Well, we made it! We still have to get up the stairs after dinner, but we made it home. We are all a bit weary and Nate is cooking Lemon Chicken Rice for us. Thanks, Nate!
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Home!
Category: Hospital Stay
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Breakfast
Alex had a really good night. He has his appetite back and is eating a nice breakfast this morning. Dr. Koop says he is a “ahead of schedule” and has some hope that Alex will get home today! We are lining up a wheelchair and walker, but signs are good we can beat the blizzard home. The only downside with this speedy return to the home front is that he would be coming home in the Robert Jones Dressing and will have to return next week for casting, but we’ll take that if we can get it!
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Joyful snoring
Mary and I have been trading off nighttime duty. She took the first night, I will be here tonight. Of course, sleep is hard to come by in a hospital inpatient ward, but we give it a go. Right now I am pleased to hear Alex snoring away. Hm, someday we may have to send him to Cornelia for an evaluation, but for tonight I count each snore as a victory.
The overnight nurses were amazing. Carolyn and Meg would glide in every two hours with a whisper and tiny flashlights, get their work done quickly and quietly, and glide out again. I was impressed at how well they worked with Alex and how quickly he would fall back asleep. He got a lot of sleep, though not quite as much as he can get at home.
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Brotherly love
Nate stopped by for a visit after work today. The room was filled with laughter as we commiserated with WordPress nightmares he is having at work and the terrible junk food his dad is imbibing at the hospital. Mary can’t drive at night, so Nate was also getting Mary home for some well deserved rest.
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Carcassonne
We love the board game Carcassonne and its iOS version is a masterclass in translating a game to the iPad. Alex and I played a game during our quieter moments today, and of course he beat the pants off me!
Fun fact, we’ve even had a chance to visit the town of Carcassone in France with Dagmar once. We like the board game more!
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Up and at ’em
Emily from PT stoped by to discuss mobility options with Alex. We have been planning to use a knee scooter at home, but after some conversation with Emily, Alex decided to give a walker a try. Even though he has little strength on his right side, the walker gives him more stability. Emily also pointed out that a walker could be fitted with an extension that allows his right arm to provide quite a bit of support. We also decide to rent a wheelchair to help us get Alex up and down the porch steps, though frankly if the weather forecast holds out this may be a very challenging exercise when Alex is discharged (we are expecting a blizzard this weekend).
Alex got to practice both the walker and wheelchair with Emily this afternoon. He was very motivated to get to the bathroom, being no fan of the commode that he had been using thus far. Alex was a champ, keeping his right foot off the ground, stepping carefully with the walker as he pivoted to the wheelchair, and reversing the whole process in the bathroom.
He has since twice more gone through this routine. The walker looks like a keeper. Thanks, Emily!
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Life-T
Alex just had a nice conversation with Carrie about “therapeutic recreation services,” although we soon renamed what she was offering “life-T”. she was interested in how Alex spends his time and what might be done to make his time at the hospital pass more pleasantly. She loved hearing about Cadi (the cat) and told us about therapy pets who might stop by. Alex also talked about creative writing and drawing. Alex even thought some follow up with Carrie after his recovery might be valuable.
Alex and Carrie had a really energizing conversation. It is great that Gillette has someone focused of doing what they can to help patients dig themselves out of the doldrums of a hospital stay. Just before she visited Alex was really feeling the dumpiness and indignity of the experience. Her visit was a real tonic.
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Party time
Tracy, the charge nurse, brought the whole team in for a visit. She described Alex’s condition to everyone and they seemed happy with his progress. Alex is eating a bit of breakfast and expecting a day of rest, recovery, and PT.
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Hoping for a good night
Mary will be staying with Alex tonight. Alex had a brief bought of nausea, but is back on track. We are hoping he (and Mary) can get some rest.
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Relaxation
What does Alex do for rest and relaxation?