Thank-you Wife

So, my wife and I have this deal. We don't say thank-you for things that we know the other enjoys doing. We know that the other would do the same for us, so saying thank-you kind of cheapens what the other did. It might not make sense to anyone else, and I'm probably not explaining it very well, but it works very well for us.

I'm going to break our deal though (just this once), because over the two weeks I was in the hospital, Kelly went way above and beyond what people should have to ask of each other.

We rented an apartment for the time we were there so that Kelly would have a place to sleep, shower, and eat meals. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but when she saw the room I was going to be in, she moved in. It had a couch which turned into a bed sort of like a camper couch can double as a bed. It couldn't have been comfortable, and it sat right in front of this big picture window. The window provided a nice view, but also was not very well insulated. The air next to that window was at least 10 degrees colder than the other air in the room.

This by itself would not ordinarily constitute a thank-you situation between the two of us, but there are some other factors to consider. The first is the fact that a hospital does not care what time it is. If the nurses have a chart that says blood needs to be drawn at 4 am, then it's drawn at 4 am. Vital signs need to be taken throughout the night, and this can't be done with the light off. So at any time during the night, a nurse could walk in, flip on the lights and do what they have to do. And not that I'm complaining, I know they have a job to do, but this meant that neither Kelly or I got a full night's sleep for just about two weeks.

Another reason that I think a thank-you is warrented, is that for most of the time I was in there, I was essentially an invalid. I couldn't get out of bed without help, I couldn't clean myself, and even needed help eating and drinking for a few days. It wasn't very often that I had to ask for anything. Kelly seemed to be able to anticipate my every need and have it taken care of before I even knew I needed it. This may not seem like much, but from where I was sitting it was a pretty big deal.

I think Kelly may also be on the verge of being a registered nurse now. In addition to all the medical things that need doing, there are the mundane tasks as well. Some of these things I mentioned above, but others included changing bedding and getting clean towels and wash cloths. The nurses are busy attending to a lot of patients on the floor I was on, and having Kelly there made my life so much easier because I didn't have to wait when I needed something. She would just go out to the desk and come back with whatever I needed. She walked with me and took care of the I.V. Stand when we were walking. She would make sure it got plugged back in and situated where it needed to be. She would also change the bedding while I sat in the chair. Things that other patients had to wait for a nurse to do for them.

But perhaps the biggest reason, that Kelly deserves a big thank-you, is the one that I am the most hesitant to talk about. When they did this surgery on me, they cut out part of my colon. While it heals, I have to have an iliostomy, which is a temporary bag. It's not something I was wild about, but I understand the necessity of it. There are necessities that go along with it as well. It needs to be emptied and cleaned and changed on a regular basis. I'd like to come up with a nice way to explain this thing, but I guess the most accurate way to say it is that it's gross. I have a part of my intestine sticking out of the side of my stomach and it's surrounded by a bag that is adhered to my body by all sorts of sticky stuff. Poop empties out of the intestine and into the bag. After the surgery, I was unable to to any of the care myself and Kelly did it all. No complaints, no jokes, just right to business and getting the job done.

I think the thing that I'm most grateful was that even though the whole situation was totally undignified, Kelly never made me feel that way. She felt terrible for me and tried very hard to combat the feelings that I was having regarding the bag and its maintenance.

Since we've been home, it has been much the same. Kelly has taken care of me without hesitation and without complaint.

The bag is temporary, and will hopefully be reversed in 3-4 months, during which time I know that I'll be in good hands again. So thank-you Kelly Church. Thank-you very much

I Will Win