1 Year 10 Months Update: Getting Back to Normal(ish)

In This Update:

• Ralf’s progress
• Getting back into the Gym
• Getting back to work

Ralf’s progress
Quick update on Ralf: recovery is still ongoing and steady, with intermittent set-backs that are mostly related to sudden belly pain, along with persistent nerve pain to his incision site. There are also two hard, sharp “fragments” inside the incision, just where the waistband sits, so we are in the process to have that checked.

Fatigue has gotten better overall, and he has been able to start light activities, such as bicycling around the neighborhood, slow jog-walk intervals, and banded/body-weight resistance training at the gym. I am so proud of him and all his has overcome!

Getting back into the gym
Speaking of getting back to activities: I also finally returned to the gym! I must admit, I was a little worried since I hadn’t worked out since last November, and I wasn’t sure how much of my progress had been lost. In fact, the empty parking lot across the gym has now a whole new building on it - still somewhat under construction but still!!! I wasn't here in that long?

To my surprise, I was pretty much able to pick up where I left of. I credit my “robust physique” to Angela’s customized programming and training, which built me up from the ground in such a way that my muscles (small and large) survived a prolonged “time out”. I can still do push-ups from the ground, a couple pull-ups (working on it!), along with weight lifting movements such as back squats and deadlifts.

Now, I've said it before, and I say it again: I am not trying to become an Olympic weightlifter or to win the Crossfit games, but I do believe that moderate weight training is important for long-term bone and muscle health. All the moves I do, the weight I lift/push/pull, and the distances I run feel good! No pain, only gain! I admit, though, that going to the gym is not the most enjoyable time of my day, but the strength and endurance that Angela’s training gives me enables Ralf and me to go on our adventures. And we have plans, lots of plans, for the future!

Getting back to work
With Ralf getting better and my own return to the gym, there also came the time to resume work. And sweet baby Jesus, the ED is as busy as it has ever been! My first day back was literally “Oh Hi! Are you back??? Super – Go open zone 15-18 (four high-acuity beds), I just placed two patients there..."Um, ok, I guess there is no time for a welcome-back party, lol!

I did get a very humbling “welcome-back present” though: a couple of days after I started work, I received an email from the VA Public Affairs Department. Apparently, I took care of a veteran just before I went on FMLA, and that veteran was so satisfied with my care that he wrote a letter to the VA about me. Next thing I know, a photographer appeared in the Emergency Department and took my picture to be published in the VA newsletter and Facebook page! That kind of feedback is so very heartwarming, especially since the crazy environment in the ED can make things very difficult. Being able to make a difference in other people’s lives is the best reward one could ever hope for!

Since one of the federal decontamination training events happened in January at the Orlando VA, I had the opportunity to get back into the decon suit and even participated in one of the decon training videos they were shooting! And no, this was NOT specifically related to the Corona virus…

One more stressor this month was related to the national examination to become a “Certified Emergency Nurse” (CEN) that was looming over me. From the day you pay for examination, there is a 90-day window during which the exam has to be taken, or your window of opportunity expires. I signed up at the end of October, thinking that I could study while Ralf was in the hospital. Well, that clearly didn’t happen! My entire focus was on Ralf, and I couldn’t’ even think about trying to study for a board exam!

So, comes January, the deadline approached fast. I had about two weeks now to pull myself together and cram for this 3-hour/175 question exam, which I was scheduled for the day before my deadline ended. I was so nervous that my shirt was soaked in sweat before I even entered the Pearson testing center. To top it all off, this was the same testing center where I took my NCLEX nursing board examination years ago to become a registered nurse. A pretty intimidating process, no matter what exam you are there for, I must say. After I was placed at a computer, I just did the best I could but I wasn’t at all confident when I clicked the “submit” button at the end. But what can I say, I actually passed!!! I even hugged the lady at the front desk check in! So now I am an “MSN, RN, CEN” – and I am also DONE with school or other examinations for a loooong time!

With that being said, work has been very, very stressful, and not being able to be home in the evenings when Ralf’s symptoms usually flare up has been emotionally taxing on the both of us. Those 12-hour shifts are long and draining, but until I get (hopefully) the new position in Education, we both will have to adjust. I am currently waiting for notification of an interview, so I am keeping my fingers crossed!