Changes

When I went to visit my friends who live west of Austin, I saw these rocks arranged in their driveway. Curious, I asked about them and was told the child of a friend put them together a couple of months ago. My friends told me they love the little boy so much, they couldn't move the rocks away even though they were in the middle of the driveway. My friends are those kind of people, genuinely good, kind people who are touched by the magic a little boy leaves behind.



Yesterday was all kinds of crazy. The morning started out fine, except Parker and I were both a bit on the cranky side. I had wanted to go sleep at the room for several nights, but there are a lot of changes going on, and ever since Parker realized what happened to him in ICU he has been especially anxious at night and wants me to stay. I have no problem staying, although I am sure the people here think I am a little nuts. That's okay, I probably am. But before I am anything in life, I am a child of God and a mother of two boys, and if my son is afraid because he still thinks he could die from all this, then I will be here for him.



Just as I know I will have my own mental collapse when this is over (hopefully not until I get to Bay Head and sit at the edge of the ocean and watch the osprey and cry....), Parker has a lot of emotional stuff to weed through, too. He still has nightmares about that abrasive anesthesiologist telling James and I to expect Parker not to make it through the surgery (see April 22 posts). I refer to that experience as verbal rape. I know the guy had to tell us the risks, but he was so aggressive about it, and so inconsiderate to yell at us in front of all those other people sitting in the ICU waiting room..... anyway, I will process that another day.


Whew! I wasn't planning for all that venom to spew out this morning.



Courtney was our nurse for the day yesterday. We really like her. She is calm, smart, and quietly compassionate, which is exactly what we needed. That's her picture over there....... >>>>>



The best news of the day is that Parker's guts worked independently from the new medicine he is on. I will leave that sentence alone, you can decide for yourself if you want to understand exactly what it means. But this was one of the best things that has happened to him in a long time. We both cried, then laughed at ourselves for celebrating a pile of poop. Ooops, sorry.



I ran into Allison in the hallway, she asked how Parker was, and I told her all about the morning experience with the delight and pride of a mother's whose child just won the National Spelling Bee. Then in the elevator I couldn't stop laughing, thinking How weird is it that someone asks how my 25 year old son is and we talk about poop?


PT was good, although in my humble opinion I wish Parker would try less Dilaudid before he does walks because I truly believe, on top of everything else, it is making him wobbly, and he would have much more success without it. But! I am not the one with the open wound, the wound-vac, the healing ileus, etc., and I certainly do NOT want him in any more pain than he has already experienced.



After PT I went to the room, presumably for the rest of the day, planning to come back around 8:pm after I had a nap, two or three showers, did laundry, and lay in bed reading my new Thomas Jefferson book in a quiet in a cold room by myself. But Parker called within minutes of my getting there. Dr. Garcia had come by and was so excited about Parker's progress with the Relistor, he told Parker, You may be ready to leave by the end of this week!



We both know Dr. Garcia is extremely optimistic, so we translate that to sometime next week. And even that sends a flood of excitement and fear and happiness and anxiety through both of us. Parker asked me to please come back before Eric came for OT in an hour. So that was the end of my long, solitary afternoon.



I got back and there was a flood of people to see Parker. Eric came with the intention of working on things like pulling his socks on with a special tool, walking to the sink and mirror to brush his teeth and maybe even shave. But that didn't happen. Instead we spent a traumatizing hour (after getting the Relistor shot) with severe cramping, explosions coming out of both ends, AND the catheter pinching his bladder so badly he had to stand up while the first two events were taking place. I felt so badly for him, it just felt like the god of intestines could have been a little nicer to him. Parker says he doesn't even want that shot again.



Laurie, the Case Manager, called three different rehab facilities and asked them to come read Parker's chart and decide whether or not they feel they can handle his case (because of the wound-vac and all the other complications). She said if they can't he will go to a long term acute care facility that has more hospital like equipment. They should be by today.



Phyllis, Dr. Eckert's assistant, came and made some changes to the pain management plan. She tried to explain it all to Parker but he was in the midst of his "issues." The changes they made worked, and he slept really well overnight.



Last night Parker started on a new diet, post-gastro-something, which translates to six small meals a day. Definitely the way to go. His first "real" meal was beef stew and salad, which he ate to fast and almost tossed. Good lesson for him. He is very excited about the opportunities ahead, the life changes he has the chance to make, the possibilities life has to offer him now. Diet is a big one. He wants to get back in the shape he was in when he was playing football and training for power lifting. Great goal!



Dr. Garcia just came and whisked the NG tube out so fast Parker didn't even know what he was doing until it was done. Yea!!! No more tubes out the nose! A few days ago we were watching Animal Planet and there was a segment on elephants. Parker said, I just don't get elephants, like what's their purpose, and why are they so ugly with those long noses sticking out of their faces? After we thought about it, and looked at a photo of him, we both cracked up laughing.



Today Parker says he feels mentally great. Ready to take on the world. Ready for what the day will bring. Our nurse today is Jeff. Mickey is our CA. Photos below.



We don't know much about Jeff other than he is exceptionally nice, is often the Charge Nurse, has an infectious laugh, a wife who works in Labor and Delivery and has a two year old son.



Like Amy, Mickey makes us smile. He is funny without trying to be funny, loves food like no ones business, has a background in PR and would make a really, really good nurse.