Harborview is a hurry up and wait kind of place. So, like the day before when I was whisked off to surgery, moments after my big biceped doctor left, I was surrounded by a bunch of hospital employees and being whisked off to my new room. I was excited but the last time I got whisked off to a new room, I ended up in boarding. It was kind of like deboarding an airplane, gather up all your stuff and exit. They piled on all my stuff onto the bed, which had become a lot of stuff as people had started coming to see me.
It was kind of funny how it all happened. The people moving me knew I was moving but had no idea where they were taking me. Hurry move her! Where are we going?
I ended moving up to the 7th floor, east wing. It was all quiet on the floor and I was pretty sure it was going to be awesome. It was 645 am I was greeted by Michael. Michael was going to be my nurse for the next 15 minutes (shift changes are at 7 am and 7 pm). I liked Michael and was immediately sad that I would only have him for 15 minutes. It was almost like he was my kindred spirit as he started with the whiteboard and talked to me like I was 5. Your name is Brianna and my name is Michael. Today is Saturday, March 30. You have 4 goals for today:
1. Get off IV pain Meds
2. Get up with PT
3. Use bathroom
4. Get rid of foley (catheter)
My perspective on these goals:
1. WHAT!?!? I like on demand drugs via IV
2. WHAT!?!? I just broke my pelvis and had surgery less than 24 hours ago!
3. No way.
4. Not necessary because I am not doing 2 or 3 so I need this. Plus never having to go to the bathroom is kind of blissful.
Reality: I am goal oriented. Have a box that needs checked? I'm your gal. Damn my determination.
Michael also told me my new neighbor Evelyn was a very nice woman and even though she was snoring and talking in her sleep, she was very sweet. He gave me the call button and the light switch and was out. I sat there in total silence (periodically interrupted by Evelyn's mumblings). This felt like the first time I had quiet in several days and I just sat there staring.
What felt like 30 seconds later, but was in fact 45 minutes later, a lovely gal named Phaedra popped in, erased Michael's name from my white board and wrote in hers. She explained she didn't normally work on the floor so to be patient with her. She looked at my goals, winked, and said we've got this. She said she read my file and her personal goal was to get me bathed. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Shortly after, she came back and told me to take in my last few hits off my IV. (Bless her) and I was disconnected from my machine. One thing I didn't mention about IVs is that they have a sensor in them so if it gets blocked or cut off, an alarm goes off. My first two IVs were out in my right arm, with GIANT needles (16 and 18 gauge), my second was in my left hand. When I was down in Resus 4, I kept setting my alarm off because I would bend my arm to respond to text messages and posting on Facebook. My super happy nurse Sharon had to continually come in and turn off the alarm. She would shake her head at me, so I started throwing my phone in my purse when she would come in . . . I didn't want to make her mad.i knew I was one of the easy ones and didn't want to change that. Back up to the 7th floor, and getting disconnected . . . . I didn't get rid of the IV in my hand, I got rid of the drug machine.
Shortly after 10 am, the physical therapist came in and walked me through what we were going to do. I said I was nervous about every part of this and wasn't looking forward to it. She said, I want you to try to stand, and we'll worry about the next part when we get to it. I had been sitting and laying in essentially the same position for 2 days. I had to somehow turn and get my feet to the floor. The physical therapist helped me inch along and the next thing I knew, I was standing. She had put a very springy belt on me to hold on to, and for the first time, I held on to my new walker. I opted for a walker over crutches for stability. The thought of crutches was scary. Walker. Check. No tennis balls, those are for old people.
Next she wanted me to take a step using my good leg. My bad one was non weight bearing, which was just fine with me. I got to the end of the bed, and was exhausted. She told me I could turn around and come back, and I did. I went a grand total of about 3 feet. 6 feet round trip, that is. Scary. Get me back in bed. She said she would be back later to get me up again.
I had a ton of visitors that day. Word spread fast that I had moved to a room. Flowers started arriving and people with gift just kept coming. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. In a good way. I never took a picture of all the amazing things people brought me, but it was beautiful. The food was delivered for lunch and I was actually kind of impressed. I was given a menu to select all of my meals for the next day too,
Evelyn (roommate) had a hilarious nurse who kept encouraging her to socialize and open up her curtain and her window shade. She eventually came around and met me. I told her some of my story and she told me some of hers. She had a botched hernia surgery in Yakima in November. Not sure exactly what happened, but she had been in and out of Harborview since then. Her family lives in Yakima and she was getting excited to be transferred home, but nervous because every other time she went home, something else went wrong. I am still not 100% sure what was wrong but I know she had a contraption on the outside of her stomach that put stuff into a container on the floor (which funny nurse eventually spilled all over). Bleh, enough info for me. I introduced Evelyn to all of my visitors and it really seemed to help her. She was just adorable.
At about 1 pm, I had a second physical therapist come in. This time I was going to the bathroom because my good friend Phaedra had taken my catheter from me. I didn't have a choice because I was guessing based upon all the fluids I had been on, I was peeling a lot. Now, I had to get there to go. No options here. Plus I had a goal, and peeing in a bedside commode was not one of them. Back on with the fancy belt and I was off. I had a cheering squad who also took pictures of the first moments of me standing and walking, for real. Earlier was just practice.
I'm not going to lie, it hurt. Walking is normally a shift in your pelvis as you switch legs. So as I would set my left leg down, I could feel that shift in my pelvis. It is hard to explain, but I kind of felt like I was wearing a brick fanny belt. But, I made it all the way to the bathroom! They put in a toilet seat that was raised so I didn't have to sit as far down, and had a cut out for my leg in the brace. It meant I wasn't trying to sit with my leg straight out. Mission complete, well half of it, cause I had to get back. Again, I had an audience and a goal, so I made it right back. Sat back down and I was spent (until the next time I had to pee!)
So back to my goals:
1. Done
2. Done
3. Done
4. Done
All boxes checked. Okay Saturday, I conquered you.
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