102 #19

The Cook drain came out today - sooo only one drain left in the belly. And she's practicing stairs and walking like a pro - both in the hospital and outside - very glad she got to experience some glorious Calgary fall weather. I took real clothes in yesterday and she said it felt so good to be wandering around in pants and a sweatshirt!! (although they're frightfully baggy)  Dr Temple (with a grin) asked her this morning - When do you think you should go home? And Linda's response was 'Friday'. And he said - Well that sounds possible. WHEW!!!!! We can hardly believe that we're starting to plan for our escape. We're thinking we'll stay in Calgary at Tracy's for the weekend (just to let her get her land legs) and then fly home on Monday - a week today. Cath (one of our Angels) has volunteered to drive the truck and the pooches home that day. Can you believe this part of the journey is almost over?

102 #18

It was a good thing to take a day off writing on the blog - with the passage of time, I can see that Friday was kind of  like living in and surviving a bad movie rendition of a Stephen King novel. The Resident who came at 7:00 in the morning to tell Linda that she would be released on Monday would be played by some callow youth full of his own mighty wisdom (hmm..no-one is popping into mind - any suggestions?). This sent us both into a bit of a tailspin - ?homecare, drain flushing, RT, incision wound??? Later in the morning, Dr Temple (of course played by George Clooney) reassured us that there were many things to accomplish before she'd be kicked out the front door - 1 drain has to come out and yours truly needs to be trained in the care and flushing of another drain. And the removal of the filter needed to happen - inserted months ago to stop any wretched clots from making their way to the heart and lungs - which he said was a minor procedure - probably 45 minutes. And in reality, it turned out to be a 2 1/2  hour procedure and they couldn't remove the filter (but they say it's okay to be in there). And during the time that Linda was away, I had the audacity to visit the washroom and go to get some lunch - and of course that's when the neurologist (maybe Sigourney Weaver) came to talk to me about the MRI. And just when I was going to go to the Neurology floor and track down the Doc, there was a lockdown - DooWah, DooWah - such loud ringing everywhere, no-one allowed out of the rooms - someone from the Psych Ward had escaped (for sure, John Malkovich!!) and me just praying that wherever Linda was, it wasn't close to the Psych Ward. And then - Wham - Logan (PT - played by Anne Hathaway) came and went thru a whole swack of exercises for Linda's right hand and Jelena (OT- maybe Rachel McAdam) came soon after with suggestions for stuff we'll need when we get home for the bathroom. Then Linda returned, slept for a couple of hours and woke up starving! Ate turkey, scalloped potatoes and felt 'full' - not nauseated (Hurray!!) And then the credits started playing and I went home.  Yesterday was great - worked on stair climbing, lots of walks, ate small meals with minimum of nausea, and did some puzzles - and said she felt quite good.

102 #17

Much better this morning!  Talked with the charge nurse and Dr Temple about the MRI results - both say that there should be an almost complete recovery from the cardiac arrest and subsequent brain damage. It will just take time and, by golly, we have time. We also got some training this am in how to deal with a Cook drain - just in case she still has one when we leave. Dr T. also mentioned the possibility of a couple of days passes next week before we take our final leave of the hospital. Something to look forward to!!

102 #16

Well I was asking for too much - the neurologist arrived and talked to Linda during the 23 minutes I was away from the room this afternoon - and he  told her there was damage on the left side of her brain (DUH!!) and that she may or may not recover all her abilities. No recommendations.  Hmmm...I will find and talk to him tomorrow. Linda is still having nausea and her WBC count has been trending up for the last 2 days so today was a CT scan to check for a possible abcess in the abdomen - maybe behind the stomach. But she did have some scalloped potatoes after the scan and quite enjoyed them.

102 #15

Lots of visiting with Lucille yesterday; walks in the halls; visits to the Garden Deli. Linda's been sooo happy to see her Mom.

The Neurological team arrived  Tuesday afternoon to do an assessment and ordered an MRI which was done yesterday. On Tuesday after the assessment, they said - yes damage is apparent on the right side (meaning left hemisphere) and with speech. Now we're waiting for the results from the MRI and (I hope) a comprehensive list of recommendations for rehab (am I asking for too much??)

Still having some nausea - but we're hoping that will lessen as her stomach continues to recover.

102 #14

A wee update - Dr Temple was by this morning (not to collect his winnings!!!) and said that, if things continue so well, Linda may well be leaving within a 2 week period. So if you want to revise your Linda 'Miracle' Graves Release Date guess, please do so by MIDNIGHT tonight. No changes will be accepted after that.

She had toast with peanut butter, peach yogourt, and apple juice for breakie this am.

102 #13

Quite the day - Linda's gi feeding got blocked somehow during the night and they pulled it out this afternoon and didn't replace it!!!!! We can see her face without anything in the way!! And this afternoon Dr Temple ordered the removal of the pain killer line and saline line so the IV pole is gone. It was almost weird walking down the hall with just Linda - but good weird. She's also eating - apple sauce, yogourt, soup with potatoes and carrots - and just having a wee bit of nausea. She was disappointed, though, that Texas lost the World Series - now she owes Dr Temple $.50.