Wednesday Morning Update
I called the ICU to see how Linda is doing this morning. Don said she appeared better, was moving her eyes around again. The physical and occupational therapists were with her. The hospital had decided to keep her one more day for observation before moving her.
While I was on the phone with him, the therapists came and told him that Linda has a blood clot in her leg this morning, so they were giving her a heparin (blood thinner) shot. We don't know what this will mean in terms of moving her. The social worker who makes arrangements is out of town, so Don has to speak to her replacement today.
Don was very disappointed about the clot because Linda seems to really enjoy her therapy and therapists. "Just when you think it's okay, it gets harder."
It's so difficult: they had to stop heparin shots because she was bleeding into her catheter (sorry if you are squeamish), which I had noticed over the weekend. The heparin also would have made surgery risky (she could have "bled out."). However, she will be subject to more and more blood clots now because her mobility is so limited.
I asked him what the therapists do with Linda, especially the speech therapist. Right now, it's a lot of ensuring continued body and muscle movements: the speech therapy works with her tongue and pushed on her lips. The physical therapists concentrate on reminding her body of different movements: Sitting on the side of the bed, then leaning on her hands to strengthen them.
She also wears these little booties that squeeze her feet to prevent clots from forming, alternating with these little boots that keep her from pointing her feet (reflexes).
It is difficult to achieve the proper balance.
Don said he also suspects Linda is really sick of him. Think of how much concentrated time you actually spend with your significant other: Most of us go about our daily lives, do our individual things, and then re-connect, talk about what we've been doing, and we spend out time looped in this cycle. I have heard several people report that during retirement they go crazy from constantly having their spouse around. New cycles have to be made, but it's difficult. Perhaps the only people we should spend such concentrated amounts of time with are newborns.
However, even if Linda is sick of him, I suspect she'd be pretty angry if he weren't around...
I called the ICU to see how Linda is doing this morning. Don said she appeared better, was moving her eyes around again. The physical and occupational therapists were with her. The hospital had decided to keep her one more day for observation before moving her.
While I was on the phone with him, the therapists came and told him that Linda has a blood clot in her leg this morning, so they were giving her a heparin (blood thinner) shot. We don't know what this will mean in terms of moving her. The social worker who makes arrangements is out of town, so Don has to speak to her replacement today.
Don was very disappointed about the clot because Linda seems to really enjoy her therapy and therapists. "Just when you think it's okay, it gets harder."
It's so difficult: they had to stop heparin shots because she was bleeding into her catheter (sorry if you are squeamish), which I had noticed over the weekend. The heparin also would have made surgery risky (she could have "bled out."). However, she will be subject to more and more blood clots now because her mobility is so limited.
I asked him what the therapists do with Linda, especially the speech therapist. Right now, it's a lot of ensuring continued body and muscle movements: the speech therapy works with her tongue and pushed on her lips. The physical therapists concentrate on reminding her body of different movements: Sitting on the side of the bed, then leaning on her hands to strengthen them.
She also wears these little booties that squeeze her feet to prevent clots from forming, alternating with these little boots that keep her from pointing her feet (reflexes).
It is difficult to achieve the proper balance.
Don said he also suspects Linda is really sick of him. Think of how much concentrated time you actually spend with your significant other: Most of us go about our daily lives, do our individual things, and then re-connect, talk about what we've been doing, and we spend out time looped in this cycle. I have heard several people report that during retirement they go crazy from constantly having their spouse around. New cycles have to be made, but it's difficult. Perhaps the only people we should spend such concentrated amounts of time with are newborns.
However, even if Linda is sick of him, I suspect she'd be pretty angry if he weren't around...
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