On The Mend
Melissa came home around 4:00 PM last Thursday and after several hours of sleep in her own bed she was able to wiggle her fingers. This, by all accounts, was a good sign. While her surgery was a success, and you can check out the X Rays, her hospital stay was a disaster. I unfortunately did not stay the night with her and found out the next day how bad the situation had been. Julie was also there throughout the day on Thursday to witness parts of the disturbing situation. The full story will have to wait until Melissa is feeling better, as we all know she is the better story teller. For now, we do recommend the emergency room at Seton Southwest Hospital, but we do not recommend the staff, nurses, or an overnight stay there.
However, Melissa was feeling tremendously better after a full night’s sleep. So on Friday we decided to head to Houston for our friend Jennifer’s wedding. I padded Melissa up in the car and tried to remember to pack everything (she usually packs our things when we go out of town). Once we arrived in Lake Jackson, we enjoyed spending time with my Mom and Dad as it was my father’s birthday. Then on Saturday I was able to spend time with my good friend Kenny, while Melissa caught up with her Pawpaw.
We met back at Pam’s house to get ready for the wedding Saturday afternoon. Melissa, Pam and I then headed for St. James Episcopal Church in Houston to help set up for the reception. While Melissa was not able to move tables, she was able to help get everyone organized and gave direction… the tables and decorations were set up in under half an hour. Things ran late (if you don’t know her, Jennifer is pretty laid back), but everything came together beautifully and the evening with amazing. So many friends and family were there to show support, one friend was even generous enough to make their wedding cake. It was absolutely gorgeous and it even tasted amazing to boot. They also received many gifts to start off their married life together, though Melissa and I’s favorite was the photo album put together by our friend Beth. We also thought it very generous that our own wedding photographer and friend Renee flew in to take pictures for them. You know a marriage has an amazing start when there are so many willing to help with the beginning. We wish them many years together and much joy.
Sunday morning we headed over to Richard’s new house to see what new had been done. He’s come a long way in the last few months and we hope his enthusiasm stays, so that he might be able to move in at the end of May. We left Richard’s house around 2 PM with the intention of stopping in Houston to visit an old friend that called as we were leaving town. Unfortunately Melissa started to get sick due to the amount of medication that she has been taking since her surgery to help with pain. We must have stopped three times in an attempt to make her feel better but her stomach just couldn’t take any more. I put my foot down and we started heading for home after I called our friend to make apologies. As many of you know, I don’t do that often since one of the reasons I love her is because she’s so strong headed, but I believe she was trying to bite off more than she could chew at the time. After several stops, a lot of water and a few Dublin Dr. Pepper’s later (for me, of course) we finally got home. I promptly put Melissa to bed and then finished some work.
This week started off rough as Melissa was still trying to get all of the medications of her system. She has decided that in the future, if given the choice, she prefers pain over crazy side effects due to medication. I’m going to agree with her as I’ve never witnessed someone so uncomfortable as she’s been over the last few days. This morning she did go in for her week after surgery check up, and she seems to be mending nicely, though I thought her arm looked a bit zombieish as it had shrunk and was yellow and blue due to bruising. 
The Doctor however said that all of that was normal and was able to remove her stitches. She argued a bit and is now in a new kind of removable splint instead of a cast. Nevertheless, I told her to keep a low profile over the next few days but we’re hoping that by the weekend she will be able to get out and do more.
We appreciate all the phone calls, web page comments and support from our friends and family. You never know when things like this will happen at its been a blessing having all the support. We should note that one person has been indispensable throughout this process — my sister Julie. I don’t think we would have made it through this without her. Once again, Thanks to everyone and especially Julie.
P.S. I’ll try to get Melissa to make a post soon as I’ve almost worked out a system for her to type using a microphone that takes verbal dictation.