It was an eventful day yesterday, some good and some bad. When I got to the hospital, earlier than usual but still too late to catch a dr., Bill's numbers were all over the place on his monitor. He was coughing again and his heart rate was up, blood pressure was down, but his O2 was steady in the 90s.

They had tried to wean his oxygen flow down, but kept having to bump it back up. That's one of the factors that will determine when he leaves ICU. It was finally decided to give him some lasix again to try to draw the fluid from his lungs. They also gave him some albumin, and I'm not sure what that was for. Anyway, the lasix worked as far as the coughing went and his numbers evened out.

Ms. Magnolia came in to give him his bath and I had already told him that we were not having a repeat of the tantrum from the other day. So, he suffered through it, although his oxygen went way down and we had to put the cannula in his mouth for a bit until he became a little less agitated. After it was all said and done, with all the grimacing and complaining, he thanked her and said it felt good! Go figure!

Dr. Shirwanny, one of the cardiologists thought it would be very helpful to have a copy of the transplant, that I just happened to have with me, so he was going to scan it in. 

Dr. Fox came in and said that they had gotten a bacteria to grow and it was the old pseudomonas again. That's what caused the first hospitalization this year. But, it responds to the antibiotics that are already being used. He said to really kill it he will have to have long-term IV antibiotics at home. 

The PICC line had stopped drawing again so they are having to stick him and he so bruised. And the veins that are blowing are just seeping under the skin some so the bruises just continue to grow. But, after lunch they were able to get a new line placed in his other arm away from that leftover wire and it was working beautifully. They were going to pull the other one after he finished his dinner last night.

The best part of the day came late in the afternoon when physical and occupational therapy came and brought him a chair and he stood and took a couple of shuffling steps and sat in it. His O2 stayed at 94 until he sat down and then it dropped, but he recovered well. He was still in the chair when I left last night and he was eating his dinner.

I hope they rearranged the room after I left. The chair was propping the door open and if he had to use his urinal he was exposed to the entire unit, even under his blanket. If they haven't when I get there, I'll try to do it. The room is pretty small so it's a tight fit to have a chair for him and a visitors chair, plus the bedside commode that I use as a footstool and table for lunch. But, I think we can make it work!

Dr. Morris, the kidney dr. came in and said his kidneys are working fine and is level is now 1.3-1.4, which is the best they have been for a long time. They have not had to give him anymore blood, but his level drops in the night to just above the cut-off number for needing some. It's got to be going somewhere, but that still has not been addressed.

That's about it. I'm going early today and leaving early to beat some of the holiday traffic this atternoon, or I'll be right in the thick of it. But I have to get to the pharmacy before they close and I need to go to the bank. I'm not as worried about getting to the bank, but I need the medicine Friday and I'm not sure what their hours are going to be. They may close tomorrow and be closed through Monday. And this is my anti-anxiety med and I don't want to run out of that!



So, I'm going to feed the cats outside and fill my travel mug and head out. Not to alarm everybody, but there have been some robberies in the parking garage at the hospital. I'm not taking a purse, just my backpack, and it is filled with Bill's pajamas and my book, under which I have my cash and credit cards, so there won't be anything for them to see. I'm hoping that I will get an outside space getting there early.

So, get your holiday cooking started if you already haven't. I'm hoping the hospital will have something really good tomorrow! Oh dear, I hear sirens already this morning. There is a weather advisory for freezing fog this morning, so the drive should be fun. Back tomorrow with the latest installment!