Yesterday and today

I spent all of Friday waiting for the hospital to call me back about an appointment for Jim. I phoned at 8:30 Friday morning to ask that he be seen about the extreme constipation he is suffering. This, of course, is the result of the morphine he is using and should be taken very, very seriously. I talked to a nurse who told me that if we don't hear back by noon, please call again. No call by noon, so I called back. Nothing. Meanwhile, I sat right be the phone, literally, all day. No going out, no shower, no moving too far away from the office phone. Jim dozed, shuffled around, dozed some more, wandered about outside, dozed. By 6 o'clock I realized the hospital was not going to call. First the neighbor in back brought a beautiful, fragrant Christmas wreath for the house, a welcome harbinger of the festivities to come. I will put it by the front door where I can see (and smell) it every day. Then another neighbor brought me some delicious lasagne for my dinner so I didn't have to cook. Always a treat. But by the time I was ready to get news out via the internet, Jim was browsing on the net so I didn't disturb him and went to bed.

Today, another bright and sunny autumn day, Jim was feeling pretty good. The morning pep is lasting a bit longer every day, a very good sign. He indicated he was feeling pretty good. At about 8:30 the hospital called back to say Jim could have an appointment with a doc at 1:40 this afternoon. But he had decided he wanted to see his own doctor, which he will do on Monday. At least his plea for help had not been completely overlooked!

I went out for a nice walk, first in two days, with Gina, the lasagne chef and two frisky dogs. Then I went up to the Farmers' Market to buy some apple juice and tomatoes for my week's salads. While there I ran into two friends, both of whom it is always a treat to see and talk with. We have much to catch up on and promised to do so soon. When I left the house Jim was asleep on the couch. When I got back two hours later he was out cleaning the gutters in preparation for forecasted rain. As long as he doesn't get up on the roof and fall asleep . . .

By 6:30 tonight he was exhausted, having perhaps done a bit too much. He is now asleep, and will stay that way for three or four hours. After that, he'll be up for a couple of hours, then back to bed. Every morning he feel a bit more peppy. It doesn't last too long, but a bit longer each day. This is the way the recovery goes.