Recovery - Day 11: There's No Place Like Home!

I'm pleased to say that today's post is coming to you live, via Florida Drive!  That's right, Suze is finally home!  She's tired & I'm wired, but we're both grateful to be back in our own space.

This was a surprise to us, as every indicator pointed to a homecoming later in the week.  However, during our 6:45am walk on the 6th floor, we saw Dr. Yahanda (our surgeon) who stopped & with a surprised look on his face asked, "What are you still doing here?"  (He had been off for a 3-day weekend & thought she was already home).  A short time later after his morning examination, he gave the release she'd been hoping for.

Of course, I kicked it in gear & had us packed & ready to go 10 minutes after he left the room...but we didn't actually get to leave until afternoon.  I guess hurry-up-&-wait is hospital-time when it comes to paper work, post-op orders & instructions.  Maybe I shouldn't have had that triple-shot espresso this morning...

During our walk this morning, we had the opportunity to interact with both the night & day shifts of nurses we'd been privileged to meet over the last 12 days.  They were absolutely amazing & we had ample opportunity to thank them & express our gratitude.  They gave us a card with personal notes by each of them to Suze expressing their joy & good wishes for her continued recovery.  That was very meaningful!

Now we shift gears to the in-home recovery phase that will offer uninterrupted sleep,  the comfort of what's familiar, the gift of home-cooked meals & the opporutnity to reconnect with our kids.  Ben, Katie & Mackenzie have missed us & our consistent presence together in our home & we've missed them too - love, chaos & all!

There will be some challenges for us over the next few weeks as we adjust to the "new post-surgery normal."  The kids will have to make space in their routine to accomodate the patient, helping out around the house, keeping the laundry piles down (a challenge) & not overwhelming Suze with their excitement.  Suze will have to relax & pace herself, giving plenty of time to rest & be restored over the next month-&-a-half.  I plan on catching up on my sleep here & there, as well as keeping things running smoothly around the house.

I would like to take a moment to publically thank our niece, Amy Elizabeth Hoffman who gave up a week of work to love our family well.  Her presence in our home made it possible for me to give Suze more attention & focus, offering some stablity to our kids in this uncertain season.  Whether it was shuttling kids to & from school, keeping them on task with homework or just hanging out for some serious "cuz" bonding, she was a gift!  Of course, her presence at the hospital with Suze in the mornings which allowed me to run home, shower, nap or run errands was an amazing thing.  We have been blessed by this beautiful, creative, full-of-life young woman's presence & will miss her greatly when she heads back home later in the week!

Well, that's enough for now.  Thanks for your prayer, support & love.  It has sustained us over these last two weeks!