Hospitals, IV's, and a sneeze, Oh My!

I'm out. That's right folks, lock up your, eh... stuff? Maranda's back in town. Can I just say that three weeks in the hospital is entirely too long? Yes, I believe I can and I will. Three weeks in the hospital is entirely too long. I was going BONKERS at the end there. I am very thankful for the wonderful nursing staff there though. I've been in and out of hospitals pretty much my whole life and I must say, they were the sweetest bunch of ladies (with a few super swell guys thrown in there) I could have asked for. Very attentive, very helpful and very caring. By the time I left there I kinda had a reputation, if you want to call it that. Lance helped me get up and start walking again and every time we went for a walk the staff would congratulate me on my progress, some stopping in the middle of what they were doing to turn around and see how I was doing with everything. I had nurses from the ICU visiting me in the PCU and even a few who came to the next floor up to see how I was doing once I had been moved again. The physical therapy guys would shout hello's and good job's as we walked by rooms as well. I don't like that I was in there long enough to meet practically the entire ICU, PCU and medical floor staff, but they were all very kind so I suppose it's ok. I can't thank Heavenly Father enough for giving me Lance as well. He's been so good to me through it all. The first two weeks he took off work to be there with me and stay on top of everything. He's taking a very active role in it all to make sure things are being taken care of and so he knows exactly what's going on. I know when Lance and I first started dating a few people in my family were worried that because he's not LDS I would be at a disadvantage and he wouldn't be able to take care of me as well. He may not be able to give me blessings, but he's provided everything else I could have needed. With my mom gone and my sisters so far away and busy with their own families, had I not had Lance I would have been alone for those three weeks. I don't know if anyone realizes just how depressing that is when you're in the hospital. They give you a TV and the nurses are nice enough, but nothing can replace the love of someone close to you being there. When I was younger and had week long stays in the hospital it was an especially depressing time for me. Dad would stop by after work, I think mostly because mom made him, grab the TV remote and watch TV in my room for an hour before telling me he had to go and just leaving. No "I love you", no "how are you doing today?", nothing as far as a hug or anything of that sort went. The rest of the time I spent by myself, flipping through channels, playing with the bed function buttons or walking the hall aimlessly while the nurses took care of other patients. If that had been what happened for these last three weeks I think I would have done a lot more crying. I cried enough while I was in there though, either because of pain or because I was so worried about Sariah. I know when Gailyn was diagnosed with diabetes I was upset. I cried then and I cry now that Sariah is in the same boat. Gailyn would probably laugh if she knew how upset I got when I found out about her being diagnosed. She handled it much better I think. Upset doesn't even come close to how I felt when I heard about Sariah though. I don't like hearing that my sisters have to live with the same disease I have, especially my little sister. I will say this though, I'm thankful they got it after their teen years because puberty and diabetes... sucks. A lot. I'm also thankful that Sariah had Carisa there to help her with all of this. Carisa is a fantastic sister to have by your side when you're dealing with hard situations. She has an easier time keeping a level head about everything and helping you look at all of your options to help you best figure out what you need to do. I can't tell you how much I have appreciated her loving patience when I've been stuck between a rock and a hard place and came to her for advice and help. I love all of my sisters so much, I can't even begin to tell you how much, but I am very thankful that I have them. Even now, being far away, they've helped me a lot as well. Anyway, it's been so nice to be home. My own clothes, my own bed, my own blankets, and most of all my dogs. When I got home on Sunday I think Abby about had a heart attack. She didn't recognize me at first. I was in Lance's t-shirt, my sweat pants and still had the smell of the hospital all over me. It took her a few minutes but as soon as she started smelling my face she realized who it was and Lance couldn't peel her off me. She's been my shadow ever since. Every time I sit down she's right there in my lap. I have to kick her off the bed at night cause she's gotten too big to sleep up there with us, so she'll lay down next to the bed and make sure she can smell my hand a few times during the night. I wake up every morning to her wet nose on my cheek. I think she's more excited to have me back than I was to be back. She and Lance did a lot of bonding while I was away though. The first week she wouldn't eat, kept jumping at the door every time someone touched the knob and would pace in the bedroom at night looking at where I usually sleep. It took Lance walking her a few times a day and letting her sleep on the bed at night for her to finally start eating again. She really is my dog, hehehe. It was driving Lance nuts for the first week, and he was worried she wouldn't snap out of it. Now that mom is home though, she's back to her old self, if a bit more attatched than before. Trying to give myself insulin is an adventure. She gets her nose right in there to see exactly what's going on and what it is that I'm trying to put in my leg or stomach. My blood sugars have been doing pretty well too, for the most part. I'm following a pretty strict diet, trying to change a lot of my old eating and sleeping habits, keeping on the same insulin regiment. We'll see how that goes with a bit of time. I may need to do a bit of fine tuning, but so far so good. While I was in the hospital Dad informed me that he'd gotten an insulin pump from a lady friend. I didn't ask too much about the lady friend, but the pump itself is one that I've looked at before. I was actually hoping to possibly get back on an insulin pump while I was still with FedEx. After another month or so I think I'll look into that pump a bit more, see what I'll have to do to get on it if I can keep my blood sugars where they need to be. With the pump it would free up a lot of time and a lot of money spent on needles. We shall see though, we shall see.

On another note, for those I haven't spoken to about it but have asked in the past, Lance and I have been talking about getting married this coming spring/summer. No solid plans yet, we are in the middle of buying a house at the moment, a gorgeous little thing, perfect for us and the dogs. When we get settled in there and everything I'll try to post some pictures if I can sit still long enough to figure that part of this out. It has a beautiful back yard that we were talking about using for the wedding though. We didn't want a large wedding, family and close friends mostly. Like I said though, no solid plans as of yet. He wants to formally propose first, which I'm ok with, hehehe. Feel free to give him suggestions. When we know more, you'll know more. I'm excited though, and I know mom would be excited for me too. One of the last times we visited her together she told Lance, in no uncertain terms, "you will marry my daughter". She must have been psychic or something.

So, that's what's going on in Marandaland. I thought I'd give an update. I had been meaning to before this all happened with the hospital and everything. I'm terrible at keeping up with these, I know. It's a work in progress. I'll try harder, I promise.