Tales from a hospital bed 10
Morning all. Last day of being a patient patient before the second stage tomorrow. Meanwhile, some better sleep last night, although the bar has been set pretty low recently. I feel more balanced today, keen for the next stage to come and go and then to be outta here on Friday.
Tomorrow is the removal of the trachi and stent. That means that my airway will be clear and I will have first indications of my breathing capacity and voice. However, it is early days. There may still be some residual swelling from the first operation, and of course the reconstructed area is all very new.
This time the operation is through my mouth. The last one was an incision in the neck. It is also a shorter operation, hopefully less than an hour, which is always better from a recovery point of view. After they take the stent out, they will assess the airway, possibly do some laser work and balloon dilation, and then replace the trachi with another smaller one. This one will have a cap on it. If my airway is OK, the cap will stay on. If I struggle, it is there to keep me breathing.
My tenth post in this series is garnished with photos from Floor 10, where I am based. I have been creating and collecting these over my stay here, just because they were there. Now, they turn out to be useful.
Yesterday, Dinah and I were spotted not on Floor 10. This is a problem. I am not supposed to leave Floor 10 in case something unexpected should occur and I have a breathing difficulty. I understand, but I am accompanied and I am in a hospital and I have got a little stir crazy. Anyway, my punishment is to be confined to the ward until the op Tuesday. I wasn’t best pleased. No rambling around creating photos today. Fortunately though, this is my tenth post and I have photos ready.
Considering that the development of the ‘Tales’ post series was an accident, in that I had not thought about doing anything like this, it has grown to be a key part of my mornings and a beneficial contributor to my wellbeing. The activity has been a central plank of each morning; going out and about creating photos and then writing about how the day is passing, how I feel and illustrating all of this with creative photos.
It has only just struck me that this is how the blog needs to continue – in a daily manner. Incorporating mindfulness into my world means that life is the practice. Keeping a daily record, with accompanying photos, gives me the space to reflect on how this is, to be grounded and to process whatever is going on. Paying attention to my day and illustrating it with creative photos. There we are, its settled. How long do you think I will keep it up?
Hi Lee Another excellent post and “I feel more balanced today” really resonated with me. I often use the word “balanced” to describe how I feel, so it was interesting to see you using the same word. I hope that you continue to recover and that the op goes well tomorrow. Look forward to the daily blog posts with interest, although it will be very hard to keep up I imagine. But it gives you a purpose, so I maybe wrong. All the best Paul
Thanks Paul. I am sure you are right, keeping up any practice in a daily manner is a challenge. At least with this idea it can be incorporated into my day, no matter what I am doing. At least that is the theory! I won’t be too hard on myself if I manage 6 outta 7 in a week 🙂
Hi Lee.
Nice to see things are progressing and light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope all goes smoothly tomorrow and I’m sure it will be nice to have your voice back.
The thought of being punished for wandering seems quite comical but I suppose their concerns are warranted.
Good luck with the daily posts. I think 6 out of 7 will be doing well and I look forward to seeing them.
Regards
John
Thanks John. I don’t know when I will be back in Swansea, but i will be in contact when I am settled.
Hi Lee, hope all goes well tomorrow and you have a speedy recovery, it’s been a long time coming, onwards and upwards now xx
Thanks Sue x
Hey Lee, been following your progress. Hope it all went wonderful today x
Thanks. I’m back on the ward after second op. All has gone well. Cap is on trachi breathing normally! It feels pretty damn good. Voice is a whisper at present. Swallowing is difficult. Hopefully all will improve in time. If I’m ok overnight trachi out tmro x