The best day of my life...EVER!

I don't know if anyone remembers when Michalla was at the peak of mucositis and her mouth and throat hurt so bad because it was so inflamed and  had so many sores going down her throat.  She physically couldn't swallow.  She was so thirsty but couldn't get any relief.  She told me that the day she could have a drink of water again would be the best day of her life...EVER!   I joked with her and said, "Really, ever?" It was pretty funny but she meant it.  She wanted water so bad that nothing in the world could seem to bring any more pleasure than just being able to quench that thirst.

Well, that day has come.  We are not talking little sips.  We are talking big, quench your thirst, not hurt when you swallow drinks.  Last night she was just drinking out of her hospital mug with the big straw like it was the easiest thing in the world.  She drank about a quarter of the mug before coming up for air.

I reminded her of what she said and asked her if she remembered saying it. She said she did remember and every time the water slid down her throat without hurting she thought to herself, "this is the best feeling ever. I love this.  This feels soooo good."

It is so sweet that the little things that we take for granted are brought into a light that makes you feel grateful for them. It is amazing that a drink of water can make a person's whole day.

It is a good reminder to not take for granted all the little things that just work in our bodies that we don't even have to think about. It is also a good reminder to me to enjoy the little things in life, to get pleasure from a cold drink of water.  Right now it is sometimes hard to find a lot of 'big things' to find pleasure in. My life is so full of mundane things.

I went outside today for 20 minutes when Michalla dozed off and sat on a bench with my face to the sun and just soaked in the sunshine.  That was my "this is the best feeling ever" moment..  Every minute I sat there I was grateful and didn't take for granted that I was having this opportunity to just be outside in the sun.  I want to thank Michalla for giving me that gratitude today for something small.

Michalla is still in a lot of pain. She cannot move her legs without help because she is still so weak.  We have to lift them on and off the bed and move them when she rolls over.  She was able to stand with me supporting her for about a minute though.  That is better than last week so she is making improvements.  She is working so hard.  Every few hours she does her lung therapy--even during the night.  They did chest xrays at 4 am this morning so hopefully they will show that all her hard work is paying off.

She said the thing she is looking forward to the most about moving back up to the ICS is being able to go to the bathroom in an actual bathroom rather than a portable toilet sitting in the middle of the room with nurses walking around her. (She does still have the catheter on because she is still peeing blood clots).  Can you image the pressure of trying to go with people around and out in the open?  I imagine the day she can go to the bathroom in privacy will be the 2nd best day of her life...Ever!