Yesterday was a looong day.

My last "free" weekday before returning to work started at 5:45 a.m. I was on the road an hour later, on my way to the hospital for a nuclear stress test, which actually was very, very easy and kinda fun - the credit for the fun belongs to the very nice, professional and funny staff at the cardiac stress lab. The worst part was that it was a fasting test, nothing at all 4 hours before the test and no caffeine for 12 hour beforehand. 4 hours before an 8 a.m. test = no liquids after 4 a.m., so in reality I'd had nothing since about 10 the night before, and I arrived thirsty, caffeine-deprived and very tired. I nearly fell asleep during the resting portion of the test. By the time I got on the treadmill I felt really dehydrated, and my mouth was as dry as my poor yard, which made puffing along at a brisk pace up a steep incline a lot more challenging than it is at the gym. That first cup of water post-test was sooo good!

While I was in the post-test cooldown period the staff was talking about a patient who was brought down to the lab for a test even though her condition was such that it wasn't a good idea at that time. Comments were made about nurses who don't read charts. I snorted, because this brought back a memory of my memorable ICU stay - the nurses kept asking me what I was getting for pain! This struck me as kinda odd, I'm in the ICU with tubes running in and out of everywhere, I can't even see the IVs and machines positioned behind my head, which, excuse me, had just been cut open a couple of days earlier and they're asking me? Shouldn't they be looking in that phone book sized chart on the shelf over there? I still can't believe they were ready to take an ICU patient's word for it - it wasn't that they were testing me either, they expected me to know, and some acted a bit put out when I didn't, and sighed, "Never mind, I'll find out." Uh, yeah, isn't that your JOB? I mentioned this to the lab nurse and she just shook her head and sighed. Of course, that was just one of the many incidents that blew what was left of my mind - all I can say is, if you have a loved one in the hospital and that person is not lucid and able to speak up and defend him/herself, try to have someone with the patient as much as possible, because some of the things that happened were absolutely nuts. Funny in retrospect, only because I was lucid enough to deal with it, but appalling when you think about it. Someday I will tell the Story of the Bedside Commode - it has become an oft-repeated tale in these parts. I swear Cousin C has repeated it to the entire population of her active adult community where they are avid collectors of crazy hospital tales, because it's so bizarre and funny, but also truly awful. Let's just say I was strongly motivated to disobey orders and get up and toddle to the restroom on my walker. I think I made a remarkably fast recovery because I HAD to.

The middle of the day was mostly spent on the phone, discussing various work-related issues, my re-entry is going to be interesting. So many personnel changes have taken place and so much has happened while I was out, it will be almost like starting a new job, except I already know it's going to be insane.

Then, the gym - I've started adding weights to my workouts, which means I'm cutting back on the cardio time just a bit to make time for both. I have already done 76 miles of Runagogo's 100 miles by the 4th of July, but between returning to work and adding weights, I will not be racking up the miles as I was. I am determined to stay with a 4x a week gym schedule after returning to work, it is the best stress reliever I know, and I do feel much healthier post Brain Thang than before any of this happened.

Then home, feed critters, take a shower and out for the evening with a group of friends I hadn't seen since Before Brain Thang. Much fun, stayed out later than I'd expected, came home to find two anxious little doggie faces watching at the sidelight window by the front door - but Dudley was good, no shoes or other innocent objects died for my evening. Maybe they are getting used to the idea that both Mommy and Grandma can go out at night and we will come back and the dogs have not been abandoned and will not have to pay the mortgage. They worry.

Knitting: I've made great progress on the Argosy Wrap, I'm about halfway through it, and it has awakened my cravings for more colorful handpainted yarn, which makes me want to Buy Yarn. But I will be strong and resolute and work my way through my stash. Yes, I will. Photos of Wrap Progress later.