Sitting down has become a 3 point turn!
After surgery, they didn't let me get out bed for 5 days! Fortunately, the bed could be adjusted into a sitting or flat position. The only problem was i couldn't adjust it myself, so everytime i wanted to move i had to ask someone to turn the crank at the end of the bed for me!
I also had kind of a "DIY" painkiller. It automatically released some medicine every hour, and any time I felt pain I could press a button to release more into my IV. Actually I didn't use it that much because, amazingly I didn't feel so much pain after the surgery! Actually I had been afraid of this, and I'd asked the doctor beforehand - "Will it still hurt this much after surgery" and he said well, maybe. But the pain was reduced dramatically, probably in part thanks to that fun little machine. This added a whole new set of challenges though in the realm of changing clothes. I had to get the sleeve of each shirt over all the needles and wires, and finally over the saline and painkiller bags! Fortunately I had lots of help.
You certainly don't want to hear all the gory details of my bedpan experiences, but let's say they were a source of frustation and a place where the communication gap (most of my nurses didn't speak English except for the GUY who naturally I didn't really want helping me with this particular area) was most sorely felt. Anyways, that's all I'll say about that... man we really take things for granted.
I had a LOT of wonderful visitors and made some new friends. Some of my friends from Yuli made the trip up to see me, and one friend was in town from Taipei and brought her mom and another friend over. My friends the Yos brought over other friends of theirs in Hualian city to check up on me when they went back to Yuli. And my boss called her missionary friend in Hualian to come make my acquaintaince and later bring me homemade brownies!! I was also lucky to see my good friends who live in Hualian more frequently that usual, including A-Hsiang and Ariel and Richard who even lent me their laptop!! So while I was in the hospital (no tv in my room, only across the hall) I watched Monster House, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Cars. Even though most of them won't read this, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who gave time, money, came to see me, stayed the night, brought me food, and did a hundred little things for me while I was lying in bed!
I also had kind of a "DIY" painkiller. It automatically released some medicine every hour, and any time I felt pain I could press a button to release more into my IV. Actually I didn't use it that much because, amazingly I didn't feel so much pain after the surgery! Actually I had been afraid of this, and I'd asked the doctor beforehand - "Will it still hurt this much after surgery" and he said well, maybe. But the pain was reduced dramatically, probably in part thanks to that fun little machine. This added a whole new set of challenges though in the realm of changing clothes. I had to get the sleeve of each shirt over all the needles and wires, and finally over the saline and painkiller bags! Fortunately I had lots of help.
You certainly don't want to hear all the gory details of my bedpan experiences, but let's say they were a source of frustation and a place where the communication gap (most of my nurses didn't speak English except for the GUY who naturally I didn't really want helping me with this particular area) was most sorely felt. Anyways, that's all I'll say about that... man we really take things for granted.
I had a LOT of wonderful visitors and made some new friends. Some of my friends from Yuli made the trip up to see me, and one friend was in town from Taipei and brought her mom and another friend over. My friends the Yos brought over other friends of theirs in Hualian city to check up on me when they went back to Yuli. And my boss called her missionary friend in Hualian to come make my acquaintaince and later bring me homemade brownies!! I was also lucky to see my good friends who live in Hualian more frequently that usual, including A-Hsiang and Ariel and Richard who even lent me their laptop!! So while I was in the hospital (no tv in my room, only across the hall) I watched Monster House, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Cars. Even though most of them won't read this, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who gave time, money, came to see me, stayed the night, brought me food, and did a hundred little things for me while I was lying in bed!
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