August 30, 1999 Evening
Hi from Pat's bed side.
Pat has had a very busy day. She is continuing to sail into the future, and onto the road to recovery. I was able to meet with the therapist and get the green light to start some aggressive range of motion. Pat is pretty stiff from laying around so much. I found Pat to be pretty limber after 19 days in bed. We really worked on the head and her shoulders to help her chest open up and keep those lungs clear. We worked hard for a couple of hours.
Pat did blink her eyes twice on command today. She has been grimacing to pain and smiling. Her eyes did some tacking and have more depth today.
Pat's doctor opened conversation with Craig rehabilitation, they want her as soon as her medical condition's are stabilized.
Pat's pancreatitis flared up again, which means that tube feeding as been halted. This is to allow her stomach to rest. She is now drinking Bolus through an IV an then a bag of very pricey fat will be sent through an IV.
Tomorrow Pat's brain drain will be removed after she has a cat scan.
The boy's went home for an afternoon nap. The report from the doctor's is that Pat will enter Craig in 7-10 day's. She may go somewhere else first. Larry is pushing to stay here.
Betsy
More good pictures to come.
I walked in Pat's room this morning, bent over to get in her line of vision, said hello and got a big smile. I asked how she was and her lips moved, I swear trying to mouth, "OK." I put a CD in a boom box that I found in the unit and played "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth, one of her favorites.
We had a nice little conversation. I was telling her about the love and spirit from all her friends and family, giving her the messages from all of you, and she kept squeezing my hand and smiling from time to time.
Then Marta came in a minute ago with a huge smile and gave me a thumbs up sign and walked over and turned off the brain drain pump. "Her pressures are so good and she looks so bright that we're going to see how this goes. If she can drain the fluids herself [using the normal internal physiological mechanisms], we'll take out the plug in her head."
And most important, Marta said, "She COULD be in Colorado in a matter of days, if all goes well!"
Sunday was very good day for Pat. Lots of smiling -- consistently and in response to statements. Her eyes seemed less vacant somehow, and her eyeballs moved a little bit. Once I asked her to look at me and her eyeballs jiggled a little bit sideways, like she was trying real hard to do so. She was blinking a lot, in a very normal sort of way.
When Kim walked in and moved into her line of sight, she managed to raise up her eyes to get a better view of his tall frame.
She's moving her legs and hands. She frowns when the nurses bang her around to adjust the tubes and sheets. She moistens her lips.
Her cuts and bruises all are healing quite nicely. She DOES need a pedicure, which I thing we will rectify today.
We now have Dvorak's serenades going and she's resting peacefully. It's going to be another good day.
Love Dan, Larry & Betsy
