Gail's Blog

  Since the last blog post, I’ve had my right hip replaced, resulting in a lung clot and bleeding that required four units of blood and a stay in ICU. Recently, I finally had that pesky tricuspid valve replaced and developed pneumonia while in the hospital. I was intubated several times. Because intubation can be damaging to the esophagus, the surgeon cut a tracheostomy in my throat. Apparently, I was very bad post surgery, trying to karate my way out of ICU, and pulling out various gadgets attached to me. One doctor told me they took care of this behavior with some good drugs!   I was in INOVA Fairfax Heart and Vascular Center! First in ICU and then Telemetry. The nurses were so very good at their jobs and friendly, too. But since I had a trach, I couldn’t eat or drink food or water. I was fed “food” (formula for adults),crushed meds, and water through an NG tube, This was the hardest part of my hospital stay. People always malign hospital food, but INOVA’s is very good! I was bereft.

This morning, I entered the parking lot of Mount Vernon Hospital as I usually do, and cruised for a spot. Normally I find one after a bit of looking. Not today! One of my pet peeves, the huge SUV's that have exciting names--"Explosion" for example--were cruising with me, blocking me, backing up to go another way, and generally being too gigantic for such a small lot. There were small cars, too, that would drive in and catch someone leaving, but I'd be on the other side of the lot! I'm thinking, "I've been cruising here for twenty minutes and you just come in and  steal a spot out from under me?" I got mad and thought of giving up and going home, but I didn't really want to. I even prayed for a parking space Finally,  I called the rehab gym to ask what I should do. The nurse told me to try the street. Now I am rehabbing after a month-long stay in the hospital for open-heart surgery and resulting pneumonia. I never drive to street parking and walk