On our own...

Our first official day on our own since coming home yesterday, late afternoon,.. no nurses (to check on any immediate concern we had), no call buttons, no adjustable bed, no food trays, no hospital gowns to easily slip in & out of... those are some of the cons, but we already are relishing in some of the pros.... no nurses (coming in and waking him up at all hours of the night), walkie-talkies to replace the call button (especially since I'm now 'the nurse',.. and not to mention that our home consists of three levels, and he is currently incapable of yelling.), our own bed packed with comfy pillows, being able to eat when he's ready, and not on a specific time schedule whereas his food always showed up at the worst time and ended up either cold or going without by the time he was able to eat,... I have a bed tray for him, and he is able to eat whenever he is ready,.. and have it HOT. Button-up shirts (although right now they irritate his incision so we're sticking with the bathrobe for a few days), not over-extending his meds schedule because the nurses get busy (I keep careful watch of times & doses in a notebook on the kitchen counter),................ Anyway, it is both scary and a relief to be back home. It is by far more comfortable to be in your own element, in your own personal surroundings, yet at the same time knowing that you don't have the cardiac ward medical staff right down the hall to come to your aide should you have even the slightest concern..... pros & cons, pros & cons,.... All in all, we're doing okay,... he's doing okay, and we're happy to be home.

Better still,... our children will be home today!! Ooooooh, I cannot tell you enough how dehydrating it feels to go that long without them!! Yes,.. for me, my children are my water, they are the air I breathe, they are my nourishment, and my reason to wake every day,.... they are the very essence of my soul, and I am beside myself with eagerness & excitement knowing that I will once again be drowning in their hugs & kisses & smiling faces in only a matter of hours,....

Speaking of the girls,... while spending a near week surrounded by nothing but cardiology experts, the subject of Brittney came up many, many times,... between Scott, his grandfather, and now her, and I was told repeatedly that the symptoms she has been exhibiting in fact are most likely heart related and not muskuloskeletal, and I was told over & over how conscerned they were that the pediatrician would remove the prospect... it was strongly felt that she should not do anything overexerting until she sees the pediatric cardiologist,... including pulling her from soccer. She's not going to be happy about that, but at least there is only one game left of the season, this Saturday,..... I'm still planning to take her to the game to watch & support her team, but have decided it's not worth the risk to let her play in it, or the last two practices this week... I'll be talking to her coach tomorrow afternoon.

It has been a good day so far,.. amazing what being 'home' can do for you. Scott has been up and about, eaten a little, wandered around, and we've been able to hold conversations, and that has been nice. We've managed to keep his pain level at a minimum, and he is progressing on his incentive whatever,.... the breathy thingy, LOL.

He's back down for a nap so I'm getting back to busy,... so much to be doing. Many things I can only do when he's up, and many others I can only do when he's not... just a matter of balance, I suppose. That's my update for today,........ it's a GOOD day today!! There's going to be a lot of ups and downs,.. good days & bad days,.. the thing to remember is to keep our eyes on the horizon, and celebrate small victories.