Blog at http://drpeg2003.blogspot.com/
May 20, 2006 (9:25am)
Another thing I forgot to mention: Judy Roitman has discovered you can send electronic messages to Gary here, if you wish. The URL is http://www.shepherd.org/shepherdhomepage.nsf/Message!OpenForm
The message will be hand-delivered by one of their volunteers. Thanks, Judy.
We got some mail that last day at B’ham, but I have left it out in my car (I am currently sitting in a Paneera’s a couple blocks from my apartment, as the hospital library is closed on the weekends), so will have to wait on sending out our thanks. I do remember that the Rogers’ DVD of Dylan arrived. We will probably start that next, as we just finished “Good Night and Good Luck,” which we really enjoyed.
It feels good to be getting some decent sleep again. This morning a bird did wake me, but I fell right back to sleep. The previous night was good too, except for waking up with a nightmare at 3am. Zombies were after me. I wished I could go to Shepherd and crawl into bed with Gary for a short time, but as that wasn’t possible, I had to settle for locking the bedroom door. I know, that was silly. I mean, the zombies could have come right through that archway from the living room. But they didn’t get me – or if they did, I am not aware of it, kind of like the Stepford wives.
Gary said he is sleeping pretty good here too, but unfortunately one of his roommates has a speaker phone he uses, and he uses it at late hours – the previous night 2am, last night at 11:30. I told Gary if I were him I’d have to kill the guy. Gary said if I were him, I wouldn’t be able to. I said I’d find a way. Gary then mimicked someone giving a report: “Peg’s rehab is going well.”
Gary is in a room with three other patients. They are separated from each other only by curtains, so it isn’t all that private. Fortunately Gary isn’t as sensitive to noise as I am. There isn’t much room for maneuvering in the area assigned him, and it’s full of hospital equipment so is not homey-looking. It’s not a big deal to him, so I haven’t done anything to “decorate.” They had mentioned he could be reassigned a room at any time, so to me it’s not worth the effort, since he doesn’t seem to care. I’d rather spend my energy just being with him than on sprucing the place up.
Turned out the nurses bugged the orthopedic surgeon enough yesterday that he looked at the x-rays and decided Gary didn’t need a brace. So when I returned from lunch yesterday it was to find Gary upright in his loaner wheelchair (he will be getting one fitted especially to him later). The PT showed me how to do a “weight shift” with the chair, which is something he is supposed to do every half-hour for a minute until his bed sore heals (and before I forget, there is a 70% chance he will have to have surgery on that, according to a doctor, but the final determination will be made Monday). Anyway, this involved lowering the back of the chair until he is in a prone position. I told the PT I didn’t think I could hold his weight as I was lowering the chair, but she guilted me into trying it. I wish I hadn’t, as I think it wrecked up my leg more, and especially as it turned out the nurses were completely willing to do it for me. I did wheel him around the floor for a few minutes – the chair was very easy to push. We checked out the patient snack area, which has a fridge for the patients if I want to bring things in (which I already have – I broiled him a salmon kabob I picked up at a yuppie market just a block away, “Fresh Market,” since they want him to get in lots of protein to help heal that bed sore). The snack room also has juices and milk and coffee and water for the patients. We also looked at the gym where he will be doing most of his rehab exercises, and the laundry area which looks too high for him to be able to use so looks like I’m going to be stuck doing his laundry for a while ;-) (I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to suddenly become domestic. He probably doesn’t – he asked with amazement the other day, “You made the bed?” when I told him I had had to make up my bed in the apartment. I told him only because I had had to put the bed warmer on.) I also found out where the towels and blankets are, just down the hall, so now I won’t have to bug the nurses when we need those. Then I wheeeled him back to his room. He still feels weird when he first sits up, but is okay after a while. They had him sit for two hours yesterday, and they are shooting for longer today.
Speaking of which, time to go back.
May 20, 2006 (9:25am)
Another thing I forgot to mention: Judy Roitman has discovered you can send electronic messages to Gary here, if you wish. The URL is http://www.shepherd.org/shepherdhomepage.nsf/Message!OpenForm
The message will be hand-delivered by one of their volunteers. Thanks, Judy.
We got some mail that last day at B’ham, but I have left it out in my car (I am currently sitting in a Paneera’s a couple blocks from my apartment, as the hospital library is closed on the weekends), so will have to wait on sending out our thanks. I do remember that the Rogers’ DVD of Dylan arrived. We will probably start that next, as we just finished “Good Night and Good Luck,” which we really enjoyed.
It feels good to be getting some decent sleep again. This morning a bird did wake me, but I fell right back to sleep. The previous night was good too, except for waking up with a nightmare at 3am. Zombies were after me. I wished I could go to Shepherd and crawl into bed with Gary for a short time, but as that wasn’t possible, I had to settle for locking the bedroom door. I know, that was silly. I mean, the zombies could have come right through that archway from the living room. But they didn’t get me – or if they did, I am not aware of it, kind of like the Stepford wives.
Gary said he is sleeping pretty good here too, but unfortunately one of his roommates has a speaker phone he uses, and he uses it at late hours – the previous night 2am, last night at 11:30. I told Gary if I were him I’d have to kill the guy. Gary said if I were him, I wouldn’t be able to. I said I’d find a way. Gary then mimicked someone giving a report: “Peg’s rehab is going well.”
Gary is in a room with three other patients. They are separated from each other only by curtains, so it isn’t all that private. Fortunately Gary isn’t as sensitive to noise as I am. There isn’t much room for maneuvering in the area assigned him, and it’s full of hospital equipment so is not homey-looking. It’s not a big deal to him, so I haven’t done anything to “decorate.” They had mentioned he could be reassigned a room at any time, so to me it’s not worth the effort, since he doesn’t seem to care. I’d rather spend my energy just being with him than on sprucing the place up.
Turned out the nurses bugged the orthopedic surgeon enough yesterday that he looked at the x-rays and decided Gary didn’t need a brace. So when I returned from lunch yesterday it was to find Gary upright in his loaner wheelchair (he will be getting one fitted especially to him later). The PT showed me how to do a “weight shift” with the chair, which is something he is supposed to do every half-hour for a minute until his bed sore heals (and before I forget, there is a 70% chance he will have to have surgery on that, according to a doctor, but the final determination will be made Monday). Anyway, this involved lowering the back of the chair until he is in a prone position. I told the PT I didn’t think I could hold his weight as I was lowering the chair, but she guilted me into trying it. I wish I hadn’t, as I think it wrecked up my leg more, and especially as it turned out the nurses were completely willing to do it for me. I did wheel him around the floor for a few minutes – the chair was very easy to push. We checked out the patient snack area, which has a fridge for the patients if I want to bring things in (which I already have – I broiled him a salmon kabob I picked up at a yuppie market just a block away, “Fresh Market,” since they want him to get in lots of protein to help heal that bed sore). The snack room also has juices and milk and coffee and water for the patients. We also looked at the gym where he will be doing most of his rehab exercises, and the laundry area which looks too high for him to be able to use so looks like I’m going to be stuck doing his laundry for a while ;-) (I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to suddenly become domestic. He probably doesn’t – he asked with amazement the other day, “You made the bed?” when I told him I had had to make up my bed in the apartment. I told him only because I had had to put the bed warmer on.) I also found out where the towels and blankets are, just down the hall, so now I won’t have to bug the nurses when we need those. Then I wheeeled him back to his room. He still feels weird when he first sits up, but is okay after a while. They had him sit for two hours yesterday, and they are shooting for longer today.
Speaking of which, time to go back.
posted by Peg Daniels at 9:02 AM
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