Feeling Yellow

I just have one quick thing to say before I let you read Jessa's note. The first night that Jess comes home is going to be reserved for our daughters. I think she will be worn out Monday but she really wants to see them. Here's Jess:

Hi all. I had a good day with lots of visitors. It is amazing how many people I get to see even though I am so far away from home. The nurses are starting to think I am pulling their leg about the Texas bit.

Okay, about the yellow. Background first: you should know that when I spent my week in room 11 of the surgical ICU, there was a man in the room beside me that had “special precautions”. A common topic of conversation with Jake, my mom’s, and myself was to figure out his illness. Every time anyone went into his room, they suited up with purple gloves and an additional yellow disposable robe, sometimes donning masks. We knew he must have some communicable disease, etc… but we never did figure it out.

Well, you know I am now up on the 4th floor, still in my pretty room, as I have been since Monday night. Flash to tonight, and since the night shift everyone has been coming in my room wearing what else…yellow robes and gloves!!! Each time someone comes in, they are all suited up. I asked a nurse, who was not mine, what the deal was, and she said that she would tell my nurse to come talk to me all about it. All about what?? Why am I yellow?? When my dad and Jake came back from a break, I told them, “I think I am yellow!” Jake went outside my room to look and said I had a precaution sign by my door just like my ICU neighbor. My dad went out and said it looked more like a precaution sign on an inadvertently placed cart beside my door.

Either way, I decided pushing my call button for my nurse would get to the bottom of it. Before my nurse could arrive, a mentor nurse came to do her normal rounds. I asked her about my yellowness. She went on and on to explain ALL about infections and non-resistant strains of such and such. I am, at this point, slightly scared as NO ONE has told me about this. My dad asks the mentor to go check my chart and get back with us with more information. He is still about 10% sure that this is all a mistake.

I am now thinking I am yellow for a good 10 minutes, wondering what that means as far as going to a new hospital, airplane… My mind was spinning through potential scenarios at a fast pace.

BUT, in walks the mentor and my nurse without yellow to explain it WAS an inadvertently placed cart, and I am NOT yellow anymore!!

My nurse did say that the yellowness would actually protect me more, and it was not all bad. I am just glad to know that I am my own color again.

It does, also make me want to get home. Even more so to my own home, which is a lovely brown.

Love to you all,
Jess