I'm so happy to be back home! Today I moved back to my apartment and was seriously running out of patience. I was so tired of having my mom watch everything I ate and did, their constant talking during my work day when any interruption when she's on the computer is met with "Can't you see I'm busy?!" and most of all the low-level tension that exists between my parents. I know that relationship and see the tension they both hold toward each other's shortcomings, but they also know that I will listen to them complain about each other. What they don't get is how much that tension rubs off on me when I'm there for long periods of time. It sucks, always has, and always will, but for my own health I needed them to help me do just daily tasks.

I've still got about 10 pounds of water weight to shed, but today I enlisted them to help me food shop, I Swiffered the apartment, made peach-strawberry quick bread for breakfast this week, and tomorrow I'm making meatloaf. It's more energy than I've had in over a month.

Of course the flip side is that I'm still awake since I'm just reveling in being able to relax, watch TV, and not have to deal with them for a while. I figure that as long as I can sleep tomorrow night I'll be good to go, since I don't need the crazy amount of sleep any more that I did when I left the hospital. Six weeks makes a big difference.

So for now, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet and I know I can keep on the proper path. The alternative is no longer an alternative without seriously risking death.

I'm still alive and recovering, in fact I gave back the oxygen tanks yesterday after a week of my O2 sats remaining over 90 even at night. However, I'm still weaker than I was and tired most of the time. I need to constantly remind myself I'm recovering from pneumonia, pancreatitis, jaundice, and hepatitis all at the same time so OF COURSE this is taking forever. I'm also no longer 20 years old any more, and when I had the breathing issues post-appendicitis and ventilator that also took 6 weeks at less than half of my current age.

I'll get through this, and next weekend I plan on returning to my apartment, so I'll be doing stairs again and hauling groceries, along with hopefully getting around to cleaning it since it's been about 2 months since I last did so, but I need to put me first. Rest when I can. Don't overwork myself. And keep doing the next right thing. 

It's been 3 weeks since I was released from the hospital, and the exertion a week ago cooking/baking/etc touched off a short bit of pancreatitis again, so it's back to bland foods (boo!). My sister lasted all of 3 days before she couldn't take sleeping on the fold out couch and couldn't adjust to the noise of my oxygen concentrator at night which I still need. Sorry to disturb your beauty rest - oh wait, not sorry since I've been suffering about 100X what you are.

 I finally got back to my apartment briefly yesterday, and while my plants are dying and I watered them to give them a shot, everything else seems in order. I am greatly looking forward to being able to go back, but I know I'm not there yet. The swelling still has to go down in my abdomen and legs, and I'm hoping to gain more strength and nap less as time goes on.

Slow progress, but progress is being made and I shall see how much longer it takes until I feel mostly normal. Any way you slice it though, I want to be back in my apartment on June 29th as my mail forwarding ends. It's a good goal to have.