Here it goes again!

Currently listening to the little iPod stereo system I got for Dad for his birthday one year. He was gracious enough to let me borrow it. I was so sleepy this morning that I didn't even know he came in to drop it off. 

Mom came by a few hours after him and I was awake for that. She brought crayons, puzzle books that Eileen gave me, and Leah's surprise (haha - thought I'd be silly enough to post what it is, didn't you, Leah? Nope! I was born at night but not LAST night). 

Leah's coming back from Charleston, SC and Columbia, SC. She had Taylor's bachelorette party as Maid of Honor in Charleston and from the phone calls I got, it was a smashing success! Taylor and Leah definitely deserved the time to cut loose and relax a bit! They both work their butts off on the day to day not only in their normal jobs but with the wedding planning. It'll be quite a shindig. Hopefully I'll be able to go to the wedding. I'm still trying to coerce the docs into letting me go since I know how to dress/redress my wounds on my own. I'll be in a wheelchair to avoid falling or any other accidents and I'll keep a stock of supplies just in case. I can pretty much change and fix my dressings with my eyes closed now since I stopped being grossed out by it and started actually paying attention to what was going on. Once you get past the initial grossness, it's actually quite fascinating (especially the wound-vac technology). Whenever they redress my wounds, I actually watch rather than put my eye mask on. I've even gotten into the habit of helping out and telling them specifically what is the most comfortable and what prevents me from rashing (apparently I'm allergic to adhesive).

In other news, I found a great contraption online for people with ostomy bags. They have a belly wrap that's vaccumn sealed!!! Why is that so exciting? It means I can swim!!!! Take a real shower!!! Take a bubble bath!!! It's made both for wounds (like the wound vac) and the ostomy bag. Completely 100% safe and waterproof! I cannot WAIT to try it out. Sammy, my consummately awesome boyfriend, bought it for me. Apparently I had no choice in the matter....lol. I GET TO SWIM!!! But first...I have to get outta this hospital. The output has gone down a little bit but not to the level they want yet. 

I've been considering looking into nursing school lately. I know being in a hospital as a patient isn't really a basis for a career but I get to see these dedicated men and women every day. They're the most selfless people and they go above and beyond as a general principle, not for reward.

I have not had one nurse that I dislike in this whole process. They've all been compassionate, helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, and understanding. Whenever I was down in the dumps, they'd let me cry but they'd give me reasons to smile. They would sit there and make sure you were smiling again before they even thought about leaving (unless there was an emergency, of course). I haven't cried for a good week now, which is nice. There's nothing wrong with grieving because of what happened and the sacrifices my family, friends, and I have had to make in the process but at some point you have to say "Well, this sucks but it is what it is and it's time to move on. You pick yourself up by your bootstraps, focus on the positives, and dust yourself off. You move on. The point of view I have now (which differs greatly from a few weeks ago) is that God has opened SO many more windows than the door that He closed when the accident happened. The VA medical benefits are just gravy or icing on the cake, as it were. I'm still grateful for these benefits the Navy is providing and once again my family and I would like to thank Amy and Georgia for their tireless efforts in making sure everything with the Navy is squared away. We really couldn't have done it without y'all!!! THANK YOU!

The biggest blessing is that my family is back together for the first time in years. A crappy way to have a reunion but hey, that's life. We've always been a close family but we lose track of each other from time to time due to busy schedules. It's normal...but we realize that we all need to take more time out of our weeks for each other. This is just another trial to prove to ourselves how tough we really are. You cannot knock a Kannensohn down, it would seem. One of Dad's friends referred to us as Team Kannensohn - that sounds about right! :-)

Oh, back to the nurses! Sorry, my conversations and blogs jump around a bit. As Sammy would say, I'm all over the place like Seabiscut. Don't ask.

The nurses I had normally last week have come in on their off time after their shifts to check on me, one nurse brought me and Sam brownies, and one taught me breathing exercises to calm myself down when I have a panic attack. Florence Nightingale would be proud! They're not just nurses - they're angels. They're like my own little surrogate hospital family now and even when I'm out of the hospital, I plan on coming back to visit - probably as a volunteer (hopefully!).

In other news, I have started a list of things I want to do in my lifetime. I'm already to number 91. Some of the entries are simple advice I've picked up from my superiors, elders, betters, etc. that I won't cross off because it's a constant thing that I need to do (such as "pick your battles wisely" or "remind loved ones how much they mean to you regularly"). Some of the entries can be crossed off (like "learn to cook" or "buy a completely refurbished 1967 Chevy Impala"). It's an organic, growing list. I didn't do it on the computer because I want to go back and re-read things and writing it out seems more personal.

Ok, time to get back to bed! Big day tomorrow! Can't wait til Leah gets back! I missed her LOTS!

Leah - if you read this before you leave - DRIVE SAFE!!!!

Love, Cait

P.S. A big big big thank you and a hug to Joan Roulette for reminding me to update the journal. I had emailed her back and told her that not much had been going on and then I realized there was a lot I hadn't written!

P.P.S. Scrubs is an AWESOMELY funny show. Shouldn't be watching a hospital show while in the hospital but I've never really followed convention - why start now? LoL

P.P.P.S. If anyone has any suggestions on what to put on my list, let me know!