Inside, outside, upside-down

Here I am, in all my pajama-sporting, IV-toting glory.
On this day, I actually took a shower.
There is a way to take a shower with an IV in place,
but I'm nervous about the procedures involved.
As it turns out, I've had three IVs in six days,
and every-other-day showers are working so far
(don't judge).

On Tuesday night, I fell asleep just before my IV bag drained completely.
When it dried out, blood from my arm went into the IV tubing and a clot formed.
Bye-bye, IV.

Yesterday a new nurse came to place a new IV. Her first attempt failed.
I begged her not to try in my hand (begged, I tell you),
but she did it anyway.
I was so upset about the painful location that severely hampers my functionality
that I needed to take a walk and clear my head.
So out I went, bundled against the 12-degree weather, IV pole and all.

I imagine I was quite a spectacle for the two or three people
who saw me from their cars.
Oh, well. My slow, slow walk around the block was invigorating.
My upside-down life is distressing at times,
but fresh air and sunshine just might be my ticket to sanity.