Slow and steady recovery

I have been home just over two weeks today. The transition to being at home after 25 days in the hospital (which included two surgeries) took a little bit - but gets easier each day.

I came home with some new accessories - Hoover the wound vac and an oxygen concentrator with 50 ft. of tubing. I also have a portable oxygen concentrator and a large oxygen tank if we were to lose power. All of these things make noise - constantly. The wound vac makes a lot of noise - but nothing consistent. It often makes noise that sounds like someone "farting" - and my son laughs every time. The oxygen concentrator is in our upstairs hallway and makes a medium-loud constant humming. The portable oxygen concentrator (that I use for outings) is also quite loud. One of my vocal cords has been paralyzed for a few years now - and I am not able to increase my vocal volume. Adjusting to all this noise has taken a bit of time and patience - even more so with my limited vocal volume.

I also have a home health nurse for dressing changes for the wound vac and a home health physical therapist. My nurse has been coming 3 times a week and my PT comes 2 times a week.

I left the house for the first time this past week. On Monday we ended up in the local ER overnight due to me having a UTI. This was our first trip out of the house, and it went alright. I also had two follow up appointments this week. My follow up with the vascular surgery team was at the main hospital downtown. We took Maverick, my power wheelchair, and were able to hang Hoover the wound vac on the back and I placed my oxygen in between my feet. The vascular surgery team checked the wound in my groin and found it to be mostly "superficial". They suggested a different dressing for the wound vac that needs changed less frequently. The skin around my wound is very irritated from every other day dressing change. I will hopefully only have the wound vac a few more weeks. They scheduled a CT in 3 weeks and booked an appointment for me to see the vascular surgeon in 4 weeks. My third time out of the house was to go to my general practitioner. This appointment also went well. Each time we leave the house it gets a little easier.

It feels so good to be home. I am grateful for every moment I get to spend with my hubby and my son. We have been enjoying watching the World Cup together. I still need a significant amount of assistance, and both my hubby and son take such good care of me.

I have had visitors - and am looking forward to seeing more friends as my schedule allows. It is amazing how "busy" I can be with home health and medical appointments. I have started building a Lego set and done some watercolor painting. I walk outside with my Physical Therapist and sit on our porch swing.

I am grateful to be here. I am grateful for the continued prayers for me and my family. I am grateful for all the mundane moments I get to experience. I am grateful for friends and family.