For those of you not on social media, I'm free. I was released from prison on Friday and have been at home recuperating.
And by recuperating I mean eating and sleeping, two things you cannot accomplish in a hospital. While the services they provide are ridiculously powerful, the areas they fail in are a focus on the restorative importance of sleep and the ability to serve a meal that is palatable.
All night long there is a parade of nurses, doctors, lab technicians followed by a cavalcade of pings, dings, tweets, moans, screams and all sorts of conversations. The lights are on, the bed screams like a jet plane and the mattress has a plastic covering that ensures you sweat all night long.
Being attached to an IV pole, a catheter, a drain tube and a fentanyl portal means your ability to simply get out of bed to move or go to the bathroom is seriously compromised.
All that to say I am absolutely thrilled to be at home in my own bed eating great food and enjoying my family and friends.
My day consists of waking up at 6 am to have a snack and take my antibiotics, grab some breakfast, have a visit with someone, lunch then nap followed by dinner and watching the NHL playoffs. Not overly glamorous but certainly a dream compared to what I was doing the last few weeks.
Oh and I have twenty pounds to gain. T-W-E-N-T-Y P-O-U-N-D-S!!
Also I need to get moving again. 15 days of lying on my back has me sore, tight and of course lethargic. The lack of eating hospital food hasn't helped either.
One day at a time.
My first day out my pal Al from Ottawa flew in to visit. We have known each other for 42 years, since grade six. He has recovered from Leukaemia (if you recall I hosted a stem cell matching event at Village for Al) and has been to hell and back. He came out to chat and has done wonders for my motivation. The first day we sat in my living room and chatted the afternoon away. The second day we walked 5 blocks to the coffee shop and yesterday we walked 5km. He has been a great mentor and he has reminded me of the importance of never giving up and the value of keeping a positive attitude.
I also had a very brief visit with another dear friend Leslie, she's also been dealing with cancer many times over. She was only able to visit for 40 minutes but it was certainly nice to catch up.
It's hard to understand the journey, but having veterans walk you through their challenges and successes has been a powerful boost indeed.
I hope to honour their paths.
And to do so i will work hard to increase my stamina and to gaining some weight.
And I will be looking for walking buddies soon...Walks with Jim coming to a route near you!