I can't think of a better place to put this, but I wanted to share that I am home again.
The ride home was torture and I am in an exceptional amount of pain. Ow!
Fortunately, I have an RN on duty and I have liquid dilaudid for breakthrough pain. Unfortunately, I get to pick my dosage (to some extent) and I opted for a minimal dose. It is a long story but let's just say that addiction is a major concern and I keep my dosing to a very minimal amount. (0.5 mg dilaudid by IV.)
I was expected to take 10 to 14 days to meet my goals and leave the rehab unit. I did that in just seven. (My other days were on different units.)
I know, I already have too much ego. I know...
However, I'm pretty fucking proud of the work I have already put in. Of all the difficult things I have done, this one is somewhere near the top of the list.
I have a whole lot of newfound respect for the people who have gone before me and for those who are more injured than myself. There were folks with far greater debilitation than I and, this may sound horrible, I actually am grateful they exist because I could look at them and say, "Well, at least I am not that bad."
I also have the good fortune to be able to get top-notch care. Of course, all the best care doesn't mean I have an easy road. I still have to do the work myself.
The good news is that I only have my regular exercises to do until Monday! Yup... No "extra" PT (besides my exercises three times per day) until Monday!
I was once in a serious motorcycle accident (someone pasted me head-on and I thought I was Superman and I smashed my hands as I punched their windshield while flying through the air - which was entirely unintentional) but that left my legs intact. That was a very different rehab and I was able to eventually use guitar as part of my physical therapy.
This is very, very different.
Now that I am home, I will write more and probably actually turn it into some sort of article to post somewhere.
Also, I haven't even smoked any pot yet. The company that I employed to provide the nursing staff doesn't allow me to smoke pot in my home while I have staff here, even if prescribed, but I have a study and can go in there to smoke. I am not supposed to smoke anything, including my beloved cigars.
Time to kick back, write some memoirs ... teach us all some more old Injun tricks. You have the time.
I'd be interested in seeing the ongoing saga, if no one else. Indulge yourself and write it up. Hell, you can even brag and such.
I almost certainly will. Those near and dear to me in the physical realm have been urging me to spend more time writing and less time doing stupid things. This will give me the opportunity to share some experiences and, perhaps, maybe even give someone else some answers that will work for them as well as those answers worked for me.
In the hospital, all I had was a shitty tablet and a shitty laptop that was just awkward to use. Here, I can make all sorts of adjustments and use my own gear. I expect I will return to writing novellas soon enough and I expect this series of events will make a nice series.
I am not sure which site to place them on, but I will find somewhere. The people here in the physical world want me to write a few books. I did agree to write one book but that is for my daughter. She wants me to write a children's book, where I explain basic physics to children.
When the kids were little, I'd tell them stories about matter and how matter loves to dance and wiggle. I'd explain that the dancing and wiggling was actually how the universe worked and, with that, I'd go off on tangents that'd explain the nature of various phenomena.
She's a pediatrician and wants me to write that so that she can share it with the children that pass through her unit. She works trauma/pediatric ICU. She is a big fan of 'diversion therapy' as a way of alleviating pain and for the purposes of healing promotion. (An active mind that is distracted is actually good for pain.)
So, I will at least write that over the winter. That was already on the schedule. I'll also probably put it up online for folks to download in PDF or order printed copies. They can pay whatever and I will find some charity to donate the money to. It will probably end up going to the hospital that she works at, as that hospital is a charitable organization.
My wife went through something similar (twice) with knee replacements. She stayed at the rehab center after both, which may not be preferred, but worked out for the best, as they had a full nursing staff and twice daily PT throughout the stays. Basically everything in the same place with minimal inconvenience.
I can understand ho much has to change in the way you get about and such, none of which will or is easy. You just rest up, take what meds you can tolerate without going over the deep end, and get better. Like I said, I can't imagine it'll be a quick turn around. In the end though, you'll cope. That's all we can hope for I suppose. Again, best of luck to you ... so, dang much hard work though, I can't even imagine.