I know it has been a long time since I've been here to visit and post, but it has been a rough year in the long-term care industry. COVID has made it quite challenging. I thought I would make time to do a quick stop in, visit with some old friends and see how things are with everyone. Back in May I had to have major surgery after it was discovered I had a very large pituitary tumor which was interfering with my peripheral vision. I hooked up with a great team of neuro surgeons at the University of Penn Hospital in Philadelphia. The tumor was removed in one piece, through my nose. Yes, it is as horrible as it sounds. After 8 hours of surgery I was on the road to recovery. It was all benign and all turned out well. That was quite the experience. The recuperation was the hardest part dealing with the nasal congestion, inflammation, after visits, etc. Then going back to work after being off for three months and wearing these N95 masks made for long days. For the past month and a half I worked on a COVID unit so full PPE was required. Things are now calming down and we are hoping for things to lighten up a bit real soon. Life is good.
Rick, it's good to see you back. I thought maybe you had retired and moved on to other pastimes. Glad the tumor was benign and you are fully recovered. You are one the "heroes" working through the pandemic. (Personally, I'm glad I'm retired. The hardest part for me so far is staying at home most of the time.) Look forward to seeing some more photos and hopefully things settle down a bit for you.
Thank you Rick for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment. when I saw your name, I thought oh good, Rick is well.
I had to check you out right away. you're in full gear and back at work. how is he family. hope every one is doing fine.
It is absolutely great to see you, what we can of you in this get up! Good to know you are well enough to be at work again. My sister had that surgery years ago so I know what you went through with it! I cannot imagine having to go back to work wearing a face mask after that! Nor can I imagine the stress you must be under in your current job. It’s great you are able to take the time to let us know how you are doing
So good to hear that things have improved over this last few weeks...you have been through the mill in every way. Relief that your tumour was benign but so hard to wear a mask for work never mind the constant danger of the virus. Hope all the family are well & is it Jane...hope she coped with all the worry. Good luck with your health & work commitments over the next few months.
Wow! That's quite an unforgettable year at every level. So good that you have recovered so well and huge admiration and respect for your role at work. God bless you all!
Good to see you back & recovered. I work in long term care also...it has indeed been a rough year. Things are starting to settle down in my neck of the woods. Stay well.
So good to see you back again , and Ooh my , what a year you have had . Sorry to hear of your ill health but so pleased that all was benign and you are finally recovering -I am sure your wife and family have been a great help and comfort to you . Seeing you in the mask etc , seems to be the norm these days - Please take care and stay safe !
Wonderful to see you back - even just for a quickie. Know this has to have been an awful year for you. Glad to hear you own health is on the mend - though that must have been rough! Hopefully, the Covid crisis will continue to improve. Thinking of you and wishing you the best.
You've had a stressful year, Rick. It's good to see you back! Bless you for your work in the Covid unit. I'm hoping you were first in line for vaccination.
How nice to see you back, Rick! You did have a very tough time and I guess you still have a long way to go with Covid19. Very happy for you that the cancer matter has been favourably dealt with. Take care.
Hi Rick! Good to see you stopping in for a bit. Wow, I thought you had retired or were about to- but I'm sure your patients were encouraged by your presence throughout the stages of the pandemic. I'm glad to hear your surgery was successful albeit uncomfortable. I hope it has become easier to wear all that protective garb while you work. As for me, I'm trying to remember when you were here last, and can't! My health has been up and down. In 2019 I had surgery on my right knee which went well. In 2020 I had surgery on my left knee and that too went well. But I was still experiencing a great deal of pain in my hip while walking or exercising so at my last knee check-up I told the dr. what I was experiencing and we took x-rays. A CT scan proved his suspicions after the x-ray to be true. My right hip is malformed and probably has been most of my life- in fact, while most pelvic bones are curved, mine looks like it's missing a chunk (it's sort of scalloped in appearance). I've also manged to grind a "dent" as the dr. called it into the spot where my leg bone connects with the pelvis. So now I am headed for hip surgery. I will be able to keep up with the Bionic Woman by the time I'm done with all this! I do wonder if I will continue to have bone issues, so I have a lot of questions for the hip doctor when I see him this Thursday. At any aside from all that I'm doing well- and the Lord keeps me going. So that's my life in a nutshell!
I've dropped in so seldom anymore, it's quite fortuitous that we landed here at the same time! You're an amazingly dedicated nurse to cover to that degree after what you had to go through! Like Ann, above, I also thought you had retired. It would be understandable if they need medical professionals more than ever now, and you would have a lot of empathy with your patients. My very best to you, dear friend!
February 24th, 2021
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I had to check you out right away. you're in full gear and back at work. how is he family. hope every one is doing fine.