Hospital tales
Mood:  smelly
Friday, Feb. 11

My first taste of freedom

Sasaki-sensei has graciously granted me the UNIQUE privilege of walking to my apartment for a short period of time. After an all time low with very little sleep last night (i may have over did my first physical therapy exercises yesterday) ) i am elated with the idea to just take a 10 minute walk to my home sweet home. Doug shows up to be the required escort. He wheels my laptop along for me on his trusty bike. There's just enough time to throw my towels and underwear in the washer. Kayleigh, Doug's grown-up 10-year-old daughter, helps me get undressed for a much appreciated first shower. Ahhhh (there are only two days a week at the hospital when women can use the showers - at least that's what i understand so far). Being on the fourth floor with 4 old ladies as room companions - you can imagine that the room is too hot for me and i am sweating most of the time - pee yew!


Tuesday, Feb. 8th
For some reason i thought surgery was at 4pm this day. I was wondering how to remain calm all day long in this hospital bed. I did a half hour meditation, repeating my mantram constantly, listening to my favorite Bach CD, reading some fantasy novel when the doctor (Sasaki-sensei) came in and told me that i would be prepped at 11:30 and surgery at 1pm. Yikes, again, not much time to worry much. Fujioka-sensei, my boss and angel from yesterday was going to be with me before and after but now i worried that she wouldn't get here till after it was over. My cell phone has been invaluable. A quick call and she was here in plenty of time. Of course all i remember is being wheeled into the operating room, a cute guy showing me a mask and saying "oxygen" and then a "sayonara" drifted in and zap - the void! I remember bits and pieces of waking up. I remember asking Fujioka over and over for something and being very confused when she kept handing me my chopsticks over and over again. Finally she asked me to explain what i wanted. I pantomimed putting lipstick on. I had been asking for CHAPSTICK! Hah.

One of my nurses said i cried and was very scared. Connie says i let fly with a few choice swear words. I remember begging for water or ice, which, of course, they couldn't give me. Friends drifted in and out of my consciousness, weird.


On Monday morning, 9 am, my boss, translator, and personal angel (Fujioka-sensei)
("sensei" is used to refer to teachers, doctors, and respected professionals)
picked me up and drove me back to the hospital. We looked at some pretty gruesome looking CT x-rays and i realized surgery was a MUST. A big bone chip was lodged in my shoulder socket and i would never again be able to lift my left arm again - not to mention the on-going pain - if it wasn't repaired.

Many tests, papers to fill out, more x-rays and a trip to my apartment and i dropped, exhausted, into my first ever hospital bed at 4 pm. Not much time to think about backing out although i had a few instances of a strong urge to bolt thru the doors. Connie, another one of my many angels, brought the supplies from home that i had forgotten and totally babied me.