Home Sweet Home

When I last posted I had been given my discharge papers and achieved Freedom.  After a tour of the hospital and a quick elevator ride I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, there it was…the exit in all its glory.  Never before has the air in Albany smelled better, it was a beautiful sunny day in the mid forties which for February is a rare treat.  Luckily I got out of the building before Joyce got the van from the parking garage so I was able to sit there in the wheelchair and enjoy some sun and somewhat fresh air.  It was so nice to be out of that building, I was there for a week and was about to go stir-crazy.  Don’t worry, I was still under hospital supervision they didn’t just push me outside and leave me, my nurses assistant was there to make sure I didn’t roll down the sidewalk or get in the wrong vehicle.

Before I go any further I should mention that these new headaches are different from the Chiari headaches.  These headaches seem to be more motion and position sensitive, as in each step or wrong turn of the neck can and usually does result in a hot shot of pain that can last from a few seconds to a few hours.  These new headaches are much more intense than any description I can come up with, but I’ll try…They feel like my brain is being constricted while at the same time it is trying to explode out of the top of my skull, out of my ears, and through my eyes.

Anyone that lives in Albany or has to travel through it knows that Albany always vies for the title of the worst kept roads.  It must have more potholes per square mile than any other city in the state.  I’m not just talking about the side streets; I’m taking about New Scotland Avenue, which is the main entry road to get to the two major hospitals.  Albany should be ashamed of it self for presenting hospital visitors with such a poorly maintained road.  I know you are thinking, “Shut up about the roads”, but I had to mention them because those potholes did their best to make my life miserable on the trip home.  Every jolt from those potholes resulted in devastating pain.

We live about an hour from Albany and when we finally got on the Interstate my eyes were becoming sensitive to the bright sunlight…ugh!  Every bump and dip in the road was kind enough to make my head and neck cry out in pain.  Sitting for long periods of time also caused pain so that trip was like a tri-fecta of pain infliction.  That was the worst car ride of my entire life and I pray I never have to experience anything like it again.  I was so happy to see our house as it came into view; the joy was almost overwhelming.  Once I got settled in at the house with the help of my wonderful and patient wife I spent the rest of Friday and Saturday sleeping as much as I could.  I may have been in pain and exhausted from the ride but I was where I wanted to be, home sweet home!

I will reveal my zipper in the next post so be prepared.