These posts may be getting a little shorter since we are in the period of 3 hours of different therapies five days a week, week-ends just sitting around before therapy starting again on Monday. So, if there's not much info, or even a day skipped, don't be alarmed. It's hard to find something to write about when nothing much is happening.

Bill was in his chair and dressed when I got there yesterday. I'm going to miss his roomie, I get good reports from him in the morning! Bill slept well and was up about 6. Physical therapy came before I got there, but he was still connected to his food, so all they did was about 30 minutes of leg exercises. I assume they were like the ones he had during his time with home health.

A different speech therapist came in (she's the real one, the previous one was just a fill in) and said that she had been doing it a lot of years, both in skilled nursing and in hospital) and from what she was reading in the study results there was no reason for him not to eat. She even drew a picture to explain one part of it and that boils down to a little food or water was slipping through before the actual swallow, but none of it was going toward the airway. It was landing where there's a little pocket and just sitting there waiting for the rest to come and wash it away. So, he's going to start getting things like yogurt and pudding and a little thick liquid during therapy only right now.

I told Bill I had 2 goals for him, to walk into ICU for the nurses to see and then to face Dr. Edwards and tell him to f@#$ off! I know that's not nice, but it's just the way I feel after reading the discharge report and knowing that he expects Bill to live in a nursing home forever.

He did finish physical therapy in the gym (I didn't go with him) and when he came back the occupational therapist brought him and got him clean pjs and then off they went for a shower. She said, when they came back that he did most of it himself, but he got very winded. I didn't think to ask if he kept his O2 on the entire time, which is something Dr Burbeck said to do.

The rest of the day was spent watching westerns. It's a good thing James, the roommate, likes westerns and old shows too!

I brought his laundry home to do so need to get it packed into a suitcase to take. I can travel a little lighter now and I've started bringing some stuff home that I had kept at the hospital.

Shirley and Don get here Sunday and we're all staying in the hotel next door to the home, it's acutally in walking distance but it's along a busy frontage road, so I don't know if that would be a good idea.

We have a family meeting Wednesday afternoon to go over goals and concerns and that was one thing Stephanie had asked about so things are moving right along. We'll see what today brings. I got each of them, Bill and James, little Valentine gifts. Couldn't get Bill one without getting one for James too. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

I almost forgot! The social worker said that as long as I have vet records for shots, I can bring Cat to visit! Of course she doesn't travel well and I don't know if I could take her yowling and puking and pooping for an hour each way and have to clean her carrier before I could even take her in. It's a great idea and he would love it, but I don't know. I'll have to think about it!