I hope everyone has enjoyed a good day, whether you ate a huge dinner with loved ones, hot dogs because that was what you could afford, or the "holiday dinner" at the hospital like I did. But, it was a good day and we were together and that's all that matters.

Yesterday started with an almost flat tire. Leaving at 6 am means that there is no repair place open. I came back home (only got down the block when the low tire light came one) and was going to just add air, but then thought that it was fine the  day before so something had to cause it to lose half of the amount it should have. The nearest tire shop is where I bought the tires and the manager is a personal friend and I knew he would get me going as soon as they opened...at 7:30. So, as I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for them to open (at 6:30, and yes my doors were locked) I remembered the gas station down the road, one of the few that doesn't have a convenience store attached. I googled them and lo and behold, it said they opened at 6:30! The owner was unlocking the door as I pulled in. I gave him and his employee a bit to get things turned on and set up before going in. Within 20 minutes and only $17, an ugly broken screw was taken out of the tire and a plug put in and I was on the road.

Bill's breakfast tray was still in his room and it was empty! He had eaten all of his breakfast for the first time since he's been there! He was sipping on his coffee and just looked and seemed better. I had missed the pulmonary doctor, but his oxygen was set on 4! Of course he hadn't been out of bed yet so we didn't know what would happen when he did get up.

Dr. Threlkeld wants to watch for a couple of days to see how he does without any antibiotics. He didn't sound as congested when he talked, although his ears are still full.

When therapy came in I was on the phone so left the room but talked to the therapist when it was over. He walked to his chair, did his exercises, and walked 20 feet in the room. But, he also had a big attitude change. He complained about everything, his ears, his neck hurt, his arm hurt, his butt and back hurt, everything. Because he worked himself into a state, his oxygen had to be increased. But, his sugar has been stable for 3 days, so apparently the right amount of insulin has been found. He turned into a pouty little boy when I told him he had to eat more of his spaghetti before he could eat his pudding and he absolutely refused to eat anything then. After about 30 minutes I finally gave in and told him to eat the pudding. He perked up a little then of course.

His nurse yesterday was one from ICU that he had had before so he explained everything that they had done before I got there and was very attentive. I've noticed that since the ICU nurses are rotating because of the remodeling of the unit, that the care is more personalized when he has one of them. Not that there's anything wrong with the regular step-down nurses, they are all good. But since step-down is the step before going home, they expect the patient to do a little more on their own. 

This morning he was awake and wanting coffee when I got there, so I got him a cup from the nutrition room. Cindy popped in and said he was still moving in the right direction. His oxygen was on 4 1/2 (they had to bump it up some yesterday after I left). I need to check with our supplier to see if they have a concentrator that goes higher than 5 liters. I don't like the idea that he would be on the highest level and get into some trouble and I can't increase it. I can always add a tank as the EMT told me, but to me that just doesn't seem like the best solution. So, I'll talk to Jeryn Monday.

He ate most of his breakfast. It looked like he got about 6 eggs worth of scrambled eggs, plus a blueberry muffin and a bowl of oatmeal. He ate almost all of the oatmeal, 1/2 the muffin and made a dent in the eggs, so I was pleased with that. His nurse today, Emily, said she thinks he eats better when I'm there, but I think it's just the opposite. He's been telling me that he's eating his dinner since it comes after I leave, but I'm not sure that he is. She told me tonight that she's going to see if she can get him to drink one of his shakes this evening. And on the way home I started thinking that he's been drinking one of those in the afternoon and may not be hungry by dinner so he may not be eating. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

His sugar had dropped really low in the night so he got a jolt of orange juice. Dr. Oktied changed his insulin again. He tried just long acting, but by lunch today his sugar was over 200, so he added back in the coverage before meals, just lowered the amount.

When Tom from pulmonology came in he said they were able to get a sputum sample finally last night! Of course with the holiday, there will be a delay in the results. But, he said he only heard a small area of congestion in the upper left but nothing anywhere else like he had heard before, so he was really pleased. He said the plan now is to try to get his sats to stay stable at the lower rate and we are looking at discharge the first part of next week! 

I've noticed that once Bill gets into his chair, he soon becomes the pitiful patient again and wants to go back to bed. I made him stay up 3 hours today and we talked about how he's not going to stay in bed all day when he gets home. 

That pretty much gets you caught up. I don't know what the schedule will be tomorrow as far as therapy goes, or if they will still be off. But, I'll update when I get home, or Saturday morning. 

Enjoy the rest of your holiday!