This has been a very long day, mixed with many frustrations, blessings and emotions.
After sleeping (if you can call it that) overnight on a death-trap (some people would call it an armchair) next to Maria, we were ready to face another day. As today is Shabbat (the Sabbath), you can appreciate the level of staff is somewhat lighter than on a regular day. This made it quite frustrating as Maria and I had quite a few things to contend with, without support. Anyway, the issues were nothing of significance, but when you are tired it can be a bit off-putting. I am happy that we have lived here for some time, which has prepared us for the Mediterranean style of hospital care (we also had an experience with Ben’s hospitalisation in Greece last August).
Maria’s facial swelling is starting to subside, which has also meant a reduction of pain in that area for her. I helped shower Maria today, which was the first time I had seen the incision. I think it really hit home for me at that moment. I took photos (which she made the right decision not to view)—reason outlined in next paragraph. I also decided to not attach them. What I will say is that her level of pain tolerance (in addition to her overall strength) is phenomenal.
Around lunchtime a dear friend came to sit with Maria, giving me the opportunity to collect the kids and spend some time with them. I took them to McDonalds for a ‘special treat” lunch. We sat and talked so I got an idea of their emotional state. They are doing well and enjoying all the sleep-overs. They seemed to have matured over these last days and were acting in a supportive way to each other (atypical). I told them about the photos I had taken of Maria and after some discussion showed them the shots to prepare them for the real thing. Gabi was a bit anxious at first, but when I explained that, “…mummy’s hair, unlike daddy’s, will grow back again”, she seemed okay about it. Gabi has a virus (hence the face mask in yesterday’s attached photo) and apparently she was off her food last night and slept-in a bit today, but it must be improving as she managed to eat all of her kid’s meal without ay difficulty.
Maria started experiencing some slight dizzy spells later today, but puts it down to the fatigue (she couldn’t say whether it was similar to that experienced before the op). I will be mentioning it to the doctors tomorrow.
We had a chance to sit and talk a bit this evening about the whole situation and start to think ahead, even though we understand the need to tackle this one day at a time.
While sitting outside the neurosurgery ward (as I can pick up WiFi there) typing this message, Maria came walking out. She is becoming anxious as she is unable to sleep and is focused on that fact. This is exacerbated by pain she is now experiencing around the incision area. The positive was that she walked about 30m unassisted. She asked me to get in the bed with her as it may help. The only person it helped was me (as I drifted into a sleep), so I was evicted about 10 minutes later. I am now sitting in the room, trying to type the remainder/end of this message very quietly. After experiencing an amazing winter in terms of the beautiful weather, we are now in the midst of many storms, involving much wind and rainfall (I think Israel has had a year’s worth recently). This doesn’t help her when seeking peace and quiet.
Tomorrow may be the day of hospital discharge. We will want to be comfortable that she is ready, balancing that against the need for her to be somewhere familiar and comfortable.
Thanks again for the encouraging messages. I have tried to respond to as many as possible (albeit brief) so I apologise in advance for those of you I haven’t caught up on.
Love and blessings
Troy
