Home Sweet Home

It's hard to believe that I did actually make it home today, Wednesday, February 23rd. Exactly 8 months to the day since the first of my latest hospitalizations and this medical mess began. As Uncle Mickey put it best... I missed 3 seasons!

I feel so much better than the first attempt at being home on January 3rd. My spirits are better, my legs are stronger and for starters I can walk to the bathroom with the walker and I'm not wheelchair bound in a house that cannot accomodate a wheelchair! I am taking it easy....yet being careful not to fall into the habit of just laying in bed. 21 hours of my day at Kessler was spent laying in a hospital bed. Needless to say my endurance is real low but each day I will try to sit up and build my strength.

Tomorrow, I start outpatient physical therapy. My therapist has worked with me for quite some time yet I'm so hesitant and nervous to start this new chapter of my recovery. I suppose the real work now begins and I worry for complications.

Thank you (ahead of time) to anybody who may be a part of the "schlepping" Stacy to doctors appointments, physical therapy, or the hospital. You know who you are and I greatly appreciate the transporation rides.... for I would give anything to be able to take myself but it will be quite some time before I can drive again.

So, as I end this update, let me just say...although this has been a very long, painful, frustrating 8 months, I learned a lot. I learned a lot about myself and how much strength, determination, motivation and perserverence I have. I learned how thankful I am that although I have such a complicated medical history and I am facing more surgeries in my future and I have serious chronic medical issues that will last my lifetime...I will recover. I will go back to teaching. I will walk again. So many people I met along this journey will never have those options... will never talk or smile again. So I would like you all to know that I feel rather greatful right now because I learned and witnessed that it could be so much worse...

Last but not least... I would like to say a huge thank you to my Dad. My dad, a very quiet, hard to read emotion-wise man... visited me just about every day, twice a day throughout this entire ordeal. Whether it be at the hospital or at Kessler, he was there. A quick wave to make sure his daughter was ok... Thanks Dad for being so devoted. I appreciate your effort to see me twice a day and I love you!!

Thanks for reading,
To be continued.....