to creative photography. Maybe tomorrow that will be my mission-- to walk around the hospital photographing any little bit of beauty or joy. Blog idea for tomorrow-- check!

In the mean time, you will have to settle for this tiny picture of the Oklahoma Heart Hospital. Sorry. That is where I have been spending countless hours over the last five months, but especially over this last week. I am learning a lot about hospital life. Such as....weekends are super slow, doctors make their rounds during very early morning hours, nurses work impressive twelve hour shifts, and as good as the hospital food is here, it does get old after five months.

In all fairness, though, I would not wish for my mom to be at any other hospital right now. The care we receive here is AMAZING. The doctors are highly skilled to care for heart patients and the nurses have all been both competent and compassionate. It is a new facility, clean and more like a hotel (if you use your imagination a little....). I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for the care she has received.

Today my mom was groggy, but awake and able to communicate by writing notes. The pain medication she received throughout the day kept her very sleepy, which is good. She needs to rest. That's mainly what we did today-- taking turns sitting in the room while mom slept. She would occasionally need her notebook or chap stick or the temperature in the room adjusted, but overall she just slept today. Her surgeon, her pulmonologist, and her infectious disease doctor all saw her this morning and agreed that she looks very good considering what her body went through over the last 24 hours. Keep in mind she received 6 units of blood yesterday!

Moving forward things are slow and steady. I'm okay with slow as long as the healing continues to be steady. That's our prayer. Healing for her incision and patience for the journey.

2 comments:

Jacquelyn said...

Have you noticed that mural/wall thing by the elevators in the lobby? I remember looking at that a LOT when my grandma was in the heart hospital once. Made me feel better.

Maria Rose said...

I am so glad that you had a quiet day! You all need a quiet day!