Found in the ENT Ward
The evening after my ACDF surgery I was wired up from the IV steroid injections I was prescribed. That, along with some achy shoulders and upper back, and being in the noisiest hospital room you can be put in (right next to the nurse’s station), I didn’t sleep at all. The neurosurgery ward was at capacity that day, so I was put in the ENT ward for recovery. Surrounding me in the other rooms seemed to be patients in a lot of pain. Their groans and overheard discussions with nurses were quite loud. Some of these people couldn’t communicate well. I shudder to think about those who couldn’t communicate verbally at all. I’m sure there were some.
Around 11pm that evening the nurse came in, as I needed to go to the bathroom and I was not allowed to get out of bed without a nurse to monitor me.
As I was about to get out of bed, the nurse went to pull the bed desk away from the bed so that I could have a clear path. When she did this, an extension underneath it slid out, and sitting there was this index card:
The nurse, who I later found out was deeply religious, started to tear up and asked me if it was mine. As I posted before, I woke up from surgery in relatively great shape, with relatively mild pain. That, along with my staunch atheism, would disqualify me from claiming it. She didn’t believe me, and left it there on the desk.
I made sure to take the card with me to keep as a reminder of how fortunate I was, and am. Throughout the first 4 months of my recover I kept it on a standing desk in my home office, about 4 feet from my computer desk where I’m typing this post now. I would look at it daily and give it a thankful “tap” when walking by. I’m putting it away in my “memories” box now, and will always keep it as a reminder to be thankful for my recovery.
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