Noo is back home, after several days in Macy's rehab unit, during which she received intensive PT and OT to get her well on her way to recovering lost strength. Our dog is ecstatic--Noo is her Person, if you know what I mean--and I notice the cats carry their tails a bit higher now that our little family is reunited.
Noo herself is incredibly upbeat, euphoric from the nectar of survival. I've noticed this in a lot of patients who have survived a critical illness: they awake from ventilator sedation with a sense of amazement at what has happened to them, especially the fact that they are alive to ask the question at all. Life takes on a profound new significance; every taste, every sound, even the aches and pains of ongoing recovery are gifts from this New Life. It is quite a wonderful experience to witness.
So much suspense and turmoil, followed by so much wonder and gratitude, all played against a backdrop of everyday life. I feel like I've been cast in a Shakespearean romance, shipwrecked, stranded, then rescued by benevolent spirits and indelibly transformed. My mind hasn't settled yet.
thank goodness. I can't imagine all of the turmoil in your life the past year. You, Noo, the dog, and everyone else in your household have my sincerest best wishes.
Posted by: pat | July 27, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Glad your family is back together. :)
Posted by: rlbates | July 27, 2009 at 03:12 PM
Hug Noo for us. I am so glad that she is home and your household is set to rights again.
Posted by: Gillian Chan | July 27, 2009 at 06:15 PM
So glad to hear that she is better. I was getting worried.
Posted by: dragonfly | July 28, 2009 at 04:06 AM
This is fantastic news; I'm delighted that she got through the vent episode unscathed.
Posted by: Hildy | July 28, 2009 at 06:23 AM