A Pretty Good Day

We sang happy birthday to Vicky around 2 p.m. yesterday. She was awake and smiling. The room was jammed with people, which probably means we broke all the ICU rules but no one seemed to care.

The best part, however, was the fact that she got to have the device on her trach that allows her to be heard when she talks. The respiratory technician said he didn't think he could get one for her. I played on his guilt by saying it was her birthday and it would be so great if we could hear what she had to say on this important day. I also promised birthday cake. A short time later he told us she had the device on and could talk. What a great present.

When she was asleep we went into one of the family rooms to have cake and soda or pop as it's called here.

They finally took her for the CAT scan at 5:40 p.m. rather than 11 a.m. She wasn't gone long but they were able to drain 80 ccs of junk from the area around her spleen and they put in a drainage tube on each side of her belly to take more stuff out as it accumulates. The stuff they took out has gone to be cultured. We should know something by Monday afternoon at the latest. I hope this will help them get the right antibiotic for her. Then her infection will go away along with her fever and she can transfer back to acute care at Regency.

She wasn't nearly as lucid after the procedure. As always she asked to go home. I told her she wasn't well enough and she asked, "well then where will I sleep tonight?" Her brain is good some times and other times it's just very confused. The nurse was going to give her something to help her sleep.

Today Neil is going to stay home and get ready for our hot dog roast tonight. When Vicky and I were growing up we always roasted hot dogs in the family room fireplace on Sunday night during the winter. We also had baked beans and potato chips. So Neils going to gather all that good stuff so we can have another Sunday night hot dog roast. Afterall there is still snow on the ground so it must be winter. There is nothing better than a hot dog roasted over an open fire. The good part is the roasting sticks we will use came from our dad's house, so they are the ones we used as kids.

Kerry and I will have hospital duty today so I'd better get ready. Thank you again for all your prayers, good energy and positive thoughts.