ICU

A love story begins very simple and uncomplicated; filled with excitement, hope,and lot of anticipation of the future. As with every love story, a book with empty pages is given...to fill with the rest of this amazing story. Each love story goes through good times and bad, heartache and joy, tragedy and triumph, but the story keeps going, growing with each passing year....becoming a best seller.

Chris and I's love story is simple, but not uncomplicated, by any means...and our story may have more heartache and tragedy than we anticipated or wanted as a young couple, but it is our novel to write. Like most couples, we never know when the plot will turn sour or find treasure among the pages; but like any story, there has to be a war and a victory, a hero and villain, and hopefully, a happy ending.

My prince lay sleeping, writhing in pain, unable to communicate verbally, and my heart was aching at the scene before me. Instead of a forest full of talking critters and small little men, the setting of this story takes place in a cold hospital room in the thoracic ICU at the Medical Center in Murray, Utah....and this backdrop for our story was costing around $8000 dollars a day! We spare no expense for a good story. 

The surgery to remove Chris' lung took roughly around eight hours; eight hours of complete worry and fatigue, there was no magazine that could keep my interest, television...forget it, my mind was on my best friend being cut open in the room down the hall, having a major organ removed. 

Nine o'clock pm, and I was finally called into the ICU to see my husband; he was stable and doing okay. As I held my husband's hand, Chris mumbled, "my hand, my hand hurts." I hated to see him in so much pain and discomfort. The ICU nurses took over immediately trying to make Chris as comfortable as possible, checking vitals, making sure pain medication was working, and helping Chris with his nausea as he woke up from anesthesia. Chris had approximately eight IVs, all working to keep Chris stable...blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen, all beeping at once. 

During the surgery, Chris bleed out severely, and needed several blood transfusions...taking out a lung is bloody work, especially if it is diseased and dead. Poor Chris had blood smeared on his face, under his fingernails, and on his clothes....I tediously worked to clean him up, I know he wouldn't want to look this messy, so I took care of him, I know he would do the same thing for me. 

Chris was in the ICU for nearly a week, while he slowly became stronger as he walked the halls of the ICU with tubes and IVs hanging from him, he was a fighter, and I was in awe of his bravery. How can I complain about such small things when this man has been through so much? 

Chris was in pain, unable to care for himself, required constant attention with simple tasks, but his spirits were high, even making the nurses and staff laugh. I would walk through the halls of the ICU and nurses would say..."your husband is a crack-up!" The first time Chris went for a walk after his surgery (which was obviously a painful ordeal), he sat in an armchair slowly moving his legs back and forth proclaiming, "I am walking horizontally!" a quote from the movie Pitch Perfect; it was so funny, the physical therapist couldn't stop smiling....that is my husband, anything for a laugh.

Even as he prepared to leave the ICU, Chris was still left with an epidural for his pain, another chest tube, many IV fluids hanging from his pole, and constant blood transfusions. Chris may have been leaving the ICU, but we still had a long road ahead of us...we would be in Murray nearly another month, still recovering from his right lung removal, the chest tube would not stop draining blood and inflammation.  

When could our family be together under one roof again? When could I stop driving and falling asleep at the wheel? When could my kids stop worrying if daddy was coming home? When could Chris be free from his prison? 

Seventeen years ago, this coming June, I walked down the isle towards my prince, anticipation in my heart of a family, excitement for the adventure we would write in the blank pages of our book...but you know, our story is not over yet, it is just beginning; just you wait for the exciting part...these stories are gonna be nothing compared to what is next! 

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our love story....