2021 was the year my mother and I spent some time in the hospital. I went first.
In February the doctor decided my gallbladder needed to be removed. Naturally, it was scheduled right after a major snowstorm, including daily temperatures of -9. So I drove into town and spent the night at a motel, hoping the car would start the next morning and I would not have to make a long walk in the cold and snow.
I had surgery the next morning. While I was under, the doctor decided to fix a hernia. But there were complications, and I ultimately had to go back under the knife to fix some leakage. Amazingly, the car started in below 0 weather, and I was able to safely drive home.
A couple days later I developed excruciating pain, requiring an ambulance ride back to town. They found a stone blocking the bile duct and removed it. I cannot recall ever experiencing pain that bad, not even my kidney stones. They removed the stone and put in a stent to fix the duct.
I went back later and had the stent removed, which took less time than it did to park, check in and get ready for the procedure. Those people are professionals, and are quite good at their jobs. I’m appreciative to everyone who looked after me during all my “visits” to the hospital.
In June it was mom’s turn. I got a call in the middle of the night. She’d tripped over a box and had fallen. I drove her to the hospital where it was discovered she had broken her left arm (she’s left-handed). She was in the hospital for several days, and in a rehab facility for another 2-3 weeks. Her weight dropped and we were quite concerned about her health.
She went to physical therapy for several weeks, only to discover she’d damaged her rotator cuff. She has much of the use of her arm back. But total healing will be limited, as surgery might not fully fix the rotator cuff problem.
The silver lining in this cloud? Mom did not smoke the entire time she was at the hospital and in rehab. When she got home, she didn’t even miss it. She has not smoked since, which is good because she has heart and respiratory issues she needs to be mindful of. But she’s doing so much better than she was back in August.
I did have a brief period where I had a sore throat for a few days. I just stayed home and nursed it. Not fun, but I got through it ok.
I have quite a number of edited stories collecting in my archives after posting them to my Patreon site. It occurs to me I could always try posting every 5 days instead of 6. And I can always upload an extra story every now and then if I’m so inclined. I might try that this year. So if you see stories posting every 5 days instead of 6, you’ll know what I’m doing and why. I hope that’s ok with you.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate having you visit my site to find a story or two that interests you. Take care, stay safe, and have a healthy 2022.