Saturday, April 21, 2012

Midnight Ironing

When they discharged me from the hospital, the nurse said NO LAUNDRY. But she doesn't know me...

Last night, I had a really hard time sleeping. I was fully medicated, and yet there was just enough pain to keep me from doing anything except dozing off fitfully.

So around 12:30, I got up and took one more painkiller (as prescribed). While waiting for it to kick in, I watched Doc Martin and ironed a lot of shirts of Lou's that I have been holding hostage here in my office. Very satisfying.

At 2:00, I finallly felt pain-free and sleepy, so I went to bed. I got in an excellent 6.5 hours of sleep. And then I woke up feeling surprisingly cheerful. 

(Yesterday evening, on the couch, Lou and I had a bit of a tearful summary of the week behind and the week ahead. You can't hear things like "paralysis" and "incontinence" from various doctors without getting bummed and fearful. But it was a good thing to let it all out, and I think we both felt better afterward.)

Anyway, I really must have a mutant cheerfulness gene, because this morning I woke up with a smile. I am not putting any pressure on myself to keep it in place, though. My mood is what it is.

Our plans for today are pretty awesome. Every day, I seem to have a window of like 5 hours where I am functional. So, we are headed to DPAC to see Bring It On with two friends from the neighborhood. Don't worry, I am not driving. Cannot drive on painkillers.

Not being able to drive on painkillers is making me a bit worried about work. I suppose that I will be able to work a half days from home, so there would be no commuting. Do you think it would be bad to try to work on painkillers because I might mess things up? But I do not feel loopy. I am sure that I am lucid. The "no driving" restriction is a liability issue. What if I get into a fender bender and it is revealed that I am on painkillers? That would be bad, even if the painkillers did not cause the fender bender. Plus, honestly, when I run out of energy, there is no way for me to drive home.

I guess it is silly to worry about work until Monday, when we decide what is going to happen (traditional surgery or CyberKnife surgery).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

driving medicated is probably not good but you are probably better than a lot of MA drivers...Love, Mrs. S. xxoo

Georgia said...

Thinking of you as you prepare for what happens next. You convey your life spirit. Take care with the driving; it is one less thing to have to worry about! There is a lot on your plate, and you are doing just great in spite of all that is unknown. Your resilience is incredible, Georgia

Eileen Molloy said...

You are an inspiration to me, you don't need to drive, you have a lot of people that will drive you anywhere, including me, Stay strong, a lot of prayers coming your way!