45 Day All-Inclusive

Well as most of you know I have been dealing with a pressure sore that got infected for over a year. It all started in the beginning of February 2017. To read the back story click on the links.

First stuff.

Second stuff.

After dealing with this so long I finally made a decision to see if surgery would be possible. I told my wound nurses that I would be opting for a flap surgery. They agreed and I talked with the plastic surgeons and the thought a flap surgery would be the best way to go. I knew doing this type of surgery there was going to be a lot of rehab but I knew at least there would be an ending to it. There would be a finish line. The way we were trying to get it to heal naturally just wasn't working and there wasn't any end in sight. I was even behaving. For the most part.

My Fargo board.

I had my flap surgery February 5, at Sanford on Broadway. My stay at Scamford wasn't too exciting. On Valentine's Day I was transferred to CHI Lisbon Hospital. I stayed at Lisbon until March 22. I was transferred via ambulance. The two guys that chauffeured me were pretty neat. I tried to get them to turn on the lights but they said they couldn't. I also wanted them to go cross-country and do some road tripping, maybe hit a bar or two but they said they had to go shortest distance as possible as they were tracked by GPS. I also wanted them to do some Snap Chat videos. But again I was shot down. No fun. I did get them to turn the radio on 104.7 the Duke and had them crank it up. I think those two guys would've been fun to drink with. Maybe I will run into them again.

The doctors wanted me to go to Vibra, a long-term nursing facility in Fargo. I suggested going to CHI Lisbon Hospital. They didn't want that. But I was adamant. I'm glad I was. It took some doing from the staff in Lisbon to get me there. They had to pull some strings and convince the doctors. I am thankful they were able to do that. Thanks. The biggest hurdle was the new super antibiotic they had me taking three times a day through IV. But the pharmacist in Lisbon was able to work her magic. I had to do that antibiotic through March 21.

Once I got to the hospital in Lisbon I really didn't know what to expect. I just knew I wanted to be there and not Vibra. I have written about Vibra before. It used to be called Triumph then the name switched to Kindred and there might have been another name but now it is known as Vibra. It is now located in the new Scamford Tower. But they still have the same staff. Anyways, it is a not fun place. You can read about it here, Vibra stories.

So my IV antibiotic was late and my nurse, Kayley aka MacGyver didn't want me to waste time in the chair sitting in my room. So she rigged up the pump so I could go for a rip. #smallthings

Back to the story, I didn't know what to expect in Lisbon but I was greeted by three nurses who took care of me the rest of the evening. They were all so attentive, caring and helpful. I knew I was going to like this place a lot better than anywhere else I have ever had to stay. I was right, my whole experience at CHI Lisbon Hospital was just perfect. Everyone at CHI was just awesome. I can't get over how well I was treated. It felt like I was royalty. Everyone was always there for me. If I had a question or a concern it was taking care of immediately. I didn't hit my call light much because I don't like to bother the staff but when I did hit my light it was responded to very quickly. I can tell you this is not the case in a lot of other hospitals. Even when the floor was full of patients the response time was unbelievably quick.

As I said above, I got to know everyone in Lisbon quite well. For the first couple weeks I had to lie flat in a special sand bed. Couldn't get out of bed. It is noisy as hell. But it helps in the healing process. I had that bed the whole time. But even lying in bed I can still get into trouble. There was tomfoolery and shenanigans abound. The message board on my room was neat as usual. There was also some other stuff and things that went on that I probably shouldn't talk about in a public forum. Looking back at it, I just giggle. I think I was only busted three times. Geesh. I should grow up.

My Lisbon board was ever-changing.

During one of their monthly staff meetings at the hospital, there were three things that were brought up. They didn't mention any names or room numbers but a little birdie told me all of the concerns had to do with what was going on in my room. Neat. Sorry if I got anyone in trouble. But it was worth it. I bet room 103 has never seen the stuff it did while I was there.

In between all the hijinks, I was actually healing quite well. It didn't take long and I started getting the chair for fifteen minutes, three times a day when the incisions from the surgery were healed. Physical therapy did this twice a day and the nursing staff did it later in the evening. The next day fifteen minutes was added and that continued until I was in the chair for two hours at a time, three times a day. The physical therapy staff at the hospital, Mobility Plus are excellent. They're all awesome to work with. Thanks.

Going for a rip after hours.

There are only so many things you can do to kill time in a hospital. But every time I was in the chair I roamed the halls and harassed the staff. It was good times. When I was in the chair I didn't spend any time in my room. I had seen those four walls enough. So I would make the rounds three times a day going back and forth, back and forth. I got some of the staff in trouble because we would talk in the halls while they should've been working. In fact my first day at the hospital I got one particular staff member in trouble because she was sitting in my room for over an hour. We were discussing stuff and things that we had done in the past. She was busted by the head honcho. Good stuff.

It wasn't me. Honest.

While I was in the hospital I had a ton of visitors. There was only one day when there was no one there visiting. That was my second to last day I was there. I can't thank you all enough for all of the visits. It really does help the time go by. My whole stay seemed to go by quick. And I thank you for that. Along with all of the visits came a lot of homemade food. In fact at one point one of the nurses told me that the patient fridge was full of my stuff. I also believe this homemade food helped me heal quicker. I was eating like a king. I usually only ate food from the hospital for breakfast. It's not that the food at the hospital was all that terrible it's just that I was not going to turn down homemade food.

I cannot thank you all enough, everyone from the office staff, doctors, management, nursing staff, physical therapy, cooking staff and maintenance crew who all went out of their way to make me feel at home. I didn't know most of you before I came to Lisbon but I got to know a lot of you by the time I left. You will always have a special place in my heart.

If I ever need to go to a long-term facility again I know where I will suggest. Without your help I would have never been home this soon. We are lucky to have this type of facility in our rural communities.

Thanks everyone for their well wishes, cards, food, support and visits. You all don't suck.

Thanks for reading, Clint.