She's Doing Very Well

Turns out her epidural was not dispensing the right amount of drugs because someone had not inserted the cartridge properly. That means she wasn't getting enough pain meds for about 24 hours. This was discovered on Thursday when the epidural came out and they started her on dilaudid through her PIC line. She pushes a button to deliver the meds. I call it her "junky button."

But it made a world of difference in her pain level. Yesterday she walked four times including at PT. The thought of going to transitional care is also a great motivator. She hates those places.

Still only clear liquids by mouth. Last night they added a nutrition line to her PIC line to increase the calories she's getting. I have to digress for a moment and rant a bit about the clear liquids they are serving her. As you know, I'm fussy about my food. I want real food not a bunch of chemicals. Well, she has not received any real food. I could make her great clear chicken broth that would truly deliver nutrition. The hospital doesn't seem to see things my way. She got this pudding thing last night. The first three ingredients were water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. I'll stop ranting now.

They are finally giving her something for the gas, which is helping with her discomfort. The walking also helps. The catheter is out so she pees like a regular person. They moved her to another room yesterday. She has to be in isolation due to her super bug (starts with the letter "v"). She'd been in a double in which she was the only person there. Now she's in a single which is much better because she is closer to the TV so she can read the closed captioning.

Neil and I went out for pizza last night to the Eagle's Nest, a real dive in Robbinsdale that serves the best pizza I've ever had. I had anchovies on my half...heaven.

The doctor won't release her to home or transitional care until she gets rid of her IVs and oxygen. I'm going home Tuesday night. Her release will probably come later than that.

I returned my new phone that I bought and had them reactivate my old one which miraculously appeared at Vicky's bedside the same day I bought my new one. Don't know where it had been. I like my old one much better than the new one.

Off to the hospital in a bit and then to Mike and Minna's for dinner. She's cooking Asian food tonight. I can hardly wait. She says I wouldn't like Hmong food because it's all very spicy. So she's just cooking southeast Asian stuff.

Once again your prayers, energy and Reiki have done the trick. This year she will not celebrate her birthday (April 12th) in the hospital. She will turn 60 in her own home surrounded my family and friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you.