For those of you who were looking for this post last night, I was too cozy curled up on the couch to get the computer. I also knew that I was going to the hospital late today so I would have plenty of time this morning.

It was an excellent day yesterday. Bill was awake and in a very good mood when I got there. He apparently had a good night and got some sleep. He did ask several times when he could go home but seemed satisfied with the answers he got, not just from me but from therapists.

He had speech therapy again and she showed him some exercises to do. I'll have to make sure he does them when he's watching TV or I don't think he'll do them at all. Maybe telling him that he can't eat or drink until he masters them will work. She still did some ice chips but he didn't have the problems he was having before. He was doing a lot of coughing yesterday and it looked like the secretions have thickened some again, but this is the longest he has gone between broncoscopies. He's been in this unit for a week today and his last one was before he left ICU.

Physical therapy came in and they were impressed with how much better he was moving around. He was able to help them get to the edge of the bed to sit and he made it 10 minutes with minimal support. I wish the bed was level, it would be easier for him to keep his balance. He sat in his recliner for 2 hours and he did complain some. But I reclined it a little for part of it and that seemed to help. I noticed that his feet weren't touching the floor, and it is a very deep chair, so he must have been way back in it. He finally wiggled himself down some and sat the way that is normal for him.

The dietician came in and said they were going to keep him on the higher calorie formula. I don't know if I said that the hospital had run out of the one he was on, twice, so she put him on the same one, just a higher calorie count. She adjusted the amount he gets, and he's doing very well on it so she's going to leave it. Bill did tell me that he feels hungry, but whether he does, or just thinks he should eat, I'm not sure.

Yesterday was also the last day for antibiotics. His white count has gone down to an acceptable level for Dr. Threlkeld so they are just going to monitor and see what happens. Of course if he needs to be put back on them they won't wait too long to do it.

His vent was at 6 so today is the change to the magic number of 4. So far he hasn't had any problems with keeping his numbers up and he's recovering faster from rolling or coughing. If he does well today, he should go on CPAP tomorrow and by Friday, should be back on trach collar. Dr. Munday is pleased with that progress.

I'm going late today to take his VA certification to the courthouse. The tax collector has to have it on file. Because he's 100% disabled, he is exempt from paying personal property and real estate taxes. It also gives him reduced fees for car tags and lots of other perks. But, I want to get it up there before the cats knock it off the table and it gets lost. I also have some meds to pick up. So, I get a little easier morning than usual. The trade off is that I'll probably have to park on top of the parking garage.

I did get some news yesterday that eased my mind. Our new social worker came by and I had to sign another paper showing that we were using our reserve Medicare days. But she said that when those days are used up, Tri-Care will kick in and become primary. And once the deductible is met, it should pay 100%. That made me feel so much better! I couldn't remember the day that I had signed the other one so I looked at it last night and we are 10 days into the reserve.

I also got to thinking last night about Bill being in the hospital. I've been basing everything on Dec. 2, the day he was airlifted, but he hasn't been home since Nov. 15 when he was re-admitted. He was there until he was transferred on Nov. 29 to skilled nursing and then back on December 2. So, he's already spent 2 months in the hospital/skilled nursing with who knows how many more to go. No wonder he wants to come home!

Don and Shirley, Bill's sister and husband, are coming in February for his birthday. They won't be here on his birthday, but are coming a few days before. It will be nice to see them. I think I may just stay in Memphis with them. It is also coming at a good time as I have an appointment with my cardiologist on the 18th, so they will be able to stay with Bill while I run down the road to that appointment. I know she's not going to be happy that I'm not drinking enough water again, but these are extenuating circumstances and I'm living on caffeine. Not totally, I'm eating and trying to eat at least 1 healthy meal a day. Most days it works, some it doesn't, but I'm eating!

So, that's it. Hopefully Bill won't drive the staff crazy today like he did the last time I was late. But, all the staff knows, especially Tee, the aide who told him she called me to find out where I was. It won't take long at the courthouse or the pharmacy and then a quick swing through the gas station and I can hit the highway and be there by about 11 at the latest. It's really windy today and I don't think it's going to be a tailwind either, but right now it's really howling. Until next time...