Home from hospital and WOYWW 403

I was let out from hospital last Thursday evening after spending most of the day waiting around as one always has to do, for drugs to come up from the pharmacy, and for my PICC line to be removed.

As soon as we got home my hubby put me to bed, and since then I have been slowly recovering. As the doctor predicted, my walking has improved quite well since my return home. I am still using the walking frame but at least I am walking now, and not shuffling. I am still experiencing pain in my abdomen when walking but I’m still on pain meds and hope that this will improve with time. My appetite remains small and I have lost 12 lb since being admitted. I can’t believe that my operation was three weeks ago today!

I have been a bit concerned about the state of my wound since my return home so on Monday the district nurse came up to see me, and she reassured me that there were no signs of infection. She has put fresh dressings on it, this time containing iodine which should help the wound to dry up a bit. There are two small holes that I was worried about, which are weeping a bit still, and a swelling at the bottom end which she says is filled with fluid which will either come out, or be reabsorbed. She said that it was bound to take longer to heal after everything I’ve been through, and in view of the fact that I had such a lot of chemo.

I had not been prepared for the poor state of my veins post-chemo, because I thought that having the port would obviate this problem, at least locally – a friend who had her chemo administered through a vein in her arm told me that 10 years on, they are still unable to take blood from that arm – but obviously the chemo had a systemic effect, and none of the nurses were surprised at this. Having the PICC line solved the problem, although of course it did necessitate having a specially trained nurse or junior doctor to hook me up to take blood or administer drugs because it required the setting up of a sterile field.

I continue to be very tired. My hubby brings me breakfast in bed and I get up after this. With the new dressing on the wound I am unable to shower but manage to have a good wash in my adapted bathroom. He is doing our meals, and until the end of this week he has cancelled most of his engagements so that he can be here to look after me. I still need some help with dressing as it is hard to bend down and I’m still pretty shaky. I am gradually gaining in independence but it’s going to be a long slow recovery. I still find it rather difficult to concentrate on anything for any length of time but have started reading again in short bursts. Other “activities” include listening to audio books and watching TV! Nothing too taxing for now!

When I got home, Beatrice was pleased to see me, but Phoebe was very nervous of me and ran away! However, both kitties are now happy to have me back and we’ve had lots of cuddles.

It is very, very good to be home.