Home...and a happy cat

This is Jezebel.  She is happy now (not this picture! ;) because mommy is home. :)

Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the hospital this morning, one of the docs from the transplant team (that's the unit she's been in) was in talking to mom about heading home today...really?  Today?  Already?

Considering the shape mom seemed to be in today, I was pretty surprised.  She had not slept well at all last night, so first, she was very tired.  Then, she had a coughing spell that pushed the pain to max on the incision.  That cut is no small slice...from about the solar plexus to below the panty line...it's at least 8"...so there's a lot that can hurt.  So a good chunk of the morning was sleeping off and on.  I kind of think of it like other injuries or stupidly intense workouts...it's always the second day after that is more painful than the first and then gets better from there.  I hope I'm right about this too!

All the doctors visiting throughout the day kept talking about sending her home today...she's eating solid foods, her BP has normalized, her O2 was acceptable...everything was looking good.  All she needed to do were the personal ablutions sans catheter...so walking trips to the bathroom to take care of those!

Getting up and down out of bed wasn't easy and certainly not pain free.  And once all the fluids they were pushing and she was drinking to make sure she was hydrated started working their way through and with a medical assist for the other end...we had several visits there throughout the afternoon... check those going home boxes!

I was a bit nervous on her pain levels and helping her at home by myself, but we still had a couple to three hours before she'd actually be cut loose, so there could still be improvement...and there was.  So, after a final visit from Dr. DeVera and the discharge papers were done, away we went!

First, I want to say that the crew in the Loma Linda Medical Center Transplant Unit, particularly nurses Amanda and Kathleen, supervisor nurse Kay and nurse assistants Amy and Heather were great.  Amanda was a ray of sunshine to all her patients (I could hear other rooms, and mom had a roommate...who could use a few thoughts and prayers herself, a young woman who had just been placed one the liver transplant list today...and had 8 teeth pulled there at her bed, a first I've ever seen/heard of at hospital bedside! Don't know how those two issues are connected, but the poor thing's face was twice as wide!), Kathleen was a funny yet hyper attentive by-the-book young Filipina who liked to sing (not well ;) and the TV show The Chew.  Amy is a farm girl who grew up in the nearby valley and is in culinary school and Heather is a...well...hmmm...helpful and happy, bouncy sort...who *looks* like a Heather...tall & skinny, blond hair and intense light blue eyes! LOL!!  The crew was generally very good...there were times of craziness that all nurses face, but generally, great service...including the attending doc, who's name I don't remember...but he's Jewish and liked my pendant. ;)

However, the only question I had...which I found quite surprising...is why did I get to drive mom's wheelchair out of the room and out the door of the hospital by myself?  I have never been anywhere that the hospital didn't require staff to accompany the patient out the door.  I had to park mom in the foyer while I went and got my truck, then I had to get her into my truck on my own.  It was fine, we had no problems doing so...but that was just really weird to me.  Thought it was a liability issue for the hospital requiring them to be responsible for the discharge all the way out the door.  ANYway... it all worked out just fine...the only bummer is that I drive a kind of bouncy Toyota Tacoma truck with broken AC...not exactly as comfortable as a smooth riding Caddie would have been. ;)

I packed her in with pillows and blankets to avoid rolling back and forth and the pillow on the tummy to hold tight on bumps, etc.  I drove as slowly as is feasible on a SoCal freeway and tried to avoid as many bumps and potholes as possible!  She did pretty well all the way...sort of napping in and out and powering through the road bumps.  The trick with coming home today unplanned is that I had no opportunity to prep the house at all.  But hey, we'll manage...let's just get there!

So...now, she's home and resting.  Already made a couple of trips to the bathroom on her own...so things are looking good!  She has no restrictions except swimming...showers are fine, but don't soak yet...not until the staples are out next Wednesday, and she'll have an awesome "Frankenstein" scar with this one!

Hopefully, with some decent sleep tonight and in the morning, she may be more amenable to visits or calls.  If there is anyone interested in visiting, please check with us first with a comment or message, or if you already have our contact numbers, give us a call or text to try and arrange a good time.

Thank you everyone for all the messages and thoughts and prayers and virtual hugs.  Today was the next big step on the New Way for Nan...stay tuned!