Progression

After spending some time at home with the dog and getting cleaned up and grabbing Deb’s slippers and buying a walker and getting lunch to go from Citizen, I finally made it back to the hospital slightly after 1300 (including another wonderful time spiraling s-l-o-w-l-y into Hell Dante’s Parking Garage – I wonder if that Lincoln in front of me will ever make it back out).  Deb has left ICU behind and placed in a nearly penthouse room on the 11^th floor.

Jackie was with Deb when I came in the room, trying to figure out if and where there was a leak in one of Deb’s surgical drains (near the bulb).  She was using bandage tape to try to cover where she thinks it is, but that’s not the best kind of tape for that.  I promised to grab some electrician’s tape when I go home again this evening (which is probably the right kind of tape).  Jackie is the best.  I mean that.  She has been around to see Deb often and even came in last night while I was gone when the night nurse in ICU had called her to ask a question.  Really, most people I know would have just tried to explain things over the phone, but Jackie came in from home just to make sure that everything was explained and understood.  I know she doesn’t live very far away, but that’s still outstanding dedication in my book.

Since I have been here I have met Deb’s day nurses on the floor and helped Deb get to the restroom and then take a much longer walk than any she has done yet.  I think it wore her out, though, so she’s lying back now and dozing lightly.  That’s likely for the best anyway.

Deb has now gotten to eat twice today.  I don’t think she enjoyed her breakfast all that much since it arrived while they were doing checks on her and by the time she actually got it everything was cold (which was fine for the yogurt but not for the eggs, et cetera).  She seems to have enjoyed the BLT she had for lunch, though.

Deb is also off of the IV fluids and painkillers now too.  She’s getting oral painkillers from now until maybe two or three weeks out (though the space between them will start to increase in a week or so).

And the spirometer has arrived today.  She really doesn’t like that thing (or that I nag her to use it).

--- UPDATE ---

Since I wrote the above Deb has gotten back up to go to the restroom again and has taken another walk out on the floor.  While I was proud of her progression on previous walks, this time she knocked my socks off by increasing her distance at least an order of magnitude (and increased her speed somewhat as well).  She plans to take two more walks of at least equal distance tonight.  Her only complaint is that she still can’t stand up very straight, but that is quite understandable given the nature of the abdominal disturbance she has undergone.