It’s been 84 Days, 2,016 hours or 120,960 minute...since my
surgery (pick one! They all seem like an eternity …lol
It’s weird how fate works…
I called my friend Bill who I’ve know for almost 10 years
and asked him if he’d be willing to take me to the hospital, then drop me off
at my house after the surgery.. . he agreed ( sweet!)
After the surgery I was feeling pretty good …the drugs were
masking the pain I’d later feel…but Bill said “Hey why don’t you just stay over
my house for a few hours, then I’ll take you home” I would later find out how
life saving that one gesture would become.
For the next two weeks I lived on his couch...I was kind of
like a life sized sofa ornament! :-)
The first few nights the pain was excruciating…I think I
only slept a total of 8 hours the first 3 days.
If you know me you know that I am a shower freak…I take
about 2 or 3 showers a day depending on what I’m doing or where I’m going. Not
being able to move pretty much eliminated my ability to clean myself as usual.
In Bill’s house the showers are up a flight of stairs, which
seems like Mt. Everest in my condition. I was able to do the backwards baby
crawl up the stairs to shower victory!…but I was in so much pain….that
unwrapping my six layers of bandages was impossible. Bill with no hesitation
unwrapped the leg while I winced in pain and rewrapped it in Glad plastic wrap
(as not to get the incision wet). He said
“I change poopie diapers …this is nothing” lol
My worst fear is being helpless and there I was unable to
even take my own socks off….
“Thank you” really doesn’t do him justice…but I hope one day
he breaks his leg and I have the opportunity to return the favor! lol
Unfortunately my mother and my girlfriend both live in
another state but they surprised me a few days after my surgery with a visit. I
kinda thought they would…. but I keep telling them I was fine…and to please not
drive the 6 hours to see me just lay here…but they came anyway (of course…who
listens to me anyway!)
I had actually just taken a shower and was doing the baby
crawl down the steps when who do I see but my favorite 2 people… Mom Dukes and
Shannon :-) .
I became instantly sad! I hated
the fact that they had to see me in that condition…I’m supposed to be the
strong son and the manly man…yet I couldn’t walk or fix my own food…I could
barely even wash myself. It was a
very emotional moment for me….
But I was soooo glad I could see them….
My mom is SUPER allergic to dogs and she suffered through it
to spend time with me… (Bill has a little hot dog) For her to be in the same room I was in… meant a lot to me
….. I know she felt really bad about not being able to be with me during
surgery…. Super Man has nothing on my mom …she’s a real HERO!
Shannon is a super trooper… she slept on the floor next to
the couch I had claimed as home for 2 weeks…I don’t think she knows how much
that meant to me… I woke her up quite a bit with my mumbling and pain cringes…
She even heard my drug induced dream at 4 in the morning… Something about
purple monkeys, church and dead relatives. LOL
Wow didn’t mean for this to be so long! But I want to thank
everyone that has helped me on my road to recovery… My work folks, the
strangers that held doors… the little stuff counts!
It only took me 12 weeks to find out what true friendship is
all about!
Much appreciated!
Well, other than the changing your sock on your one ashy foot, it was a good time. I had fun (got to have adult conversation when you weren't wincing in pain or doped up), and I konw Xavier had fun (I'm pretty sure Izaiah did too, but he probably won't remember). Anyway, good times. And while it seemed we were good friends before the "kneed" for you to crash on the couch, I think it made us closer. Okay...no more mushy man stuff...you have some pay back coming for the insanely cruel April fools joke you played on me.
Posted by: Bill Zeruth | 04/14/2010 at 08:34 AM