A story about how I came to love my husband even more than I did 32 years ago when we got married.
Hello.
I'm Milk, and I write a blog about movies and foreign TV dramas.
Today's post has nothing to do with movies, but...
Actually, I was hospitalized for about two weeks starting in mid-November due to poor health.
Around the beginning of November, I had stomach pain that lasted for about a week. Because of COVID, I tried to endure it with over-the-counter medicine, but when I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to see a doctor, I was immediately referred to a general hospital because they said, 'It's highly likely to be appendicitis.'
I took a taxi to the emergency room and was admitted immediately.
I think my husband was more surprised than I was that I went out saying I was going to the doctor and ended up being hospitalized.
According to the emergency room doctor's diagnosis, my appendix was quite swollen, so they said they would first reduce the inflammation with an antibiotic IV and then perform surgery at some point.
However, as soon as I had the antibiotic IV, I developed a rash all over my body, had a high fever of nearly 39 degrees, and a headache. My symptoms didn't improve after being hospitalized; they actually got worse.💦
Without knowing if it was an allergy to the antibiotics or a reaction to the severe inflammation of the appendicitis, they changed the type of antibiotic for me,
and my fever finally went down a little, so they decided to monitor me.
In the current COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn't even allowed to see my husband.
I sent my husband a LINE message with the things I needed for my hospital stay, and he brought them for me a few times, but they were handed over through the nurses, and I couldn't even see his face.
At the general hospital where I was admitted, visits were only allowed for people who had received three vaccine doses and had waited two weeks, and even then, they couldn't enter the patient's room and had to meet in the lounge.
Only one person per family was allowed to visit for 15 minutes, and it was by appointment only.
Since only eight people per day were allowed to visit each floor of the ward, if you didn't apply for an appointment quickly, the slots would fill up.
My husband had only received two vaccine doses, so he couldn't visit, but he found a place where he could get vaccinated as soon as possible and got his third dose right after I was hospitalized.
My husband and I had to listen to the explanation from my attending physician separately,
and my husband was told by the doctor, 'This is just a precaution, but we want to rule out possibilities other than appendicitis, so we will perform a detailed examination once your wife's condition stabilizes.'
My husband is a worrier, so I think he must have panicked tremendously when he heard that from the doctor. (He's the type of person who always thinks of the worst-case scenario.😅)
The attending doctor told me,
'Your husband was extremely worried about you.'
Me: 'Yes, that's right—my husband is a huge worrier.💦' (Thinking to myself, 'I knew it.')
I had received the same explanation, but I was actually quite optimistic about it myself.
Or rather, I just wanted them to do something about the fever, headache, and stomach pain as soon as possible! lol
Fortunately, my fever went down, the stomach pain subsided, and my inflammatory markers returned to normal,
so I was able to be discharged after two weeks, but even after being discharged, I had to go to the hospital for blood tests, a colonoscopy, and a CT scan.
Finally, yesterday, the results came back showing that there were no abnormalities anywhere.
As it happens, yesterday was my husband's birthday.
My clear test results became my husband's birthday present.
Needless to say, when I got home yesterday and told him the test results, we hugged each other and rejoiced,
but when my husband told me at that moment,
I thought I wouldn't be able to go on living if you passed away before me,
there were tears in his eyes...
He actually said it in Kansai dialect,
and while I thought to myself, 'You're being so dramatic,' seeing his tears,
I felt like crying a little too, seeing how relieved he was and realizing, 'My husband loves me and cherishes me that much.' We don't usually go around being all lovey-dovey in public or private, and if anything, we pride ourselves on having a rather casual and dry relationship,
but our daughters often tell us,
'Dad is just happy having Mom around, isn't he? We can really tell by the way he acts, speaks, and looks at you. What would Dad do if Mom weren't here?' (Sorry, I'm bragging!)
After 32 years of marriage, it's not like there's an event every day,
and we let the busyness of life make us take our ordinary days for granted.
However, having experienced my sudden hospitalization scare this time,
I realized deeply that these ordinary days are by no means guaranteed.
Before we got married (and maybe even now?), my husband was head over heels for me, and feeling his unchanging love even after 32 years has made me love him even more.
And I have resolved to cherish the time I have left with my husband more than ever before.
Last night, we celebrated my test results and his birthday together, and for the first time in a while, we both fell asleep in peace.
And this morning, feeling like it was some kind of attraction,
I came across this wonderful note by Konoemizu-san.
It is a moving story about a husband who lost his wife and is brought to tears by the wonderful memories of his beloved spouse.
I broke down in tears from the morning as well.
Konoemizu-san, I hope you don't mind me sharing your article.
I had intended to keep my hospitalization a secret, but inspired by Konoemizu-san's wonderful note, I decided to write and post this on the spur of the moment.
Thank you very much.
Having been hospitalized myself, I have deeply felt how difficult the work of medical professionals is, and I also learned a lot by getting a glimpse of the current hospital environment.
I also regret that I hesitated to go to the hospital just because of COVID-19.
I have an appendicitis surgery waiting for me early next year, but I intend to build up my strength and get through it safely until then.
There are so many places I want to go with my husband once I am completely recovered.
I still have to enjoy life!
Thank you for your valuable time and for reading until the end.
Even while hospitalized, when I felt well, I would find some free time to secretly post articles I had started writing, so I wonder if anyone even noticed?
I am such a carefree person, ignoring my husband's anxiety (lol).
Perhaps it is exhaustion from the tests, or maybe I just let my guard down now that I am relieved,
but I have a bit of a cold right now and a sore throat (it was negative for COVID-19),
so I am resting and recuperating at home.
Please take good care of yourselves and stay healthy, everyone!