I'm home!

Well, the deed is done, and I've left Princess Margaret Hospital after a month. So far I am happy to be home, even though I need lots of help. On the way home, my brother took me to some home health-care supply shops and we purchased an indoor walker with a little basket and tray in the front, and a seat with arms to make my basement toilet more useable. The walker is great; it allows me to transport little things around the house and the kitchen, in particular (my kitchen is large and there's a huge distance between one countertop and the opposite one with the sink), and gives me some independence I wouldn't otherwise have. It's amazing how limited you are when you can't carry things in your hands and walk at the same time. The basket even has a little cup holder. I can fix myself something to eat, kind of. My laptop fits in the basket, too, which is handy.

I slept very well last night on my couch, and I can't stress enough what a difference that makes. Back pain plagued me through the night in the hospital bed, but here I have no back pain at all at night (daytime is a different story). Maybe it's psychological, maybe the bed.

I've yet to find out how much home-care support I'm going to get, but it should become clear today. An occupational therapist is coming to the house this morning to assess the situation. I'm really hoping for a daily personal support worker, if only to empty my commode, a chore I don't particularly want to leave to my friends and family, and help me get into the basement for showers, and more important, out again.

Today I'm also going to call a handyman and get some grab bars installed in the shower and elsewhere in the house.

Mom leaves today and Matt arrives tonight for five days, so I'm well looked after for now. Mom will return when Matt leaves, but I'm worried that she's overextending herself, what with having to look in on Dad as much as she can in Kitchener and live her own life there. Still, she insists on wanting to look after me as much as she can -- mother to the end.

Pollyanna moments:

• My appetite has improved quite a bit, and despite the difficulty swallowing, I'm getting a lot more food down than I was a couple of weeks ago. I ate a whole frozen pasta entree last night.
  
• I was scheduled to host my book club tonight, and I'm going ahead with it. Looking forward to seeing my friends in my home.
• The sun is shining! We got just enough snow yesterday to lighten up the world, so the view from my kitchen is splendid.