releeeeease meeee...

remember that awesome line from independence day?  when the alien plasters the scientist up against the glass wall and speaks through him because he wants out of the lab?  yeah.  amy totally did that to one of the nurses yesterday and it seems to have worked.  she's free of the confines of hospital, the smell of a sterile environment, an open-backed gown, a weird liquid diet, and various tubes.

yesterday around noon one of the surgeon assistants came in the room to talk to amy about how she was feeling.  amy was pretty upbeat, and i think the assistant caught on quick.  after a few minutes of conversation, the assistant determined that amy was fit for discharge.  a few of the nurses gathered the necessary paperwork while amy was given the after care instructions.  by 3PM we were on our way down the hallway, out of the hospital, and into the beautiful milwaukee sun.

we decided to take the scenic route back to the hotel, following lake shore drive right along the coast of lake michigan.  if you've never experienced the wealth of coastal lake michigan homes, it's pretty awe-inspiring.  the homes are giant;  large gates, brick or stone sided, beautifully maintained yards with huge fountains.  i had to ask myself where these people had gotten their wealth.  medical community?  old brewery money?  by now we were roughly halfway home, and the excitement of being out of the hospital and not laying down constantly caught up with amy.  not to mention the lousy road conditions out here.  every road seems to need repair.  at any rate, amy started getting a headache, so, when we returned i helped her lay down for a nap (plus the meds).

after a few hours of rest we decided to have dinner.  while dad and i picked up the food, amy was able to take a shower.  mom helped wash her hair (i'm sure all of the lady readers understand why this is so important, given it had been a few days).  after dinner amy took turns between lying flat, sitting up, and walking around a little bit.  we even took a few photos to document her incision.  i'm not sure if the photo really does it justice, but it is quite an impressive piece of work that dr. heffez pulled off.

probably pretty obvious why the patients that have gone through the procedure call themselves, "zipper heads", eh?

amy ended up laying down for the night around 9PM.  throughout the night i would hear her stir, and would check to see how she was doing.  her pain comes and goes, so we medicate accordingly.  amy is anxious to get up and do the things she normally does.  today she woke up, ate breakfast, and took the time to shave her legs.  then, we went out and sat by the pool at the hotel for about an hour.  but of course, with that activity, comes headaches.  i think it's a fine balance of walking, sitting, standing, or lying down.  i imagine that the headaches will be less frequent as her body gets used to the idea of recovery and not lying down for hours on end.

right now she is lying next to me on the bed, asleep.  over the next couple of days we'll monitor her recovery, and try to make a plan for the most comfortable flight home possible.