Prompt: Third person post. Write about a memory you have but describe it using the third person. Use as many sensory images (sights, sounds, textures, etc.) as you can. Don’t use “I” or “me” unless you include dialogue.

The nurse was preoccupied with beeping monitors, tangled IV tubings and deciphering labs. The unshaven husband was by the patient’s bedside. He’d sit down for a few minutes then suddenly feel the need to move around, to break free of his fear. Up out of his seat, he’d walk around the room, looking at the same framed picture of an idyllic lake scene, switching the TV channels and stretch his aching back. He would refrain  from asking the nurse when she expected his wife to wake up again, although that’s all he could think about.

Not the type to scare easily, he was startled when the noise of the commentator’s voice came on the TV that there was breaking news. “Now what?” he muttered under his breath. Shortly, the nurse came to look at what was going on.

A scene of New York City, with crowds of people in the streets appeared on the screen. It was easy to be afraid without a word being said. The sight was all too familiar. The voices from the TV blurted that there was an extensive blackout with no known cause. The husband finally spoke to the nurse in a questioning voice, “Terrorists. That’s all we need now.” She patted him on the arm. “We’re safe.”

A movement from the bed was heard. First an arm moved, and then the patient’s eyes were opening and shutting. The nurse spoke quietly, “You can keep your eyes closed if it’s more comfortable. Your husband is here and you’re doing just fine.”

“I can’t see! Why is it so dark?” More squirming and tugging on the IV, not intended to do harm, but there was a loss of understanding. Fear was overwhelming the patient. The husband caressed her face, told her the surgery was done. She was fine. Slowly the fidgeting ceased.

A few hours passed and the patient attempted to speak, but it sounded like she was drunk, all slurred and sloppy. The nurse explained that the anesthesia and the pain medicine were making it difficult to talk. The patient tried to open her eyes again and when she did, everything was a blur. She began to cry. It was just her and the nurse and no matter what the nurse said, she couldn’t stop crying.

The patient was thinking that she had this surgery to clear up her double vision, to help her keep her eyes open, to help make her speech clearer. And it didn’t work.

Side note: This is the story of the day I had my thymus removed in a surgery called a thymectomy. It is done to help reduce symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis. I did end up speaking much better and my droopy eye and double vision improved greatly. I spent about 10 days in the hospital. Full recovery took about 3 months.

To help patients get the care they need, Michael Baroody MD has several different plans for financing cosmetic and plastic surgery. He offers competitive financing through Newtown Savings Bank. The other option is to use CosmetiCredit through Baroody Plastic Surgery. With flexible payment options, this process remains a good healthcare finance solution for any budget. Revolving credit limits cover multiple procedures. By choosing this option, patients free up cash, savings, retirement funds and other credit. At Baroody Plastic Surgery, the CosmetiCredit application process is fast and easy. Available in all 50 states, this finance plan is convenient and offers instant credit decisions. The plan pays Michael Baroody, MD up to two weeks before the procedure and ensures there are no delays or confusion.

Michael Baroody MD Is Highly Qualified and Educated

Michael Baroody MD is a board certified plastic surgeon. He attended Cornell University and earned his medical degree from the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He then was selected to become the first plastic and reconstructive surgeon trained using the advanced curriculum at Penn State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Michael Baroody MD has earned a number of high honors.

About Michael Baroody MD

He has also written several scientific papers concentrating on surgery of the eyelids, tummy tucks, and innovative ways to manage pain after surgery. To remain in the top of his field, Michael Baroody MD consistently attends meetings and training sessions all over America to integrate the latest innovations into his surgical techniques.

This is a sponsored post.

Being in chronic pain can make life intolerable. I’ve looked for pain relief in the form of over the counter medications, prescription drugs, physical therapy, surgery, prayer, natural (who knows what’s in it) supplements, creams, lotions and potions but it’s always there.

At this point in my life I live with it. That means that I may be in bed unable to do anything for days, or that I may be on the verge of tears, or about to jump down anyone’s throat, or just plain miserable. Other days, I just grin and bear it.

