Turning Point

It should be all downhill from now on! Don’s improvement from yesterday to today was remarkable. He managed to ‘break the dam’ completely and was so much better when I talked with him by phone first thing this morning. Hurray!

He’s breathing better and his heart is working well. He still has some respiratory problems, and his motor skills are limited, especially in his right hand. And it turns out that he did NOT have a stroke during surgery as formerly reported. And that’s a good thing!

The picture below is for Facebook to pick up instead of the one that follows. That way, I can honestly say I didn’t put any pictures of Don on Facebook!

Today’s big event was to get a shave and mustache trim by his nurse Bonnie.

He also asked me to bring his computer so he could catch up with his email. At first he said just bring it with me tomorrow. But about 2:30 he asked if I would mind going home for it so he could start using it today. It took about 1.5 hours but I was happy to run the errand for him.

So, now that he has email access, I’m sure he would love to hear from family and friends directly. don80444@gmail.com  Don’t expect a reply as he can just barely use the mouse with his left hand, and he’s right-handed. He definitely won’t be able to type out a message that you’d be able to decipher! At last count he had 585 messages to read, so he may not even see your message for a few days yet.

He was just starting to go through email when another MRI was ordered about 4:30 pm. So I took myself back home to put up my feet and have a glass of wine.

With this improvement, I’m pretty sure he will be transferred to the rehab unit in the hospital on Monday. They’ve been saving him a place. Then he can start the hard work of learning to sit up, walk, use both hands, etc.

I can’t say enough good things about St. Mary’s Hospital. Today I learned that, not only was it the first hospital in Arizona, it has been awarded numerous national honors for patient care, especially for its heart, stroke, pneumonia and surgical care. Click the link to learn more about the Carondelet Health Network.

It’s not just statistics, either. In the last two days, two nurses, one doctor and 3 techs have recognized me in the halls or cafeteria and asked how Don is doing since they last saw him. With all the patients and caregivers they see over the period of time we’ve been in their realm (39 days so far), it’s so nice that they remember him and think of us! What a great personal touch. And I get to enjoy lots of hugs, even though none of my RV friends are here now.

This picture doesn’t fit into any context, but I like it, so I’m sharing it with you. These birds liked our ocotillo even though the blossoms were almost gone.