new job

     One you hear that you're going to be in the hospital about a month straight, you'd think boredom would be the biggest challenge.  Au contraire.  It's a whole new job.  And it's more than full time.  It's all the time.  A constant barrage of medications, measurements of vital signs, various tests and blood draws are always taking place.  On top of that, the patient is expected to participate heavily.  Exercise.  The more the better.  But when you feel like shit, the last thing you want to do is drag your IV pole around.  Breathing exercises every two hours.  Gotta keep the lungs clear because pneumonia is catastrophic at this point.  Eat.  Exercise classes.  Wash your mouth out with salt and soda every two hours to help prevent oral sores.  Exercise.  Try to sleep in between all the beeping of the IV pumps (he has 7 seven different pumps now) or the interrupting various measurements.  Exercise.  And dealing with pushy family members telling you to exercise.  Sheesh!  Who doesn't want to just crawl into bed when you feel horribly sick?  But that's the last thing you can do.  They want you up and out of the bed for 6-8 hours a day.  This is not a respite.  This is a war.  Your life depends on you continuing to do your job.