Can you get the number of that truck that just ran over me?

I guess I should start at the beginning of this week to explain some things but not sure if I can remember it all.

My surgery to repair my LARGE hiatal hernia was to begin at 2:25 p.m. on Monday. It was difficult to prepare the girls breakfast, lunch, and send them off to school, knowing I would not be home when they returned. We went over the details again to be sure everyone knew the plan.

I took advantage of the time doing a few loads of laundry, washing dishes, all those things I knew I could not for a while afterward. Plus tried to get caught up on emails from work trying to avoid leaving too many things hanging. I hate to leave my co-workers with more than they usually have, but know they can handle ANYTHING that comes and usually ANYTHING and his cousin EVERYTHING happens the minute I leave.

I packed my bag and went get Mom and Dad to go to the hospital.

OOPS!!! They were just sitting down to some lunch. Of course you know the drill, nothing to eat or sleep after midnight the day before, so sitting and watching someone eat did not seem like fun so Dad dropped me off in the circular drive.

When you have a LONG and COMPLICATED medical history, but are as healthy as I am, it takes a LONG time to get everything written down, and you worry that if you leave out one detail that might be the one thing the doctor really needed to know!

One of the funniest things was the need to do a pregnancy test! I got charged for one for Annabel before her surgery too, but knew she did not pee in the cup.

I went into OR very apprehensive, but within seconds of something in my IV, I know longer cared.

Unknown to me the surgery ended up much more complicated than he had anticipated and instead of 1 hour, it took 3, which then caused 3 hours of recovery. The hernia had caused the stomach to push up into my chest and twist around the esophagus and everything else that stays in that area was all entangled and nothing where it was supposed to be.

All I know was that i woke up in recovery in that state of panic that I always do but they started trying to explain that everything was late and that Dad and the girls were going home.

I looked up and could see the girls waving, Grace with these huge tears running down her cheeks, and Mom telling me to say bye and wave back. I don't remember anything from there, all though Mom tried her best to make me understand that it was very late and she was staying with me and Dad would take care of the girls.

I just knew I needed pain medicine because someone had driven a Mac Diesel through my chest!

Sometime later I asked again where were the girls? Mom said that Dad took them home. I thought I was surely hallucinating, learning that my Dad took my 2 little princesses home, fed them, got them ready for bed, heard their prayers and then started the whole routine over again the next day, which is really the more complicated side of the equation.

I'm not sure how many times I asked that because the whole idea seemed so bizarre! Not that I don't think Dad could do it, just has been a while since he did. Usually when Mom went to have a baby, Dad would load us up and go make a big purchase like a stereo while Mom was left at the hospital with their other new bundle of joy.

Tuesday morning he was woken up when Grace probably did like she does to me and hoovers over me while I am sleeping and begins a conversation in the middle of a thought and seems surprised that you are still asleep! Then Annabel will wonder in asking what the weather is like and that she is hungry! So it is a quick trip through the kitchen to prepare their expected breakfast, help with sacking up lunches, signing important papers, ensuring that everyone brushed their teeth and left with an appropriate outer garment and their backpack.

By the time Dad got up to the hospital, I'm not sure who was the most tired, Dad with the 2 girls, or Mom who was up and down with me ALL night. But they escaped to breakfast, some errands, and hopefully a nap. The doctor came late in the afternoon and decided I could go home. But shortly after he left, then my fever went up, blood pressure went sky high, and the pain became unbearable. Calls were made and the doctor decided I had to stay another night, which threw everyone into Plan C mode and Dad once more took the girls home, prepared dinner, oversaw showers, hair drying, dessert, etc. It was a rough night for Mom and I too, but we had some support on our end.

Discharge could not come too soon on Wednesday but knew I had to be home when the girls got there.

While I thought I had good care in the hospital, I had not been the recipient of my daughters' caregiving! Boy you want to be sure on your feet if you mention needing to go to the bathroom around Annabel, because she gets you under the arm and you are there QUICKLY, stays with you, and even prepares your toilet paper for you. Now that is full service!

We stayed at Mom and Dad's so if there were any problems, the girls would not be on their own.

I know there was a lot that happened in the next few days but when you are consisting on just liquids, clear liquids at that and pain pills, things just kind of blur.

I remember getting to spend some time on my deck in my wonderful new chaise lounge, viewing my new lemon and lime trees.

But with the time to think I realized what Mom and Dad do to make sure their visitors don't stay too long: they keep the temperature at 85 degrees! Even if it is 90 degrees outside.

So here it is Saturday night, I've broken all the rules that the doctor laid down, and feeling it. I was supposed to move to soft food this weekend. What I thought would be good is telling me now that maybe mashed potatoes would have been better.