Yesterday started out as badly as the day before ended. When I got to the hospital, Bill was still on full vent, arms were restrained and he had the big boots on his feet to prevent clubbing. Now, he hadn't had those on for at least 3 weeks. I could understand the arm restraints since they said he was reaching for his vent, but I think, watching him, he was actually trying to scratch his nose. I took the one off his right arm and he immediately went to his nose to scratch. He also pushed his glasses up. Why they don't remove them when he goes to sleep is beyond me! So, except for the sedation aspect, we were back to where he was 6 weeks ago.

Dr. Threlkeld was really surprised to see him on the vent and said he would find out why. If he did, he didn't come in and tell me. We also got a different nurse as soon as he was given his morning meds. This one came from regular cardiac ICU and you could tell she was used to people who couldn't move. She was also one of those that monitored mainly from the nurses station. She was nice enough, but rather rough with Bill at times. 

The chaplain I've been talking to, Joseph, came by and asked how things were, and I lost it. I told him I was only OK and Bill was not and no-one would tell me what was going on. He held my hand and we prayed and he said he would make sure I knew what was happening and why. A little while later Cindy, from cardiology came in and, all she said was that he had been doing so good and this was just a little setback. But, Dr. Edwards had finally agreed that he could be moved to Restorative Care since one of their specialities, besides intense therapy, is weaning from vents. They were just waiting for a bed. Not a lot of answers, and not what I needed to know, but a start. 

When Dr. Williams finally came in, he listened to Bill, nodded that he sounded really good finally and changed the vent to CPAP again. And that's it. I still don't know why the sudden decision to bronch or vent. Was it on a nurse's evaluation, had this nurse cared for him before, what was included in report and rounds, that is also open to a nurses' interpretation? During rounds one of the nurse managers asked why he was still on Foley catheter and I was the only one who knew, so that didn't get passed in report.

Anyway, when I left yesterday afternoon, Bill was sleeping very deeply but he was doing well. Hopefully he didn't wake up and panic that I wasn't there. I tried to wake him to tell him I was leaving, but he didn't budge.

He still wants to drink so badly, and now he's added eating to his actions. He even wants Diet Coke because that what I was drinking, and he hates Diet Coke. Maybe in a day or two he'll be able to start working with the speech therapist again on swallowing.

Now, for the part that really was the last straw. Another of the nurse managers came in Weds. afternoon and said that he had just been notified that in 3 days, which is now tomorrow, Bill's Medicare Part A would run out for this benefit period. I didn't know that it ever ran out and that the only way for our other insurance to keep paying was to agree to use the Reserve Lifetime 60 days, and you only get to do that once. So, what choice did I have except to sign the paperwork. Now, if Bill had been able to stay out of the hospital for a consecutive 60 days in between hospitalizations, a new benefit period would have started. But since he had been in a part of every month since June, that obviously didn't occur. But, why didn't they give me this information 6 weeks ago when he was hospitalized? People from every department round every morning, surely someone from financial was aware of this. Anyway, that was just the last straw to a very bad day. I have since been able to think some things through. There is another way to avoid using the reserve days and that is if there is a medigap policay. Unfortunately, Tricare and VA benefits don't qualify as medigap policies. I could also have him transferred to another skilled nursing facility, and that isn't going to happen for several reasons, or he could be discharged to home for 60 days, and that's out of the question. I've got to research with our other benefits to see if when Medicare is exhausted they will pick up, even though we will then have co-pays. I'm also requesting all of his records from the skilled nursing center and the local ER and, even though I hate conflict and being the bad guy, I'm going to consult an attorney about getting the nursing center to pay for this hospitalization. In my mind, and others, he was a patient able to be discharged from hospital, to the nursing center for rehab only, and in 2 1/2 days, he is comatose and on life support. So, there's got to be some answers there somewhere. And before anyone thinks that I'm just gold-digging, I don't care if we see a dime. I just want the hospital paid and the attorney fees paid. Whether we get anything out of it or not, I don't care. So, thoughts on this would be appreciated, both pro and con.

I don't know if I'm coming home from the hospital tonight. It depends on the weather. I'm preparing to stay, but would really like to come home, especially if it's just rain and I'm seeing more and more reports that it will just be rain in our area. I've also been invited to Brianna's 20th birthday dinner at her other grandparents. Kenna is really pushing for me to be there for a hot home-cooked meal of chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and hot dogs and sauerkraut (which I haven't had in ages). The downside is there will be a lot of people there and I don't know if I'm up to sympathy words, hugs and looks. And I know they will be sincere, but niceness causes more emotional responses than if someone were mean or didn't say anything at all. So, I'm undecided.

And, now it's time to get ready to go and all I really want to do is go back to bed. Hopefully the internet at the hospital will work today, couldn't get online at all yesterday. I really need to do the research on insurance and look up attorneys that specialize in things like this. So, thoughts if you have them, pro and con. And for those I still haven't talked to, I'm trying...I really am, and I will talke before long.