March 11, 2004
I am so back
Urg. So what happened? I don't really know. I woke up one day and my leg was hurting. Of course, I ignored it. About two weeks later, I was limping. Two weeks after that, I could barely walk. It was a herniated disk. The doctor said that these kinds of things just happen sometimes with no injury and that some people live with it for years. I'm actually lucky, in a way, that it got bad as fast as it did because I'm exactly the sort of person who would put off taking care of it if I could still function at all.
The week-long hospital stay wasn't the worst, NYU Medical Center has my highest recommendation (as I've mentioned in a previous post, I am very familiar with hospitals I would say it is in my top two) and Dr. Vallo Benjamin, surgeon-extraordinaire, has long been a family favorite having performed the same operation on my father a few years ago.
I knew, before I went in, that I had the best people in my life. I know how lucky I am but, of course, times like this make you see that all the clearer. I know you tune into this blog for rightwing commentary and community but I have to take this space and thank some people:
My parents and brother were amazing. I know this sounds funny but I can't believe how worried they were about me. We're just a really realistic family, if something is wrong you make it better and move on. No whining, no crying, no sulking. So, it was hard to see my super-rockhard father looking at me all scared and my brother and mom telling me how they couldn't sleep (especially since the morphine shots I was getting were having me sleep quite nicely).
I often mention how incredible Peter is but the 14 hours he spent with me in my room after the surgery and the way he has been taking care of me before and since has been just unreal. He is the greatest and I hope you all have someone like him in your life.
I tried keeping track of all the visitors and I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. I'm just really still kind of stunned that close to 30 people stopped by and brought me junk food, flowers, seltzer and assorted other goodies.
Thank you:
Warren (made the best brownies I've ever tasted ever)+Tia
Mils
Coratchka
SMFA (SMVP!)
Dawn Summers
James
Frank
Felix
Pheeleepok
Mike D
Oschisms
Archie
MXLPCT
Lisa
Jessica
BB
Majestor Ludi
Laurie
Max+Michelle
Tobes
JC
David
Gus.
And thank you to all the callers (Peter's amazing mom and brother, Ari, Doug, Rens, Joy, Fedyook, Jeff Cook, awesome classmate Sara) and emailers (My teachers, Steffany, David, Bobby, Andreas, Gabriela, Karina, Stephanie, Jennifer, Robert) and commenters (Gib, Von Bek, Candace, Scott, the Commissar, Bobm, Kam, Yaron, Minh, Scott S, Radical Redneck). I hope I didn't forget anyone, I just really want to say THANK YOU.
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Thank you for the kind words of thanks.
It is wonderful to have you back and to know that you are safe.
There was only man from the New York City GOP ranks who ever held the highest office in the land, the much maligned and underrated Chester A. Arthur. No, TR does not count. He was a LI boy.
Arthur came to the White House due to the slow lingering death of James Garfield in the tortured summer of 1881 (we almost got into a war with Chile and Peru due to some real bad diplomacy that summer). There was hope that Garfield would live which leads me to the quote I waned to get to. On hearing that Garfield was doing better, Arthur (who had been trashed in the media since he was an opponet of Garfield's, just lost his wife and had been diagnosed with Bright's disease really did not want to be president) said, "As the president does better, so do I."
As you feel better, Karol, so do the rest of us. Count your blessings for your health, family, loved ones, etc and get better, so we all can too.
Posted by: Von Bek at March 11, 2004 01:52 PMNYU's hospital sucked... at least from a vistor's standpoint.
At one point only two elevators out of their 7-elevatored-bank was working. And they took like twenty minutes to make their way up the 17 floors and back again. And they were small. I stood with about 70 people trying to get on.
After missing two elevators, people started choosing to climb the stairs. Husbands kissed their wives goodbye as they left them to try their luck walking. The young left backpacks and purses with the elderly who still waited on the electric lifts. Couples had tears in their eyes as they watched the elevator doors close on one or the other, leaving each to their own devices.
One woman, who clearly didn't know I was born and raised riding NYC subways, tried to push her way ahead of me -- I gave her a 'Sorry, grandma, not this time' look as I elbowed her in the side and took the last spot in the up elevator.
Not since the Holocaust or the evacuation of the Titanic had parting been such a bloodsport.
Glad to hear you're feeling better, and good to hear you had such a great support system.
Welcome back.
Posted by: Gib at March 12, 2004 09:17 AMWhile I sucked as a stand-in and offered no blog solidarity, because I'm clearly breaking down, too, I am so, so glad to hear you're feeling better and that everything went well.
I'd also like to say that my midget dream was not wierd after all, since it was more like spina bifada than regular midgethood and involved some back and leg problems. In other words, I'm clairvoyant in this awful way.
To make up for it, I will keep prayers for your speedy recovery in my daily routine, which heretofore hasn't really included prayers. But really, I'm so glad it all went well.
Posted by: candace at March 13, 2004 08:19 PM
