Back to normal

I had a doctors appointment today and got great news. I am now as good as new, lung wise that is. I still have to let my immune system build itself back up and I have to get my kidney stone taken care of.

What a relief. I have done a lot of reading on endocarditis and ARDS and a lot of folks who have ARDS don't make it and if they do they don't get back to normal. I know how lucky I am and I intend to live my life like I should have been doing all the years before I got sick.

I have noticed one thing, when you find out you almost died everything seems a little sweeter. By this I mean, my kids laughter, my husband's voice, watching my kids playing, hearing stories about my nieces and waiting for my nephew to be born. All the things I used to worry about no longer bother me. They just don't seem important any more.

So.........

On the third my youngest daughter, Emma turned four. On the sixth my only son, Alex turned seven and tomorrow I turn 28. I know that isn't old, but after all I've been through lately I sorta feel old.

I know that there are a lot of people who go through a lot more then what I went through. I guess my experiance was rather easy since I don't remember the worst of it. The doctors kept my knocked out for six weeks. It is really wierd to wake up at the end of March and the last thing you remember was it being the middle of Febuary. I mean when I got sick my hubby was in Iraq and I was alone with my kids. Then I wake up, my hubby is home and my kids are with my mom in Texas.

I am so thankful I made it. I know there was a period of time that they didn't think I was going to and if I did I would have brain damage, but I had other plans. It's just so wierd to know that I was so close to leaving my children without a mother and my husband without a wife. He tells me when I noticed him for the first time that I started getting better. He's my everything, him and the kids. I couldn't leave them.

I can't imagine what he went through while I was out. I know it took him a few days to get home from Iraq. I know he was by my side as often as they let him be. Before he came home my parents were with me. They tell me my dad took it the hardest. I hate that I scared them like that, not that I had much of a choice in the matter. But still............

Yesterday

Yesterday we went to the hospital I was at while I was so sick. I was in the ICU and sedated so I don't remember most of the nurses, but they remembered me when I walked in. A few even teared up when I was talking to them. They saved my life and I thought they would like to see me. We really don't give nurses enough credit. I have a new found respect for them.