I was really looking forward to PT on Wednesday as I had not been out of the hospital bed since preop the day before and I was anxious to see if my mobility decreased, increased or remained the same. They brought me a walker and I then walked out of the room and into the hallway. I felt so good I thought I could use the restroom but while I was in there I started to feel light headed and queasy and they quickly moved me back to the bed. The queasiness was a side effect of the pain medication and I felt it come and go throughout my stay. Despite the queasiness I was ready to move to a new room, but just before I was moved a giant unicorn balloon was delivered from my oldest and dearest. It delighted and surprised all of the staff and as they moved me to the new room, the nurses argued over who got to move the unicorn balloon. We barely fit in an elevator but we giddily made our way. To my happy surprise I was moved into a room with a view (and one of the rooms I had seen on TikTok). Part of the hospital is built over FDR Drive, and my room was above it so I could see the cars driving underneath, the East River, Roosevelt Island and Astoria. The traffic never stops on FDR Drive. My roommate was being checked out, and I had another roommate come in that evening, but I had a few hours to myself and took advantage of the time to Facetime home. My doctors came by to check on me including the doctor who ordered the echocardiogram before the surgery so I was able to confirm it came out clear and nothing was wrong.
The last time I was in the hospital was when I had M and B was able to stay with me the entire time. That was not the case this time; I had roommates and visiting hours were from 8 am - 8 pm so B had to stay in a hotel, the last night even switching hotels as the hospital hotel was full. Which ended up being ok despite the small fortune we spent. When B wasn't at the hospital he was walking all over the UES and partaking from the food trucks along the way. He even got to see Manhattanhenge one evening! And while I thought I would be jealous of his outings, I looked forward to hearing about them and seeing his pictures.
The nights were the hardest part of being in the hospital, everything slows down dramatically after dinner and it's difficult to sleep but you feel obligated to be quiet and still so you don't disrupt your roommate. I wish I had remembered earbuds as I could have watched Netflix on my phone, but once it turned 5 I felt like it was an acceptable time to turn the TV on. The last night I was there someone in another room fell and screamed for help, I was half asleep when it happened and hearing someone scream my first instinct was to go help, but I couldn't. I felt awful for the person, and it was a lesson to me to be smart about my recovery and slow.
Thursday brought a whisper that I may be discharged that day and also my favorite nurse of the stay. My doctor said I was ready to be discharged but we were waiting on getting a wheelchair for the train. The ok to be discharged did not come until after lunch but without a wheelchair so we knew we would be getting into the DC area late at night without Red Cap assistance available. B and I were both nervous about that so we opted to stay another night in hopes we would get a wheelchair before discharge or be discharged early enough to make it home safely without a wheelchair. Thankfully the wheelchair arrived Friday morning and B was quick to put it together then zip me around the halls. It made travelling home so much easier as I didn't have to worry about falling if I got queasy or light headed and it helped hold all of our belongings.
Leaving the hospital was a baptism by fire...my favorite nurse walked us down to catch a taxi and it seemed like everyone was leaving the hospital at the same time and for the first time I was to get in a taxi while in a wheelchair. Riding in a NYC taxi can be wild, loud and unpredictable, and I was terrified of the thought of rolling and halting all over the back of a taxi with my neck jostling around. Thankfully this did not happen, our driver was professional, thoughtful, and drove slowly and gently. After that experience I knew going out at home would be just fine. Red Cap was great getting us on the train and we were able to get Red Cap on the other side too. As we were getting in the car and trying to figure out how to collapse a wheelchair it started to storm, but we didn't care as we were an hour away from M and our home.
Home sweet home, we made it home around 7 or 8, M and my parents were watching TV and it was a happy reunion. B helped me change into a nightgown, get situated and I had a shower to look forward to the next day. Everything felt wonderful, the quiet, the air, the comfort of my home and being with the people I love the most...should you ever find yourself at the hospital, half awake, not feeling well, and bored in the middle of the night, just know one day you will go home and it will all be well worth it.
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