Seth’s fourth day in the hospital consisted of status quo with more fatigue than normal and a couple more mentions of “throbbing” pain than the past two days. But all in all, things are well here. We did receive at least one notable update from the doctor this afternoon, but I’ll wait to share that until tomorrow as we progress through Seth’s second surgery and removal of the gold radioactive plaque that’s been in his eye for five days.
Between now and tomorrow’s surgery, I thought I’d offer a few light-hearted random thoughts from the hospital. Because after the deep post from yesterday and a long week at the hospital, a lighter tone goes a long way.
Here goes nothing…
Random Thought #1
“When bad things happen, there’s always someone who asks “why me?” It’s easy for people to compare their lives to mine and feel really sad. But this is it. I accept it. It is what it is.” – Seth as he was eating breakfast in the hospital bed
Random Thought #2
FaceTime is awesome. We’ve used it every day this week to communicate with my mom and the kids. Surprisingly, it’s been a great way to expose the kids to Seth’s eye, the patch and shield before we come home. It’s helped maintain a bit of “normalcy” for our family during the hospitalization.
Random Thought #3
Hospital cafeteria food is actually quite good. Seth’s parents and I have eaten most of our meals here at the hospital. Today’s lunch was the best so far. Turkey. Yukon gold mashed potatoes. Gravy. Cooked carrots and snap peas. Yum.
Random Thought #4
When you’re in the hospital for a whole week, visitors are a great change of pace. Our flower girl came to visit again today, as did Seth’s dad’s cousin and wife who live locally. All three individuals were sweet and added joy to the end of our day. Fresh perspective is welcomed and necessary.
Random Thought #5 (yes, I know this is contrary to random thought #3)
Jimmy John’s is awesome. I told Seth I was going to order Jimmy John’s for dinner tonight for a change of pace. Let me tell you that the Jimmy John’s dude arrived at the hospital entrance on his BIKE. The temperatures out there today are SUB-zero! I was beyond impressed. And of course, the service was speedy and the food was delicious. HUGE fan of Jimmy John’s.
Random Thought #6
Facebook, Facebook messages, Twitter, emails, texts, blogs and blog comments are an awesome way to communicate with a caregiver (like me) who’s highly visual and prefers written communication. Thank you to everyone for your great support.
Random Thought #7
Facebook, Facebook messages, texts, blogs and blog comments are an awesome way to encourage a patient whose love language is words of affirmation. Seth has really enjoyed hearing us read the messages everyone has been leaving on Facebook and the blog. Thank you!
Random Thought #8
When you’re at the hospital long enough, you become somewhat accustomed to the scene. Wheelchairs, IVs, bandages, beeping machines, scrubs, head scarves, leg braces and the like become the norm. Sure, the sights catch you off guard once in a while, but all in all, you acclimate. I wonder what it would be like if ALL of our burdens and bruises were exposed so visibly to the world. Wouldn’t we be a lot more sensitive to fellow humans beings?
Random Thought #9
Being at the hospital for great lengths of time can occasionally make you delirious. After returning from the hospital tonight, we all got a little delirious on the elevator. We got in and all three of us forgot to press the number to go up. My father-in-law made sure to let the lady in the elevator know we weren’t intoxicated, we were just delirious, overly tired from a week at the hospital. And let me add, thank goodness for comedically inclined people like my father-in-law. Because some of us are so NOT comedically inclined.
Random Thought #10
If you want to do good for someone in the hospital, keep it sweet, but simple. Relatives took Seth’s parents out for dinner tonight. And they came back with some awesome coconut cake to-go for me. Oh my goodness. SCORE.
