Exhaustion

Quote for the Week

Kurt Vonnegut said: "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

Oh, how true. Since my daughter's surgery this past Wednesday, I've lived in the Land of Exhaustion, home to those species who never sleep. It's funny how quickly one becomes accustomed to napping in 2-3 hour segments then arising as soon as the cell phone alarm sounds to make a snack in order to take the pain meds.

At least, we found a pain medication that she can tolerate. Took the first 48 hours of trial and error including a trip back to the surgeon for 3 nerve block injections to get "ahead" of the pain.

We've got a system. Eat snack, take meds, visit bathroom, back in bed to sleep until alarm sounds in 3 hours. Then repeat the process.

We've laughed ourselves silly at the dumbest things - like my spilling an entire can of ginger ale as I was trying to set it on the bed table in the wee hours. Certainly doesn't sound funny as I write this, but, at the time, I had to sit on the floor I was laughing so hard.

Tears? You bet. A veritable ocean of them at times.

Takeaway Truth

Patient and parents are faring nicely this 3rd day after surgery.