Yesterday we had a breakthrough...of sorts. More on that later, we'll start at the beginning.

I got to the hospital at the usual time and Bill told me that a dr. had already been in. He couldn't remember which one, only that he was tall. Brian the nurse and I decided that it was Dr. Threlkeld, even though Brian hadn't seen him on the unit. Maybe he was going to try to get to a church service, but most drs. don't round at 9:30 Sunday morning! And, I didn't seem him all day, so it must have been.

The cardiology practitioner came in and said that some of the cultures had come in and Dr. Threlkeld might make some changes to meds. She said he sounded good (compare to Dr. Fox saying he heard every bad sound possible the day before) and maybe he could go home in a couple of days (also compare to Dr. Fox saying ain't happening any time soon).

We asked Brian if he could take a walk, even if he didn't walk but had a ride in a wheelchair to the end of the unit to look out the window. His view is of a rooftop and another wing of the hospital. Brian thought that was a good idea.

I got Bill's razor out and he shaved, again using the trimmer first. But he did a really good job. Then we put on a clean T-shirt and got him cleaned up a little.

The ENT came in after lunch and she's another one that I like. I don't remember her name. She said that his CT scans weren't too different when she compared them, but this latest one did show some infection, and the swabs she took bore that out. She also checked his ears and he does have fluid in both. The left is not as bad as the right, which explains somewhat why he can't hear. Right now she is content to treat with nasal sprays to see if that clears it up. If not, there is a minor surgical procedure that she can perform that involves a balloon. I'm not really clear on it but I think the balloon goes in through the nostril and is inflated to keep the sinus open and then it is rinsed out. She's reluctant to do that right now as it does require some sedation. But, if the sprays don't work that will be the next step.

We didn't see Dr. Fox. Well, let me clarify that. I saw him walk by the room twice, once coming into the unit and once going out. He looked in the room both times and kept walking. I just don't like that man! He was also keeping his assistant, whether he's a resident or nurse practitioner or just another dr. from the practice about 4 paces behind him.

Now for the breakthrough part. Brian brought in a wheelchair and a portable oxygen tank with a mask to use. We had talked it over and thought that it might be easier for him to use since he breathes through his nose. That actually turned out to be a big mistake! He didn't even make it to the door of his room and he was having a panic attack that he couldn't breathe. We sat him down and showed him that the O2 was on full blast and he just had to breathe though his mouth if he wanted, just breathe however he wanted. Nothing worked to calm him down except to put the nasal cannula back on. Once his O2 got to an acceptable level, which is 90 and above, he started walking again. I could watch his oximeter since I was behind him and it was steadily dropping, but Brian said he could hear him take big deep breaths through his nose. Now, Bill's room is the first one as you come onto the unit, and I don't know just how many rooms there are but he walked the entire length of the unit which is a pretty good length. When he said down in the chair his O2 was 80 and he asked Brian if that was good and Brian said that it was pretty bad, that 90 and above was what it needed to be. So, he sat and just breathed and it came up, faster than I thought it would without a lot of prodding. 

While we were sitting there, Em, Bryan and McKenna came to visit! I knew they were coming but hadn't told Bill. They brought him a goody bag of all sorts of things he really shouldn't eat, but Brian said they would just adjust his insulin. And I can tell Bill's feeling better because he's wanting to snack some, whether out of boredom or actually being hungry I don't know. They stayed about an hour or so and I could tell that Bill was getting tired.

Up until the walk he had made the comment that the days were getting longer, meaning of course that it was the same day after day with no variation. And I agreed, they are seeming longer for me too. 

I have still been debating on taking Kitty to the vet, but she seems somewhat better this morning and when I got home. She's still not meowing but she's been playing a little with her toys and she's still eating and using the bathroom. She's "chirping" more, and that's how feral cats communicate instead of meows. Those are saved for people. The kitten has just started to meow some and I'm wondering if, since they have been alone so much lately that she's not reverting to a more primal level with him. Maybe when Bill gets home she'll become our old Kitty.

That's it for this one. It's time for more coffee, blood pressure and feeding the outside cats. Well, not quite time for that. I don't like going out there in the dark incase there are extra critters out there. Hopefully today will be a good day and we'll get some more answers.