A GAME OF PATIENCE…

Day #24 @Hospital | Day #44 @SinceFirstSymptom

Good morning beautiful people :)

As I had noted a few days back, this vulnerable little virtual personal space of mine, where you are so kindly (it’s heartwarming!) coming back regularly to check for my daily updates, and even listen to my, often irrelevant, mostly absurd stories, might eventually become monotonous for you.

I suppose it might have just started already.

You may choose to get back these few minutes of your day back at your disposal because I think it’s going to be a game of real patience for me from here on.

And I, most certainly, am going to come back daily here.

Telling stories, sharing moments of joy, writing little poems, creating mini artwork, or perhaps simply doodling, during this precious patient time…

Will be good to have some company though :)

I’ll move on to the updates now.

HEALTH CHECK

• Finally slept normally yesterday, without anyone monitoring me overnight. From today, will have Safina Di looking after me during the daytime.
• And, I managed a good part of the night at 2LPM Oxygen! That has been my personal best so far, can’t wait to tell the doctors (while being awake I still sometimes have to bring it back up)
• No major news from the Doctors visit yesterday. They were happy with the progress, but yet, the next X-Ray follow up is not scheduled until a couple more days. So, yes, it’s just going to be a wait.
• Still strictly advised against chest exertion, or walking, or a lot of talking (those of you who know me well, know how astronomically oxymoronic is the expression “Silent Chhavi”! And it has almost been a month)
• However, they said, gently trying to stand straight, should be fine. And, guess what, I did it like a pro the night before (with Safina Di’s assistance). And, now I’m very comfortable standing up on my own and then sitting back on the bed. That’s the max allowed movement for now but it feels so incredibly amazing to experience GRAVITY through my body once again!

AVERTED A POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE

• Yesterday afternoon, a nurse casually walked in, while I was almost about to retire for a peaceful nap, and for some reason was very ‘pleased’ to inform me that orders had just come in to transfer me to another room down the corridor.
• What was even more perplexing was my very own reaction to this sudden cataclysmic attack on my ready to slip into slumber clueless peaceful mind. Panic? Anger? No. It was plain “Curiosity”.
• I found myself, very patiently asking her, just one question, “Why so?”
• She went back and fetched a more informed nurse who told me that this room needed to be put under maintenance, as the operations team has informed (by the way my animated roommate’s waitlist for a Non-Covid room got cleared late last night and he had been immediately transferred)
• This time, more firmly, I very clearly asserted that unless the ceiling is going to come crashing down on my head, could you please request the team to hold off this ‘maintenance’ for a few more days?
• I further, very patiently, added that this is the least a recovering Patient can ask for — some basic STABILITY (unless you’re taking me to a non-isolated non-covid zone, then that).
• Each time you change my room (this is the 6th!) my recovery goes back by a day. This time, I’m NOT moving. Please them know.
• [because it seemed like a one-off transfer just for me and not like the earlier cases where the entire floor was being converted]
• She carefully listened to me, was very receptive, and in complete agreement. She assured that she will help me, and added that she is like a friend, and will do whatever she can, to help me get some stability while I recover.
• And she very well did.
• The operations team acknowledged that the maintenance was nothing urgent and could be held off for now.
• The only bargain being, they will send a new patient to the bed next to me (they thought it was just about my being solo in the room), to which I happily responded, sure, why not, bring anyone on… [what do they know of the range of roomates I have thus far seen :D]

MY LITTLE NUDGE THEORY EXPERIMENT

• Now that I had slept well and managed to get some quality REM, my mind has started functioning again.
• Yesterday, I ended up designing subtle behavioural nudges for myself, to push myself towards some healthier habits, and perhaps a better routine.

THE ADJUSTMENTS I MADE

• Decided to lower the left-hand side boundary of my bed permanently
• Got 3 things urgently delivered from home “a power strip, an electric kettle, and a double-sided tape"
• Replaced the bulky hospital hot-flask on my table with the light-weight kettle, taped the power strip beside it, and got rid of pretty much everything else from there
• Added a dash of aesthetics (just perfect for the experience loving romantic in me) — some stacked assorted tea bags (mix of herbal, organic, green, black), a cup, a glass and a matching bottle, and click. Bliss Station Ready.

Bliss Station ❤️

THE RESULTS

• Keeping the left side of the bed open enabled me to be more active during and after meals, allowing a different position to dine in, helped me stay active right after meals (earlier I just used to lie down due to lack of options), relieved me of indigestion (that the hitherto restricted activity had been causing), and even made it possible for me to stand with support once or twice during the day, again improving blood circulation.
• The table setup increased my fluid intake by almost 3X, improved the quality of the fluid intake too (earlier it was only the masala tea that the hospital used to serve), but now I sipped herbal tea, organic tea, even a lot of hot water much oftener that soothed my throat (also further helped in digestion), and all this with a sense of aesthetic satisfaction.
• Decluttering the table and stacking everything away, helped keep random snacking in check, as now it was carefully timed and rationed due to limited access. And an accessible table space, and forced active time slots (post meals), further opened up new slots for writing, reading, and creative expression for me.

Time to Read!

I guess that’s all for today.

☺

Love All,
CHHAVI