Good and Bad Times

Rowdy had a very hard day yesterday, but is in much better spirits today.  He had his nasogastric tube and his urinary catheter removed, so he's more mobile.  The wound care nurse came by and showed us how to change his ileostomy appliance.  I saw his midline wound.  Not pretty right now.

I went on a little run this morning and didn't eat right after or rehydrate, since I wanted to get showered and dressed quickly and up to the hospital.  So I was not really at my best when I ran into the surgery PA and talked to him about the plan for the reanastomosis.  He told me that it would be "a long time", as in 6 to 10 MONTHS before they would think about going in and reattaching things.  So I was completely a wreck when I went into Rowdy's room and just never got it under control.  A nap, a healthy dinner and a couple of large glasses of water have helped out.  It has also helped that the surgeon meanwhile stopped by to see Rowdy and said that he thinks that everything will be back to normal by Christmas.  That, I can handle.

My friend and ex-SIL, Ginger, reminded me of the days when she was pregnant and so sick that she couldn't keep anything down for months.  So she was on IV feeds from home.  She said in a later FB post that, having remembered that time, she felt so grateful all day long to even just drink a glass of water. 

So today, I'm grateful for the chance to eat and drink, for the nutrition that comes from our foods and the opportunity to be able to taste good things.  I'm grateful for my parents and Rowdy's parents who have come to nurture us during this time and for all of the friends and family who have sent their good wishes and prayers.  I'm grateful to be able to run, and I will be so grateful to be able to get back on my bike tomorrow morning for a good ride.

And I'm grateful for my sweet husband and his ability to be mentally tough.