Moving and Shaking

February 22, 2010 by Daniel · Leave a Comment 

My stay at the Heartbreak Hotel was now reaching two weeks, and though I knew the necessity of constant supervision to keep me alive, my patience was quickly growing thin.

I’d been in my “interim” room only a day when John walked in with a big smile on his face.  “They’re moving you,” he said.  “And you won’t believe it, it’s back to the same room you were in on the Cardiac Ward before.”

He walked over and patted me on the arm.  “Hang in there, buddy,” he smiled, “we’re finally moving forward here.  Don’t rock the boat.”

I smiled and sat up in the bed.  “So what’s the next step, and how fast can I bust out of this place?”

“Hold on, cowboy,” he replied.  “Remember, they’re still deciding whether or not you need a pacemaker, though quite honestly, that’ll be a piece of cake compared to the last week.”

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Just then Carlotta, a large, attractive nurse, pushed the door open.  She’d been my night nurse over the last couple of days; a friendly sort, but one you knew you didn’t want to make mad or meet in a dark alley somewhere.

“Mr. Woodford,” she said, “get your things together.   The bus leaves in 10 minutes.”  She walked over and began checking my stats with her roll-away cart.  “This is what we like to see,” she said, “don’t want you staying too long with us.”

John walked around the room gathering what little I had brought into the room.  “No time like the present,” he said, picking up some magazines he’d brought earlier.

She’d barely had time to wrap the blood pressure cuff around my arm when the door swung open again and in came an orderly with a gurney in tow.  “Mr. Woodford, it’s time to get you back upstairs.”  He walked over and checked my arm band, asked me my name and birthday, and began lining up the gurney next to the bed.

“Wow, this is quick,” I commented.  “When you guys hit ‘go,’ you don’t mess around.”

“Need the room,” Carlotta replied.  “And since they have another upstairs for you, I want to make sure they don’t give it to someone else.”

I was so excited!  I would be able to see the sun again, look out a window onto the world at large, have my own bathroom — funny how the little things become so signficant at times like these.

As Jerome slid me onto the gurney, John stepped to the door.  “Room 347?” he asked Carlotta.

“That’s it!”  she said.  “Take good care of him, now.” 

As I rolled through the door, John stopped the gurney.  “I’ll go on up with your stuff,” he said.  “Meet you up there in  a few.”

I was out of Maximum Security and on my way to progress.  What was supposed to be a 5-day stay had grown to two weeks, with no mention of going home.  Still, the promise of real food, a private room and the joy of true peace and quiet made my newly rebuilt heart jump!

I thanked God as Jerome rode with me up the elevator, then momentarily wondered if the prayer had reached through the elevator walls, unlike cell phone conversations!  Oh well, didn’t matter — I knew the answer, and the answer was that God wasn’t done with me yet.

Sorry For The Delay…

February 9, 2010 by Daniel · Leave a Comment 

First, I want to apologize for not posting in such a long time — I’ve had a few complications which when boxing with the cardiologist, big surprise, he won!

This will be a short post, and then I’ll be back on schedule very shortly.
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While I was finishing off my dinner, the head nurse for the “medium-security” intensive care ward stopped by for a visit.

“We’re trying to get you a room as quickly as possible,” she said. “Both the cardiologist and the surgeon have realized you no longer need to be here.” She walked to the bedside and began straightening my sheets, fluffing my pillow and checking my bandages.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” I said, chuckling as well as I could, “and I’m sure there’s someone else out there (nodding with my head to the ward) that’s ready to leave.”

“You’re a pistol,” she laughed, adding, “I’m surprised they kept you quiet out there for so long.” She continued. “Can I get you anything before we take your vitals for the night?”

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“Yes,” I answered. “One new york strip, a baked potato and a large, delicious romaine lettuce salad.” I smiled and winked.

“Why don’t we work on getting you back on the cardiac ward first?” she asked. “Then we’ll talk about the kind of food you can eat.”

“‘Tell you what,” she said. “I can get you some applesauce, and if you’re good, I bet I can even get you two.”

“It’s a deal,” I said. “I didn’t really want the steak, anyway.”  I paused.  “Seriously, how long before I’m back on real food?  This liquid diet isn’t doing me a bit of good.”

“You are starting to lose weight,” she said. “Has anyone said anything to you?”

“Not yet,” I replied, “but I’ll keep you posted.”

“I’ll be back with your snack,” she said. “‘Meantime, get some rest. You know how to find us if you need to.”

I settled back in the bed and flipped through the television stations. It was nice to be in a quiet room, finally, knowing I’d soon be back among regular (well, sort of) people. I also knew that’s when the physical therapy would begin, and I was ready.

Anything I could do to get me out of there was good. I didn’t know it would be so difficult.