List: What I'll Miss

Good morning!

There are a few things I'm going to miss when this hospital sojourn (pre-surgery) is over:

1.  Sleeping in.  So, I'm not exactly sleeping in, doing most of my dozing between 11pm and 4am, but the idea that I could sleep in, or sleep whenever I want to, is a luxury most of us don't have.  Hence, I am appreciating it, and the fact that I am always in the ready position, in bed, lying down.

2.  Free Underwear.  They're mesh; they're disposable; they're not uncomfortable, and I don't have to do laundry.

3.  Hospital Gown as a Character Study.  Each time I shower and request a fresh gown, I wonder, will it be a blue or greenish print I sport today?  Will I have an XL-off-the-shoulder variety or a large with high neckline?  Will today's gown have old school metal snaps or the new-fangled plastic ones, and will my gown be missing some, so I sport a peekaboo shoulder style?  I've learned to jury-rig gowns missing the all-important ties at the back and side.  I suppose I could wear regular clothes..  But I feel I should really immerse myself in this experience and wear the requisite costume.

4.  Access to Crushed Ice and Water. We finally have a house with a fridge with an ice maker and dispenser, so this shouldn't be a novelty, but at home no one brings me a fresh batch, in a little pitcher with a straw, regularly at bedside.  All I have to do is offer my arm for a blood pressure and pulse check and take my temperature, and water refill is my reward.  Also, free Popsicles.

5.  Clean-Smelling Soap.  The soap in the dispenser has a distinctive, yummy-clean smell that I love.  And here's where I admit that I am so affected by my strong sense of smell, and by memories associated with smells, that when I delivered Big Sis, I found the hospital soap I was so enamored with then and ordered it online so I could use it at home.

6.  The Book and Magazine People.  Every other day or so, volunteers with a cart of donated magazines and books circulate the wards offering free readings to bored patients.  There are a disproportionate number of supermarket romances among their offerings, but I generally snag a magazine or two, and enjoy the cheery earnestness of the volunteers.

7.  Breakfast (okay, and lunch and dinner) in Bed.  I have the same thing every day:  a cup of decaf, some cranberry juice, oatmeal, yogurt, and a banana.  Sometimes I watch the news to see if anyone new is harassing someone or sending unsolicited photos.  Not a bad way to start the day.

8.  Hospital Room Whiteboard.  It's posted on the bathroom door, with the date (saving me from scratching notches in my hospital bed), names of my nurses and doctors, a blank space for "Estimated Discharge Date," and a section called Goals for the Day.  This is my favorite part.  Mine says, "Stay pregnant.  Contractions down.  Go outside.  Rest."

I'm on it!

Meanwhile,  I know there are other women in this holding pattern I'm in, next door and down the hall, but I haven't met them. I'm thinking about organizing a Happy Hour, like, Hey!  Bring your diet ginger ale and shuffle on over to the family lounge for a meet-and-greet and swapping of stories and strategies (drink lots of water and lie still?)!  Maybe I'll add stirring up some social life as a goal for the day.  I'll begin with writing the idea on my whiteboard under "Questions for Your Care Team."