Snarkland

The only reason I haven’t been writing daily updates is because every day it sounds better and better, and that just makes me want to be there more!

Sunday -

Joe sat up an hour today. We took him around to see the little aviary, full of finches and a canary. He ate well all day. Lots of company today, and he held up okay, letting everyone else do most of the talking. He spoke on the phone twice. He’s clearly stronger, though he’s frustrated to be so weak. Looks like he’s lost 30 pounds on the famous ICU (lack of) diet. Love, Gay

Monday -

Yesterday, Joe really didn’t eat the finches… Brandy and Christina went in to see Joe this morning and I went for a walk around Sharon Woods Park. He spent an hour in the wheelchair with them. I met them for lunch, then went up to watch his PT session. He wheeled his own chair down the hall, stood with help and walked 6 small steps. Then he sat a while, then stood once more. He stayed in the chair for a little while, but was exhausted. A really good job for his first full PT session. He still can’t sit up on the edge of the bed without help, but soon will be able to. Slow but surely. It was wonderful to see him standing and walking. Love, Gay

Tuesday -

Brandy & Christina went in to see Joe this morning and I took another lovely walk in Sharon Woods Park. Rusty and I met them for lunch, then we all went up to see Joe.

He worked a little longer with PT this morning, mostly standing and sitting. Still can’t quite sit himself up on the edge of the bed. They plan to remove the trach tube tomorrow. He ate well and talked a lot, about writing, teaching, poetry and what happens next. Read the newspaper. Fell asleep trying to read e-mail. We wheeled him outside into the nice atrium, wrapped in a blanket, for just a few minutes. Great to be in the sunshine, he said. He was up in the wheelchair three times today. Hope that means he’ll sleep well tonight. Love, Gay

Wednesday -

Joe walked with a walker today, just a few steps. They pulled out his trach tube (easily). Now his throat whistles when he talks, but that’ll heal up quickly. He passed the barium swallowing test, so he can have real food instead of “dental soft” food. And real water and juice instead of thickened water and juice, yuck. He was able to read quite a bit of a book for the first time, too, and watched a whole movie on TV. They made him play with a medicine ball, throwing it back and forth and wore him right out. I drove Rusty up to Dayton to get his mail. He’s off to be toastmaster at ICON in Iowa City tomorrow. Thanks for all the messages and cards and stuff. Love, Gay

Thursday -

A small setback this morning. While walking between parallel bars, something pulled in Joe’s abdomen. He kept going, but It hurt so badly, he had to stop. Turns out something in his wound-repair vacuum system had let go (this is a futuristic fast-healing vacuum device that involves a machine, aluminum, collagen and I don’t what else). Everyone hopped around and fixed it, but it still hurt some this evening. In spite of this, he got up and let me wheel him around the outside of the Center, to look at the beautiful yellow, red, orange leaves. He was up for almost two hours, exhausted, but his reward was a complete sponge bath. So with luck it wasn’t a big setback. Love, Gay

Friday -

Joe was tired and wobbly at 10 this morning as he started PT. He stood twice, for two minutes each time, and did an arm exercise with bicycle pedals. It seems that the wound team had just spent quite a while with him, cleaning his incision and readjusting the wound vac. It turns out he has an infection in the incision. He was droopy all day, at least partly psychologically. He reluctantly let me get him up for an hour in the afternoon and we wheeled to the cafeteria for coffee. He worked on a crossword puzzle for a while. The speech therapist found us there and taught him another exercise to strengthen his swallowing muscles. At 5, they put in an IV connection to start antibiotics while they wait for a culture to determine exactly what kind of infection it is. His spirits were much better by then. So were mine. Love, Gay

And because I haven’t posted any photos in a while…

Every day when he gets better and better, it gets harder and harder for me to be happy to be home. Now that he’s recovering so well, pushing himself so hard, I just want to be there. I feel more and more disconnected from the happenings around me here in Gainesville, and want only to be getting kissy faces from my uncle, trying to get Aunt Gay to go for a long relaxing walk, and listening to Rusty’s endlessly fascinating stories.

Tuesday from Aunt Gay -

In his room right now, noon. Set up the iPod and he has a smile on his face, listening to Jack Williams. PT sat him on the side of the bed. A chair tomorrow. He’s on a trach cuff now, room air plus oxygen. The cuff was moved aside and he’s tolerating room air alone just fine. Yay! No fever. Yay! Real food. Yay!

Wednesday -

Joe’s still doing well, though weak. Sat in a chair for the first time. Catheter is gone. Still has gastric tube, but is eating a little. He has a speaking valve & uses it well, though it tires him out. They’re moving him tomorrow to Drake Rehab Hospital. When the nurse was checking his blood sugar, I asked where his sugar was. Joe said, “She’s sitting over there,” pointing at me.

He had the nurse call me this morning to bring the laptop, said he was bored. As soon as we got there, though, the parade of nurses and therapists started and wore him out. He did see all the cards that’ve been piling up, finally. He laughed at each of the funny ones. One more step forward, none back so far.

Thursday (including a new mailing address, if you want to send fruit/flowers/cards/naked photos of nubile young women) -

Joe moved to Drake Center, 151 W. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45216. Private room. The transition was smooth, though tiring. He’s being assessed by everyone, so people were in and out interacting with him all day. Everyone seems upbeat and happy. The gastric tube is out, so he’s trying to eat more and the food is better. He’s stronger today, able to shift in bed and hold a fork. He even read a couple of e-mails and the comics. Seems like a good place for him right now. Dinner with Denise and Steve Leigh for Rusty and me. Love, Gay

And joy! Friday -

Mike Glicksohn came in for a visit, from Toronto. Joe was delighted to see him. As we arrived, the OT lady was having Joe put on his own pants and he succeeded. Then she got him on his feet long enough to transfer to a tall wheelchair, where he sat up for over an hour. The pulmonary doc started  him on the protocol to get off the trach tube. First, they cap it for four hours, to see if he breathes okay without any help. He’s doing fine. Tomorrow, it’s 8 hours; then 12. If all goes well, they’ll pull the tube on Tuesday or Wednesday. He fell sound asleep after all the activity, so we went to Guy and Becca’s for a quick visit. Then came back to find him wide-awake and alert. He’d received an Edible Arrangements bouquet that smelled wonderful, full of different kinds of fruit. I had to get permission to give him any, but we were finally able to cut it up small & let him have some. Strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, oh my. He ate until he didn’t want any more. Just then his dinner arrived; he ate most of it, for the first time. I think the fruit was an appetite stimulant.

I forgot to mention yesterday: One doctor came in and asked who Rusty was. Joe said he didn’t know; that guy was here when he arrived. Today the nurses thought Joe, Mike and Rusty were all related. I think it had something to do with the gray beards.

I can’t wait to see what today brings.