How I Spent my Summer (it was no vacation)

I thought I had posted in June, but I guess not. I can't tell you what I did until June 24. On that day, I walked out my back door on my way to a fiberarts meeting, something threw me off-balance, and I wound up lying on the concrete carport. As one of my friends said, "the concrete always wins." I called my daughter, who came over and took me to the emergency room. X-rays showed 5 broken ribs and 2 pelvic fractures. I was admitted to the hospital for a few days, then transferred to Mills Manor nursing home for recuperation and physical therapy.

Then on July 9, I had some problems with my belly. I hadn't been eating much, but my belly was distended and off-color, and I started vomiting some strange looking, orange stuff. So they sent me back to the hospital. The next day I had surgery for a perforated colon. They tell me that I had a mild heart attack in surgery and that they almost gave me up for lost. I completely lost 4 or 5 days; my primary care doctor tells me I don't need to remember those days. After I came around, the doctors were calling me a miracle. My daughter sent out prayer requests to family, churches, and knitting groups. I'm told they even did a laying on of hands.

I spent the rest of July in Jackson Purchase Medical Center and then was transferred back to Mills Manor. I was in bed so long that I had to learn to walk again. I now look at babies and toddlers a bit differently, because I know how much strength and endurance it takes to hold oneself upright and to walk. After much recuperation and therapy, I came home on October 17.

During all this time, my daughter, Carmen, has been a fabulous advocate for me. She moved back into my house and rearranged furniture so I can get around the house more easily.

My son, Dominic, is here also, and has become an attentive nurse, changing dressings, etc. The dressing on the surgical incision will be discontinued soon, I believe, but the one on a bedsore on my butt will take longer. We go back to Wound Care at the hospital in Tuesday to see what the surgeon says about them.

I have a wheelchair and walkers. Mercy Home Health sends out nurses and therapists several times a week.

When we have to go to doctors are the only times I go out. Getting into the car is easy, but getting out is not. After the appointments, we go to a drive-thru for lunch, which we then sit in the parking lot to eat. Then we do other errands, with me sitting in the car while Dominic goes into the stores. I did go into Walmart the first time, so I could show Dom where things are, and what foods I wanted. Now I can just make a list for him.