I'm glad I stumbled across this morning when reading my Mayo Clinic Connect newsletter which I have been receiving since subscribing? several years ago when my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease with vascular dementia. That was a very stressful time, and the dementia support group helped me so much to understand what was going on and how I could process all of it. Now, I have just returned home after being in ICU five days and a day and a half on the surgical floor following emergency perforated peptic ulcer surgery. I also had Afib about 6 hours after surgery and a tube through my nose draining my stomach. The Afib righted itself about 12 hours later after meds kicked in. Didn't need any further treatment for that. I also experienced the feeling of being abandoned after being transferred to the surgical floor on the day before my release. It was so quite and I was used to someone checking on me almost hourly and now I saw no one. Since I was at the farthest room from the nurses' station, I didn't even hear any noises. I came home with a long list of meds and lots of instructions, but I have been so tired.
From other's messages, I will just have to realize it will take longer than I thought to get back to my busy self. I am 83 years old, but very active. Live in my own home, drive my car, involved in several organizations, editing a newsletter for three of them, and keep busy with church activities as well as visiting my husband, age 88, at the care center every other day. It is about a 45 minute drive to see him, so I have a couple friends who are giving me rides to see him for the next couple weeks. My daughter lives about 10 blocks away but isn't able to drive. She gets around by bicycle which isn't much of an option for me.