LIFE AT PALM TERRACE

One of the nice things that happened while I was at Palm Terrace was the wonderful visits that I had with family and friends who came. There was a nice day room which had tables and comfortable chairs where visitors could gather. My friend Marty brought a meal one night to share with me and my roommate and another night my brother and his wife brought wonderful salads which we shared while we visited. Another night they came and brought my mom and we had Dunkin Donuts and coffee--what a treat. My niece and her husband came one Saturday and brought the little boys and they were full of pep and ginger and helped me pass what might have otherwise been boring time. All this made my stay easier and helped to pass the time.

Finally I got the word that I would be released on April 2nd to return home. That was both good news and scary news. Would I really be able to take care of myself and do everything that needed doing? Probably not had it not been for my mom who came everyday to help me out. It is not what I would ever want to have to ask my mom to do for me but I know I would have done the same thing were the roles reversed.

Somehow we have made it from then to now and each day I grow stronger. Life is becoming more normal and I am learning what I can do and how much stamina I have--not very much at this point. I'm resting a lot and napping sometimes. I have managed to do my own laundry this week. I have been doing my own grocery shopping and going to church. Last Sunday I played for the early service and it felt really good to be back at the keyboard again.

Being able to communicate by phone with friends has been a great way to stay in touch and pass some time. I'm also enjoying sending and receiving mail--a practice that I am trying to reestablish. Not many people use the USPS for personal messages anymore but I still love to hold something in my hand that has been written by someone that I care about and I think others do too. I am determined not to let the practice die--not yet anyway.

So surgery and recovery are coming to a close as life becomes more normalized each day. I have a lot less pain than before surgery for which I am most grateful. I still have precautions that I have to take for several weeks and continue to go to physical therapy. I want to recover faster than I am and my therapist told me today that I probably had higher expectations than I should. That helps me to assess my recovery and be more patient with myself. Life is good.