At Stanford

I'm back at home. I came home on Friday, as you may have read on my Aunt Diane's blog. Thank you Auntie Diane for keeping everyone up to date. I haven't been much up for blogging or even getting out of bed until this morning. I love my bed. It's adjustable (was my grandparents) and we have put those Tempurpedic mattresses on it. It is the only place I have been pain free since the neck surgery until today. I had to lay just right but it was such a relief. The pain meds pretty much just have been taking the edge off. I think a lot of the issue is that the incision on my neck is rubbing on my neck collar. The incision is healing better and I'm spreading my meds out over an extra hour now. Sor far my hip is sore but not bothering me as much as my neck.

Here's a few pictures from the hospital. We took them with Mom's camera because our camera decided it was "sick" too and couldn't take any pictures even with fresh batteries. So, unfortunately I don't have any pictures from when Kathy came to visit. She came everyday and was a bright spot. She's one of those people that with her voice and smile makes the darkest days sunny.

Here's my before surgery picture. Rob snapped this one while I waited within my own tiny draped room surrounded by a million other people (all in their own little draped rooms) all prepped and ready for surgery.

Here's a picture of me that night after surgery. Mom said we needed the characteristic thumbs up picture. I put my thumb up quickly and then pushed my pain button. I was still on morphine.

Had I pushed the button first she might have gotten a different finger. I found out morphine makes me cranky and not so pleasant yet sleepy. I just told the doctors it didn't make me feel right. They switched me to phentynol, which makes me happy and sleepy.

Here's my push button med machine and IV pole, we fondly named him R2D2 from our last stay. He looks more like C3PO but sounds like R2D2 with all his beeps. He was a familiar friend.

While I was getting all settled in. The kids got all scrubbed up and clean at the hotel:

Then, I got the best visit ever on Wednesday!

Here I am getting ready to come home. Steven loves my new neck collar. He says it is like a motorcycle helmet for your neck. What a silly guy. My nurse and Mom said it brings out the color in my eyes. It is much more of a fashion accessory then the last one.