OK, here it is, one of the goals Bill had been working toward...the trach was totally removed today! I thought they would reduce it at least 1 more time, but Dr. Fox, who may just be turning into my favorite dr. instead of my least favorite, ordered it done today. He also ordered speech therapy to start, and Dr. Edwards did not override it. So, Bill had a little speech therapy this morning complete with ice chips and a little sip of water! 

That's where the nurse took charge yesterday. Julia asked Dr. Fox if he knew why Dr. Edwards didn't want any speech and he said he would ask him. Then he said "I'll just order it"...and he did!
 
Tomorrow, if the trach hole has sealed enough (they don't stitch it closed, just let it close naturally which usually doesn't take long), they will do a swallow study. They will give Bill several different substances to swallow that have been treated with Barium so they can x-ray it as he swallows. That will give the therapist a baseline to work with and see if he's having an aspiration problem or not. If everything looks good, he may get some kind of diet, either regular or one where liquids are thickened a little. We'll just have to see. So, another big day possible tomorrow.
 
Bill did better working with physical and occupational therapy today, including using the bedside commode, so he got a workout. As he was washing his face I noticed that he had been shaved, so he must have gotten a bath last night. But, he washed his face and combed his hair without complaining.

As I was heading that way this morning, I had either the stomach virus hit, or an IBS flare-up. Or course I was in the location where there are no towns. I finally was able to stop at a gas station and there was a sign on the door that the bathrooms were out of order. When I made it to the next station and into the bathroom...let's just say it wasn't pretty. I only went on to the hospital because I wanted to be there for the trach removal, so I sat as far from Bill as possible with not only gown, but mask. I finally ate some crackers and drank a Sprite and I've been OK, but feel lousy. So, as soon as the trach was done I came home...through the rain and wind. The really bad stuff hasn't made it to our area yet and we could get storms and possible weather watches and warnings. I stopped at Walmart for meds, got gas, fed the cats, took the trash to the curb and put on some cooler clothes. It's in the upper 60s, low 70s and, even though the heat is off, the house is hot. I still haven't attempted to eat anything, mainly because nothing sounds good. I do have soup and I can fix some toast or scrambled eggs, but it all just sounds yucky. Maybe later. I do have some crackers, so maybe I'll try more of those.

There you have it, the news of the day. I'll let you know about tomorrow.