Emancipation

So the day has finally arrived. Immediately after breakfast, Natalie (the same nurse I had last Friday) pulls the swan cath out. She can do this right in the room. First comes the most painful part of this entire procedure - removing tape that's been affixed to the most tender part of my neck for an entire week, along with the tape that was placed on top of that to keep it in place. Because of the awkward angle of the cath, it's really hard to keep it from leaning away from my neck, so it's a daily battle to keep it affixed - when it pulls away, it likewise pulls on the little stitch that affixes it to my neck.

So lots of tape. I prefer Natalie above all for this because she does it as gently as possible without being a wimp about it. Once the tape is off, I take a deep breath and hold it. Out comes the swan with one swift pull. I don't feel a thing.

So the yellow cord in her right hand down to where the plastic wrapping starts is
the part that stays inside the jugular down to the heart. You can see all the other tubing
that feeds into it for meds, diuretics, testing, etc.

Next, she cuts the stitch, which again, is painless. Then she pulls the sheath that the cath lab used to guide the initial placement. It's not much bigger than the cath itself but much shorter. Pressure on the insertion point for about 2-3 minutes, then an occlusion bandage to keep the nasties out until it scabs over.

Once the cath is out I have a few hours before discharge, so they leave me hooked up
to my portable heart monitor - you can see one of the leads at the bottom right.

So all that's left as I head home is the bandage and a lot of tape goo that won't come off for a few days. Our dog, Blitz, is really interested in the bandage. It smells funny because even though the area is scrubbed clean before I leave, the drainage over a week's time is funky.

I generally roll over onto my right side for the first time all week and catch a bit more sleep. Natalie disassembles all of Dr. DooDaa's decorations. It's a lot of stuff and has become a rat's nest over the week. We blame the float nurses and all of it has to go into the Bio waste bin.

Sometimes technology comes down to simple plumbing.

Dr. Doodaa looks naked and alone. I kind of feel bad for him, but alas,
he will go on to serve other patients until I see him again. Farewell for now, my top heavy friend.

I sleep a bit, get up, get dressed, and pack everything up while I wait for discharge. It's always tricky trying to figure out what time this will happen. Christie usually spends a while sitting around with me while we wait.

My IMC survival kit: Cooler with fruit juice and meals, talcum powder (because the meds make me sweat like Al Capone at an IRS audit), Kindle (for reading, but also texting, blogging, etc.), Transformer pajama pants - easy access for the urinal and super comfortable. Earplugs - an absolute must if you're going to sleep through the night. I have a private room with a sliding glass door so it's fairly quite anyway. Also, the nurses are really good about whispering at night and trying to minimize noise. With these babies in place, I don't even wake up when they come in to draw blood through the cath and change drip bags. Not pictured: My laptop - Steam, Blogger, Facebook, and Music Creator which I've spent most of the week on, mixing some songs I've been working on.

I also think I pulled a fast one on the cafeteria yesterday - just for kicks I ordered cheese pizza for lunch, which is absolutely not on the low-sodium diet, but probably more low-sodium than most of the stuff that is. They actually delivered!

Of all the pizza slices I've eaten, this was certainly one of them. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't freezer-pizza bad either. I'm going to call it a victory and shoot for a cheeseburger next time.

A lot of ups and downs this week, but I hope this gives everyone a glimpse into what goes on while I'm here and takes some of the mystery out of it. I may not post as much while I'm home. I want to get the boy's homeschool blog going again and prepare for spring. Things to do at the house, writing and music to finish, new dishes to learn, book clubs, D&D clubs, game clubs, time with friends, new restaurants, good wine, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, and Master Chef. So much to look forward to and time is precious.

Update on Christie: She goes in for gallbladder removal at 9:45 Monday morning. This *should* be a 1-2 hour surgery with an overnight admission. A pathologist will be present during the surgery to assess the situation. If he has any concerns, they will do a wedge biopsy which requires 3-4 hours, as well as a liver re-section, and a 3-4 day admission for recovery. Christie is trying to juggle her work schedule around this and hopes she won't miss much work. It's been a tough 8 months, between a violent poison ivy reaction, a concussion, and now this. She's understandably frustrated, but we'll figure it out like we always do. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers.