The days after I was moved to the regular room were spent managing the pain and learning how to adjust to the changes. Things like coughing, raising up, and getting out of bed were real challenges. The nurses had suggested Mom and Dad get me something soft to "hug against my chest" while doing these painful things. They found this stuffed pup in the gift shop! It is absolutely adorable and worked perfectly. It became my best friend when we were rushing through the airport! :)
I also learned that dilaudid was not my friend! They had put me on a pain pump when I was in ICU. I quickly made the connection that my out of control itching was directly connected to pushing the button! I simply stopped pushing and waiting for them to bring the doses of pain meds. It was pretty funny the first night in the new room the nurses came in to help me get out of bed. Before I could stop her, she pushed the button to be helpful. Within minutes I was scratching madly. By morning they had the dilaudid pain pump unhooked!
By Friday, I was walking the halls regularly and getting better at all the things I'd been working on with OT and PT. The swelling in my arms was nearly gone. The bruises were even healing quickly. In fact, we began to notice that scars and bruises I'd had for months were suddenly healing! Dr. Campbell said it was because my body was finally getting oxygenated blood! How crazy is that? My body had been doing without for so long and now everything is healing all at once! This is a picture of my arms from the end of the week. We were simply amazed at how much they had healed in such a short time. Before the heart surgery, my entire arm would have stayed bruised for months!
