Stoma closure day +5 Weds 12th May

I awoke bright as a button this morning. The sun blazed in through the window and the ward was stuffy from being shut up all night.
" I slept well" I commented to Graham who now occupied the bed to my left.
"I know you did, I could hear you" he replied.
Apparently I had been snoring most of the night which was unusual for me unless I have had a few beers!
I felt revitalised, the muzzy, tired feeling of the day before had gone, I was in no pain and my stomach felt fine.
I sat on the bed crossed legged with the latest issues of Trail magazine and Descent when suddenly I was surrounded by the doctors! They had come early on their rounds. Both Mr. Moran and Mr. Cecil were there.
"Blimey, you look better than when I last saw you" Mr. Cecil commented.
"He was sat out front last night" replied Mr Moran.
They asked how I felt, I told them that once the N.G tube had been fitted things had started to work within hours.
"That's interesting" they said
"In future I think we should just bite the bullet and do it" Mr Moran said to Mr. Cecil giving me the impression that they had perhaps experienced something similar before.
"So go home today?" said Mr. Moran.
"Today?" I said a little surprised.
"No reason why not, your well enough" he said.
"Great!" I replied and thanked them for all they had done.
I grabbed the phone immediately and phoned Tracey. She was pleased. The next thing was to try and arrange a lift back to Bristol at such short notice. Dad was working and his weekly day off wasn't until tomorrow so we may have to stay an extra night.
After a few calls Dad decided that he would come up and pick us up after work and then he could have a full day at home tomorrow.
I tidied my stuff up and got dressed into my civvies. The nurse came again to change my dressing and gave me some extra for the district nurse to use when we got home.
I had a wander down to C2 ward to see if anyone was around who I knew just to say hello. They were all pretty busy and there were a lot of new faces there. I then stopped by Sue's office but she too was out on he rounds.
Finally the time came to leave, Dad was arriving late afternoon and the nurses wanted my bed so I decided to go back to the flat with Tracey. I said my goodbye's to the chaps on the ward and wished them all luck. It was like a mass exodus, both Albert and Colin were also leaving today, Paul was due to leave the following day, leaving Graham and Dave.
We said our goodbye's to the nurses and left them a box of chocolates as thanks and then headed down to the flat. It was good to be out. On the way I bumped in to Sarah, one of the nurses who had looked after me on C2. We chatted for a while and she remarked on how well I looked. I thanked her again for all she did for me whilst I was in her care.
Once down at the flat we made a cuppa and sat with the T.V on awaiting Dad's arrival. The T.V was full of election news that David Cameron was the new Prime Minister. Whist we sat there I noticed one of the male nurses stood outside having a cigarette. It was Vasili the nurse who looked after me for the biggest part of my stay in ICU. He'd looked after me very well and I wanted to thank him for everything he'd done for me.
"Good to see you standing up!" he said witha smile in his Romanian accent.
"How are you Vasili?" I enquired.
We chatted for a while, him telling me how things were going on ICU.
"We have good month's and bad month's" he said. "Sometimes the Pseudo patients are moved from ICU onto the ward only to come back again a week later with chest infections or other problems. It goes in fits and starts. The one thing I have noticed though in my 12 months here so far is that it's all about the patients attitude. If you go into it already admitting defeat, feeling down then you will struggle. If like you Dave, you are positive and fit and healthy you will do well. I cant believe just how much your mental attitude towards it has such a big part to play in the outcome"
I'd always thought this was the case and people always say it. But to hear it as an observation from an actual ICU nurse couldn't be any clearer. If you are going to get through this without too many problems then a positive mental attitude must be adopted. Fact.
We chatted a little longer and then I thanked him again and we said our goodbye's.
Dad arrived a little after 16:00, we had another cuppa and then loaded the car and made our way home. Isn't it just typical, the one time you really just want to get home and you get caught in traffic. A poxy hole in the ground just outside Newbury held us up for ages.
We arrived home early in the evening during a heavy shower. Chloe was at the door waiting for me and Jess in the window. It was great to see them again, I'd really missed them. I grabbed my coat and pulled it over my head and made a dash from the car to the house. I hugged the girls who were excited to see me and then hugged Mum.
They were surprised to see me in such good condition and expected me to be in a similar state as to when I came home from the MOAS I think.
It was great to be home.
Just before bed I jumped on the scales. I was down to 10 stone 11lbs. That's bang on a 2 stone weight loss since the point I was admitted in February.