Monday began as a quiet day. We settled in for the evening and with not much on TV we decided to give the new Jay Leno show a try. Halfway through the show this old body decided to pull another fast one on me. I began to hemorrhage and bad!!! I called for Nat and trying to keep as calm as possible, the two of us packed up what we thought was going to be needed and headed down the highway. As it was after 10:00 PM, we knew the Prompt Care wing of the Hotel Dieu Hospital (my hospital of choice) would be closed and thus we drove into the St. Catharines General. The line-up of the walking wounded was horrendous, so I grabbed a waiting Paramedic and with the snap of a finger I was being admitted.
With all things in my medical history, this whole ordeal wasn’t easy and turned out to be long, frustrating and exhausting. I had lost so much blood the ER was considering a blood transfusion. Thankfully the hemorrhaging stopped by 2:00 AM. We knew, however, it would be a long wait before knowing the next step, and a long wait it was. It was concluded that the polyp that is due to be removed on October 2nd had decided to burst and apparently is not all that uncommon. The physician on duty would have to consult with the Doctor at St. Joseph’s in Hamilton that morning in order to be advised of the course of treatment. With neither one of us saying it out loud, we somehow knew that I was going to be admitted. For how long remained the big question.
Naturally neither Nat nor I could settle down and get any sleep, especially Nat. As I lay on the gurney I’d look over at my dear husband and could see the worry and extreme exhaustion in his face. It’s not easy sitting by a bedside, waiting, wondering and worrying and it’s even worse while sitting in what looked to be one of those steel-framed reception room chairs for over ten hours. Wrapped up in a bed sheet to keep his shoulders warm, he fought back sleep as best he could. As the sun finally began to rise and a few more hours passed, we finally heard those words that I’d be here for at least a another day. With that I sent Nat home to get some sleep and to let family members know what was going on.
Come Tuesday afternoon they admitted me to a ward where I could lay on a proper bed and get settled in for that 24 hour watch. I phoned Nat to bring him up-to-date and told him to stay home, that I was going to try and get some sleep myself. With no success of sleep, only thoughts of what was next and what the hell happened, the day was long, drawn out and my emotions were running high. While talking to Nat he said Bonna might drop by that evening and when she did, I was ever so glad to see her. Keeping my mind distracted from the matters at hand was more than welcomed and, as always, Bonna makes me feel better.
Finally as Wednesday morning came around, I knew it would be a waiting game until the Doc came by to (hopefully) release me. My luck of the draw I get a doctor that does her rounds in the afternoon, but at least I was now able to eat a solid meal for lunch, and thus bided my time until 2:00 pm when the good news arrived. By this time it was only a matter of waiting for Nat to show up.
Upon arriving home, still exhausted from this whole ordeal, Nat and I settled in for the night, ordered Chinese food from a new restaurant in Fort Erie, curled up in our respective chairs and prayed for peace and relaxation.
As Thursday arrived and having only my regular appointment with Dr. Broski – another trip back into St. Catharines – we managed to get through the day despite the fact that we were both still trying to recover from the past events. We were both starting to feel as if we were in constant motion, having been on the road back and forth to St. Catharines for three days. I made it a point to hit the hay early to get a good night’s sleep. Friday I was going shopping with Bonnie at Limeridge Mall and I was looking forward to it, despite the fact my body was crying out to stay in bed.
Bonnie and I had a great time, as always. I found a couple items of new clothing, while Bonnie found some great jewellery. After a nice lunch and getting caught up on family news, we wandered around the Mall again for another hour and then headed home. Despite the fact that my body struggled to take another step, I enjoyed the outing. I knew some ‘time off’ from thinking would do me a world of good, and it did. Thanks, Bonnie!! So now Nat and I will try and get back into a somewhat normal routine until October 2nd, when this whole thing of tripping back and forth (only this time) to Hamilton begins again!! Can’t wait until this exhausting nightmare is over!
With all of the past events I’m going to sing the praises of my husband. His patience, his ever-abiding love and attention, his worry and concern were evident at every moment. With my past medical history (the dialysis, the transplant, the ever-constant doctors’ appointments), this man has been through a lot and has steadfastly been there through thick and thin with support and unconditional love. Despite the fact that this past week was a nightmare, this man is definitely my dream come true.
