Part Three: The Food of The Gods PLUS Designer Hospital Gowns!

Finally, after four days, I was released from ICU and went to the second floor of the hospital. Apparently, my condition was no longer considered “critical”.  

 I lucked out, roommate wise, and got some big galoot Piney fellow who turned out to be a good guy. He was only in his 30s and had also had open heart, as well as a pacemaker installed. We got along just fine and I was glad for that.  We played cards and compared war stories.  Oh, also, his mother smuggled in some Chinese dumplings for us.   

On my first night upstairs, I finally fell asleep and slept until they woke me up to do blood work and weigh me (which is so cruel when you think about it.  Sick people need to sleep until at least the sun has come up. Why draw blood and weigh us when all we really want to do is sleep?).

Food Of The Gods

Later on that next morning, my appetite came back with a vengeance. Up to this point, I was just having a sip of juice and pushing my meals away. That day I guzzled the cranberry and orange juice, as well as the milk and scoffed down the Cream of Wheat like it was The Food of The Gods!!! For some reason, it tasted so damn good.

By the way, they had me on oxygen and I was convinced I would not be able to breathe without it. Then they took me off it, and I continued breathing.

My first day of PT I used a walker and going from my bed to the hallway felt like I had run ten miles.

The next day I took a shower. My first shower since going into the hospital. They had a chair to sit on and one of those shower heads attached to a long hose. My goodness, it was downright decadent how good that felt. The hot water running down my back and legs, the soap on my face, the steam, I must have remained in the shower a half an hour. 

Drying off and getting dressed was a bit of a problem as my arms and legs were still weak and bending over to put socks and pants on was exhausting. But I managed to do it.  What a great feeling to be clean and in fresh clothing (my husband brought me in sweatpants and T-Shirts so I could ditch the nasty hospital gowns).   Actually, I think there is a lot of money to be made if someone redesigned the basic hospital gown.  Maybe made it a bit longer, and easier to close up...how about some designer colors?  Imagine a runway full of vacant-eyed models hooked up to IV's all showing the fall collection of hospital gowns?