The doctors visit and say I can go home this afternoon. I said no, I couldn't. I had not eaten anything or vomited what I had eaten. I had not had a bowel movement. They said they could convince the insurance company to let me stay another night.

The drain is removed from the wound. I can move now without anything dragging along behind.

The anesthesiologist visited and asked: "Do you remember me?" I said yes, of course. I remember the whole operation.

I ate breakfast and vomited it along with all of my morning medications.

I had two tiny, liquid bowel movements.

Lunch looked good and I ate almost all of it. It stayed down! Yeah!

The physical therapist has me climb three steps and back down. I do it twice, once with both crutches and again with one crutch and the railing. I thought they'd bring in a little portable set of steps for this exercise. But no, I was in the regular stairwell on concrete and steel stairs.

The occupational therapist brings a whole package of handy tools and teaches me how to use them. I get a reacher, a clothing stick, a long shoe horn, a sponge on a long handle, a device for putting on socks without bending over, and elastic shoe laces to convert lace-up shoes into slip-on shoes. She also brings a pair of crutches and a walker. The walker is the wrong size, however, so the correct size is ordered. I want the walker to navigate the uneven brick patio at home.

Dinner looks good and I keep it down, too. Another yeah!

I finish my first book, Shrink Wrap by Robert B Parker. It embarrasses my wife, the English teacher, that I waste my eyes on such trash. But I read to escape, and Robert B Parker is perfect for that.