When I woke up in ICU, I was surrounded by family and friends. Everyone was asking me "do you remember me?" or "do you know who I am?" I felt a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Fortunately, I recognized everyone although I was a little confused about where I was. For some reason, I thought I was at Ben Taub hospital. The next couple weeks were like fitting pieces of a puzzle together. Well, I got to see the Wizard (otherwise known as Dr. Qazilbash) and he sent me home last week. It feels great to be back in my house with the girls. We still have to be very careful. There's lots of hand washing and I usually have to wear a mask when they're in the room.
But on my journey down the yellow brick road, I found that I received a lot more than Dorothy did. Like the Tin Man, my love for my family and friends has grown even more. I cannot tell you how much love I have felt in the past month. My worry is that I have not reciprocated enough to others. Like the Lion, I have had to muster up the courage to try to get back to my normal life. Learning to walk again was a little scary at first but I am cruising with my walker now. The first time your legs buckle can be a scary thing but you buck up and go forward with determination. Like the Scarecrow, I have to learn that this is not going to happen overnight. I also have to learn to let people help me. Doug has been amazing through this whole ordeal and I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband. In my book, he deserves Dad/Husband of the Year.
But most of all, I am like Dorothy. Glad to be home. I love hearing those familiar voices at 3:30 when school is out. I love sleeping in my own bed. I love the fact that I do not have to order hospital food three times a day. I'm starting to feel like short visits but scheduling them is a little tricky since I'm spending a lot of time in rehab at MDA. Let me know if you have some free time and we can compare schedules. Unfortunately, it took more than three clicks of my heals to get me home. It was a long time coming with lots of delays, but I finally made it here. So people, say it with me, "there's no place like home"
