Day 6 - Vertical!

Welcome back!

As you can see from this picture, today was a rather big day! Physical therapy got Jim up in a standing position -- he was able to do about 90% of the pulling up from his chair and supported his full weight all by himself. It was so great to see him vertical! This would have been hard for any of us to do after lying in bed for a week, but it was especially monumental for Jim with his incredible weakness from his respiratory issues and the deficit in his motor skills. The therapists were quite pleased, and so was Jimmy. I was thrilled!

Jim was nice and calm when I came in this morning -- such a treat! It's really hard to be away from him, and I can't help but feel guilty when he's had a difficult night. He's still very tired and slept most of the day away. I'm a little worried about him getting his nights and days turned around, so I asked the night nurse to let me know if he's too wakeful tonight. She said he slept soundly all last night, so maybe he's still catching up. Between snoozes, we got him up in a chair (twice) and exercised his arms and legs. His nurse, Carlos, even unhooked him so that we could move the chair out of his room and look out the window for awhile. He's definitely getting some strength and coordination back. He was able to pull himself forward and side to side a tiny bit in the bed, and he's able to lift his right arm over his head and point to eyes, ears, etc. The left arm is getting closer to his face but still proves to be a struggle. He is able to kick his legs out and hold them there for awhile and was even able to lift his feet onto the foot rest of his chair. He still has some droop on the right side of his face, but he's really close to being able to shut that right eye completely now. He hasn't been able to move his right eye ball (track) the past few days, but he's starting to follow a finger now. Baby steps, but they are in the right direction!

The radiologist thought he might have seen a possible stroke on his CT scan, so they did an MRI today to confirm it. So far, I haven't gotten the news. Of course, we are hopeful that he didn't have that complication, but the doctors feel that he has good odds of overcoming it even if he did. The pulmonary doctor is hoping to get him upgraded to the neuro therapy floor soon so that he can get lots of treatment while he's here recovering. Jim is very anxious to be able to walk again, so I know he will continue to work really hard.

Dr. Fiorella said that the 'pipeline gentleman' is still hanging on, but it's been a challenge. He says it's like calling audibles on a football field as they have to adjust to each new issue that arises. Please keep praying for this man's successful recovery. I was surprised when he told me that he expected Jim to have even better results than this man, if he ever gets the opportunity. Let's keep praying for that option! When Dr. Spetzler gets back on Monday, maybe we'll get a more definitive plan on how he wants to do things. I still have no idea if we'll be here another week or another month or more. Patience, patience, patience!

Jim and I both did well today. I think we are both feeling much less anxious, for now, and are content to just help get him recovered from this first part of the journey. Jim has always called me Nurse Ratched, from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", and sometimes Nurse 'Wretched' ever since the ordeal of his last surgery -- he thinks that is SO funny! Well, he'd better watch out because Carlos taught me how to suction him from his trach; he'll probably have to go home with it, depending on how long we stay. This definitely earns me a new sticker for my cap. I just might start wearing my nurses outfit out of the Halloween box at home to entertain him -- but he'd better be a good boy!

He was a little disappointed that he didn't get to try the speaking valve for his trach today. The speech therapist never made it to his room to do an evaluation and give it a try. He is hopeful that he will get a chance tomorrow. I kind of liked the quiet -- I wouldn't want it permanently, but it was a nice change. He's very good at mouthing words to me and has a letter board to point at to help spell out the ones I can't decipher. He's doing a very good job of communicating. Of course, I love it best when he mouths, "I love you," and blows me kisses. He also tells me that I talk too much -- what's new? His bad mood seems to have disappeared - yay!

I want to thank all of you for your continued support (again). Jim really appreciates all the words of encouragement that I read to him each day, and so do I. We both have to continue to trust in God and to keep the faith as we await the next step in our journey. Like I said yesterday, this is a marathon, and I hope we ALL have the stamina to reach the finish line. I found a quote in a book that one of Jim's Bible study groups sent him that I really like from Mother Teresa: "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much." That says is all!

Love and blessings,
Krissy