Now I love soup and I like Jello, but I wanted some meat and potatoes. I had no problem drinking only the bottled water they were giving me though. So I fight to get out of this bed. I sit on the edge and my 4′ 10″, 130 lbs wife is helping me up. I was 5′ 11″, 230 lbs at the time. So she is having a hard time, but she wants me up and walking too. I finally make it up and with the very first step I could tell that this wasn’t going to be an everyday walk in the park. I’m holding, rolling the IV stand with my left hand and I have my right arm around Lita so she could help hold me up.
With every step I feel pain running down the left side of my body. We get about halfway down the hallway and I have to come back, almost didn’t make it back. Finally got back to the bed and was so happy to get to lay down again. When the nurse showed up, we told her that I did walk. Next meal I got some solid food, chicken and vegetables, I believe it was. It wasn’t the greatest meal, but it was an improvement.
I was in the hospital for almost a week. When it was time to go home, I was walking on my own, but speed walking was definitely out of the question. Of course, I had to take a wheelchair to the ground floor and my sister and brother-in-law picked us up at the front entrance. The ride home was pretty comfortable except for the occasional bump or dip we encountered.
My sister and I compared scars. Hers was about 2 inches long, mine was 12 1/2 inches. I win, I think. Of course, I was in a lot more pain than she was too, especially since she wasn’t in any pain.
I should mention here that the place where I worked at the time was People’s National Bank. They have since changed to Compass Bank, but I want you to know that the management at that bank, let me take off work for 2 weeks to have this procedure done. They said not to worry that I would still have my job when I returned. Not every place would do that for you. I really appreciated them being so nice.
At home it still wasn’t a picnic, especially for Lita. I was moaning, groaning and complaining for about a week and all she could do was listen and do her best to get me to shut up.
I remember one particular day; I’ll never forget this either. I was so tired of laying down so the next time I had to go to the restroom, I decided I was going to get up and go, instead of using the little bed pan I had. Well as I was getting up, I had 1 leg off the bed already, I felt the most horrific pain I have every felt in my life. Even to this day, I have never felt something that hurt so much. There I am, 1 leg hanging off the bed, scared to move even an inch because every time I did move the pain came back. I still have to go to the bathroom and I’m getting tired of ‘hanging’. So, after about 15 minutes, not exaggerating, I final forced myself up and to the bathroom. I’ve been kicked in the testicles before and even that didn’t hurt as much as that pain did. Guys that should give you an idea of just how bad that pain was.
I’m happy to say that my sister last another 26 years, 4 months and 4 days. She died on 23 August 2021 at the age of 60 mostly due to COVID-19 complications. So many kidney transplant patients never make it to 5 years, so what we accomplished really was an achievement.