Day Twenty Three Part Two

3:47

Well we won't be checking out of the hospital today. Blue Cross/Blue Shield was closed today so we couldn't get approval to move. Another snag is Brian Center Lincolnton won't even have a bed possible open until January 9th and we don't know how many folks are waiting on that bed or if the bed will definitely be available. So they are checking Lincoln Nursing and Cardinal Care. If anyone can recommend one over the other I would love to hear from you. This is a difficult decision. I so wanted him at Brian Center for many reasons. However, I know his care is #1 priority but, if we could have him in Lincolnton that would help me and the kids out tremendously. The kids would be able to visit more around their work schedule as they both work in Lincolnton. With Donnie working retail, he could come before or after work depending on his schedule and then there is always his days off. Kristi works 9-6 (flexible) at First Baptist Children's Ministry. She would be able to come every evening and weekends. We are still trying to find out if I will be able to stay with him. As of now he can't use the call bell to call for help. He would have to hold the call bell 24/7 to have a remote chance of being to push the button - let alone if he had to locate the bell and then try to push the button. He is unable to change the TV channels without help. With both arms non-functioning in the normal capacity he is very limited to what he can do. PT & OT went well today. I had stepped out of the room for a few minutes just to get some exercise and when I came back they had him up & trying to sit up on the side of the bed. because he is so swollen he can't sit up normally. They had his feet in a chair and the bed was higher than the chair so that helped a lot. They were supporting him as he is still unable to sit up by himself. They would lean him back and have him pull himself back up (just a slight sit-up - nothing like a real work out). However it is so hard to watch. To see him in so much pain just rips my heart out. They had him to try and straighten his arm and pull it back towards his chest. He was able to move it but not able to straighten it completely out. They also had him to rotate his hand and he can't turn it over completely yet. It is very painful for all this movement. Don's arm is still very swollen from the surgery and I am praying that is why he has limited motion. There is a possibility that he wouldn't have full range of motion as he did before. He was very pleased with the PT today. When he was finished he said it was a good work out. He tried to stay awake but just couldn't. He went right to sleep. The fluid is leaving his legs some. By measurement of the output you wouldn't think that he could have that much more fluid in him. However, unless you have seen his legs from the beginning you would probably wonder if he had lost any of the fluid at all. He is still having small temperatures from time to time and I over heard the nurse talking to someone else on staff and saying it was because of the NMS. We still need your prayers!!

Day Twenty Three

11:05

We had a great day yesterday with visitors and lots of food. Don had a good day as well but he tired out about 5:00 and took about a 2 hour nap. The nap helped and he stayed up until about 8:30 and then wanted to get ready for bed. Getting ready for bed around here is an event in its self. By the time the staff was finished repositioning him and giving him his meds for the evening and checking on everything - it was about 11:00 before we were able to settle down. Then the staff was back in at midnight to check his vitals and give him his meds and check his sugar. So he was up again. From that time until about 4:00 he was awake and finally dozed off and then he began to set his alarm off (sleep apnea). The staff was back in at 5 and the ortho doc was in about 6. The ortho doc said he was ready for the stitches to come out of his right arm and if he was going to a nursing center they would also take out the stitches in his belly and hip. If not, they would just leave them until he was leaving the hospital. The nurse came in about 7 and took the stitches out of his right arm. Breakfast arrived during this procedure so he didn't eat until about 7:30. Don ate the best breakfast this morning. He ate eggs and bacon on a piece of toast and a bowl of grits with the left over scrambled eggs. He drank 2 glasses of tea and ate a tart size pecan pie and a carton of milk. After his morning bath and linen change around 10:00 he wanted some snacks so he had a few different cookies from the goodies that was brought to us over the holidays. He finally dozed off a little after 11:00 and lunch arrived about 11:15. We are ready to go to a nursing facility today and we are just waiting on a bed. The social worker is working on this transition and if we get a bed offer before 2:00 today we will transfer today. If the offer comes after 2:00 it will most likely be Monday before we can transfer. I am not sure what to pray for here. The nursing center will be so much better in a lot of ways but I want to have the best care with no set backs. He is so ready to leave. Just pray what ever is best for Don will happen. Thanks for all the phone calls and posts to the blog over Christmas. It means so much that people take the time to remember you, when you are used to being out and having events with your family. Let's just say it could be whole lost worse in many ways, but not being able to be at home with your family and friends is hard in itself not to mention throwing a major holiday in the mix. All four of us are looking forward to Christmas next year. We haven't exchanged gifts between the four of us nor with our parents. Don didn't want to have Christmas in the hospital. But with the news that he would be moving to a nursing facility, we had to rethink that decision. Some of the gifts we have purchased for the gifts will not be of use if we wait to long so we have decided to try and give the kids their gifts this weekend. We will work on the others over time. This whole event certainly gives you a whole new outlook on the meaning of Christmas and the fact that we are all still together is a true blessing and another "Christmas Miracle". Please keep praying!