Jailbreak Plans

EDIT: 8:59 PM. I got the news earlier, but just thought to update my blog this evening. I'll be leaving the hospital around 1:30 PM on Friday and will be traveling to Rockville, MD with Page to pick up medical supplies and receive training on the IV machines. Then we'll head back to Page's, where I will probably crash for the evening, reunited with my cat. I'm going to take Friday as easy as possible, and then think about getting my own apartment set up.

It's confirmed: I'll be released from hospital tomorrow, April 11th. Technically, I could get out of here tonight, but I want to make sure the various participants in my release (the social workers, the nurses, etc.) know their roles and the doctor's orders are correct and match up with my expectations before I bolt.

Once I'm ready to leave, it appears that I won't need to do anything until I get home. Sometime after my arrival at home (but within the current day), I'll get a call from the outpatient nurse who is working with my case handler. The nurse will arrange for delivery of my IV equipment and supplies, and then she'll set up a time to come over and train me. Page should be there for the training as well, so I will have a backup. From that point on, I will be on my own with some exceptions:

• A nurse will visit at least once a week to draw blood and check on me in general.
• I'll return to the hospital on Tuesdays for my weekly esophageal scan.
• I'll visit Dr. Smith on Thursdays to discuss my case.

Most of the weekend is going to be spent acclimating to life at home and without constant nursing care. I am a little frightened, since my worry is that there'll be an issue with the IV that I can't solve and I won't be able to summon a nurse to look at it. Additionally, I'll have to provide for myself - no one will bring me ice on demand, or take my temperature. I'll have to train my cat not to gnaw on IV lines.

On the plus side, I'll have true privacy again, and the comfort of an area that is really set up to meet my needs. My apartment is spacious enough to accommodate an IV machine.

I was also told last night that they wouldn't be able to send me home with IV pain medication. It wasn't clear at first what alternatives I might have, since oral medication was not an option as long as my wound exists - but today I got an answer: I'd be given patches. Presumably the dosage will gradually taper off so I'm not left in the uncomfortable position of having to quit anything cold turkey.

I'm going to try to go into the office on Monday. I have no idea what shape I'll be in, but I need to get back to work, explain my situation, and figure out how to ease back into a normal work experience. As much fun as I'm having working on this blog, it's not going to earn me a paycheck anytime soon.

I'll have to start packing soon - this place is as messy as my apartment. Unexpectedly, I think I'll miss this place, or at least the nurses who have worked so hard to keep me comfortable 24 hours a day since my arrival in March. I'll return here once I'm better to thank everyone. For now, it's time to get ready to leave.