Recently I learned about a new form of pain relief called the The Egoscue Methos. This is personalized stretches and other forms of gentle exercises. Egoscue Inc. clinics don’t use the word “exercise” though. Instead the word “egoscuecises” or “e-cises” for short is used.

There is no use of drugs of any kind. It is not the same as chiropractic procedures. Surgery is not used or recommended either. There are clinics in the United States, Mexico and Japan. If you are not close to a clinic or unable to travel to one, videos are available online. You can also purchase products recommended for you to assist you get the pain relief you’ve been seeking.

This is a sponsored post. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Today was my annual mammogram. I absolutely hate having this test done. I can handle pain, since I live with it on a constant basis. IV’s, no big deal anymore. Pain injections into my joints, hah! But since I’ve had my thymectomy, which is just like open heart surgery, well my chest was cracked and opened and I have a huge zipper scar, going through a mammogram has been torture.

I was told that because it takes a long time for the scar and the muscles to fully heal, the positioning and pulling of a mammogram can be very painful. The first one after the surgery was the worst. I was actually crying, not from my boobs being squashed, but from the chest wall muscles being pushed and pulled. Each year after it was just a little bit better.

Today was the first year it didn’t hurt. When I told the technician, she said that I’d probably have to go through it again. She figured she didn’t “compress” me enough. But after waiting a few minutes, I was told the films were fine. I was done for another year!

My Aunt is in a rehab center for physical and occupational therapy after falling and breaking her shoulder and cheekbone. She was having trouble with her balance and walking prior to the fall and is even worse now. She of course only has the use of one arm and hand and it is not her dominant one. She’s a lefty and broke her left shoulder.

I guess with everything that has happened to her, the fall, the surgery, the anesthesia, her prior poor medical condition and her chronic illnesses, it is quite difficult for her to take to learning how to use her right hand. She is also very weak and it takes two people to get her to stand up from a seated position. I hope and pray that she is well enough to go home when her days are up in the rehab center. If that isn’t so, then I hope that we are able to get her more time there.

We visited her this evening and although we are very pleased with this place, she was sitting in her room with a roommate that sleeps all the time. The room was so dark. She is not by the window and it seemed a bit dreary there. I wish they had better lighting, maybe something like Quoizel lighting.

But it was a cloudy day and many of the residents were napping as it was later in the day. I promised myself to focus on the positives of the place. Of course I won’t ignore it if there are any problems, but I’m not going to get upset over small things, especially after what she went through in the hospital.

She did have both therapies today. They are still monitoring her while she eats to check on her swallowing. That pleases us a great deal. We also talked to the nurse about her arm sling as it keeps slipping and her arm is no where close to where it should be. She came into her room right away and rigged up something with a pillow while she’s seated to keep her arm up.

Now that’s good care, even in a rehab center!

When I was first diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis I distinctly remember being so frightened. I couldn’t tell you of exactly what my fear was based, but it was an overwhelming fear. It was as if someone had pulled a seat out from under me and I was falling into a deep, deep hole.

The fear turned into panic as my mind wrapped around all of the information that came with the knowledge of learning about the symptoms, the outlook and the treatment. When my neurologist recommended a Thymectomy as the main treatment to prevent the MG from worsening and to attempt to lessen the symptoms and the progression of symptoms, I felt trapped like a brown recluse spider trap.

I knew logically this was the best approach to take but at the same time I didn’t want to go through a major procedure that is like open heart surgery. I wanted to run away. I wanted to wake up and learn this was all a bad dream.

Making this decision wasn’t really that difficult as I first thought it would be. At that time my daughters were 16 and 5. I knew I wanted to be as healthy as possible for them as well as for me. So I chose the surgery. It was tough, but it was worth it.

When first being diagnosed with a life altering disease, don’t feel shocked that you are frightened and feeling trapped. Talk to your doctor, get help from family and friends and seek the help of a counselor if necessary, especially if you have difficult decisions to make.