WHERE I HAVE BEEN (PART 3)

 Hello, friends!  Here I am back with part 3 of my story.  I don't know how many parts there will be, but I will keep up with it until you are completely up to date.

When we last left off, I had just entered the rehab facility.  It was around 10 p.m. when I got there.  They moved me off of the stretcher and onto a bed on the second floor.  Then the ambulance staff left.  There were two beds in the room and a lady was in the other one.  She had her TV on so loud you could barely hear anything but that.  It was a Harry Potter movie so it was really loud.

The lady checking me in had me sign all these papers even though I had no idea what I was signing.  She inventoried everything that came with me and had me sign that.  There was a chest of drawers, a chair and a table on my side of the room.  Everything looked dark and dirty.  Then she asked me a bunch of health questions.  Finally she said she had to weigh me.  I said I couldn't stand to get onto a scale and she said she didn't need that.  She got out a sling with a scale attached, had me get into it and lifted me off of the bed with my head hanging.  You don't do that to someone who is very dizzy.  I was screaming.  She told me I was very uncoperative and had me sign some more papers.  (I found out later that she wrote down my weight 50 pounds lighter than I actually was.)

Finally, I was left alone with the lady with the blasting TV in a dirty room and I cried myself to sleep praying that God would get me out of there quickly.

The next morning, I got medicine, then breakfast, and finally met the lady in the bed next to me.  Her name is Edwina and she was very nice.  The TV was so loud because she is very deaf.  She had been in there for five years and never had any visitors.  It turned out that we liked a lot of the same things, were both interested in history (mainly Tudor England), had gone to Community College for the same major at the same time (she went in the day and I went in the evening), and even were both invested into Phi Theta Kappa honor society on the same day.  She was so helpful to me while I was there.  The only thing was she never turned the TV off and it blasted all the time.

I saw no medical staff on the weekend except for the nurses and aids who "took care of me."  Every time I rang the bell for them it took 15 to 30 minutes for them to show up, and they complained that they had to help me.  I was not allowed out of bed, or even to sit up, so I was dependent on them for everything.  I was never washed or allowed to brush my teeth which was awful.  The food was actually good, but very small portions.  I found out later that I was classified as "morbidly obese" (even though I'm not) and was to be given very few calories.

Joe, of course, was there every day and without him I think I would have gone insane.  He brought me my Bible and devotional book and my Kindle so that really helped. He also complained about the dirty room and someone actually came and cleaned it.

On Monday I met the doctor taking care of me.  I told him I was going home in two weeks for Easter.  He smiled and said, "We hope so."  But I was determined. 

Also, on Monday they began Physical Therapy with me.  The therapist got me into a wheelchair and wheeled me down the hall to a large room with all kinds of things in it.  I was given things to do like pick up things, do arm and leg exercises, and mental calculations (like things together, etc.).  Everything they gave me I did easily and they were sort of surprised at what I could do.  I told them that I was going home for Easter and I had no time to waste in getting better.

They wheeled me back to my room.  When I was traveling in the wheelchair, I felt as if I were speeding although they were just walking at regular speed.  I was put back to bed and there I stayed until the next day when this was repeated.

My dinner has just come (we ordered out today) and so I will finish next time.  Thanks for coming along with my journey.

Kathy