Happy Father's Day!

Hi all,

I just meandered down to the computers from my room. About an hour ago, they capped my IV (while still leaving it in my arm in order to dispense various medications), which means I don't have to drag the big IV module around with me everywhere. This means that I'm a lot more mobile now, which is good, because my bodily functions are waking back up and challenging me to get to certain places (like the restroom) within a certain amount of time. This is what we call the "not fun part of recovery."

Actually, pretty much the whole shebang falls under the "not fun part of recovery" header, but I'll get more into depth on that whole thing as more of my energy returns. In fact, if I find something that could be described as "the fun part of recovery," I'll let you know immediately. Don't hold your breath waiting for that, though.

Sadly, the fact that I no longer have my trusty IV module to dispense fluids and meds means that I have to bid adieu to my constant companion, Sister Mo. If my pain gets bad enough, they can still dispense the Good Sister directly into my IV (like they did during the first day of my hospitalization, pre-surgery), but the wonderful 'pain button' and the instant dispensation of medication is gone. I'll be on pills moving forward unless there is an acute attack of pain. Or unless I fake an acute attack of pain... not that I would do that.

Blessedly, things really aren't that bad. Yes, there is a constant dull pain in my stomach where the surgery was, but many times, I find myself feeling only a minimal amount of discomfort. Any physical activity exacerbates the issue, but I'll just have to deal with that moving forward as part of my physical rehab. Otherwise, my body is beginning to feel more and more 'normal' as it takes less and less effort to do the things we always take for granted (getting into and out of bed, moving around in bed, walking, sitting up, etc.). Still a long ways to go, but there's a marked difference between today and, say, Wednesday.

The schedule is light today and I'm going to spend most of the day resting. It's Father's Day and I want to send a Happy Father's Day wish to all the dads out there, especially my own pops, who is playing golf with my brother Nick today. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the balance of the weekend and get out into the nice weather; I had a couple visitors yesterday and they wheeled me out into the sun for a little while as we sat in a garden courtyard here and chatted for a spell. First time I've been outside since the surgery, and it felt great.

I have no timetable on when I will be released but based on the speed at which they keep removing various tubes and wires, and changing the aspects of my diet, I would guess Wednesday or even Tuesday might be about right. I could be way off on that, but pretty soon they won't have too much reason to keep me around here any longer. I'm really looking forward to getting home and sleeping a full night in my own bed without the constant distractions that happen in a hospital. My roommate, a fellow coming off a kidney transfer in his own battle against cancer, is checking out today; I wish him the very best, but his departure should provide some much-needed peace and quiet, as he's had some very loud physical and bodily struggles from his side of the curtain. Of course, this could be a double-edged sword and they could check someone else that's louder into the room right away -- I guess we'll see. Not gonna worry about it.

Okay, I'm headed back to bed for a while. Thanks again for all the messages and support; it's getting me through all the rough patches and pretty quickly here, this hospital visit will be a thing of the past. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and I'll check back atcha tomorrow, assuming I have the time...

With much love as always,
Dino