GRATITUDES:
1. A good support network
2. Nurses who track me down to say hello
3. My newly shaved head, even if it is a bit itchy
4. My room

As I mentioned above, one of my old nurses from my first hospitalizations came in early this morning and sort of booted out my scheduled nurse. Trisha was a very welcome guest, even at 3am! We ended up chatting for about a half hour before she finally left so I could get some sleep. Still, it was nice to see her again and I hope she’s scheduled as my night nurse. Mary Ellen, another familiar face, is my nurse today and she gave me a great big hug when she first came into my room. As much as I enjoy seeing them, I really wish it was under better circumstances and it once again breaks my heart a little bit that I’m back in hospital rather than at home with my family.

I’m beginning to feel a lot of discomfort after meals. I have a sharp burning ache in the middle of my lower chest, right around my diaphragm, that I think may be heartburn, but if so, it’s the weirdest indigestion I’ve ever experienced. The only thing that seems to help is if I stand up, stretch a bit, and then walk around my room. It may be that the way I sit on my hospital bed scrunches up my internal organs so that they can’t work properly to process food. Dunno. I’ve been allowed some Tums for mealtimes but I have to remember to ask for it and then hope that the nurse will remember to bring it. Ugh… I wish I could just paddle over to my toiletry bag, pull out a bottle of the stuff, and crunch on the tablets as needed rather than being monitored for every single little thing that goes in my mouth.🙄

Another day ended. I’m beginning to feel like a prisoner, counting the days until my release. I’d start scratching hash marks into the walls but I don’t think Housekeeping would much appreciate that.