Breakfast at Wimbledon

Most of my adult life I have been in Bay Head over July 4th weekend with my family. The Wimbledon Finals were the focus for me and my Dad, and we had our own version of Breakfast at Wimbledon ~ chairs pulled up close to the tv, coffee mugs in hand, and blueberries with cream. When Parker and James were little they joined us, but as my siblings families grew (there are six of us), so did the crowds in the house, which kept my own kids at home. We aren't crowd people.

This year Parker and I are celebrating Breakfast at Wimbledon in Room 827 at Central Texas Rehab Hospital here in Austin. I brought the blueberries, but no cream because it doesn't go along with Parker's "no-gallbladder-low-fat" diet. Where ever you are James, we miss you!

This is Day #3 at the rehab hospital. Parker has had several visitors from "down below," Lindsey from PT, Amy, Sherrie and Courtney from the 4th floor. These visits have done a lot to help Parker transition from IMC to rehab. Believe me, it is a totally different level of care up here. We knew it would be, the focus is on physical rehabilitation, but the change in nursing care is very obvious.

Here's an example: Yesterday I asked the nurse to look at the area under Parker's trach because it was really red and the gauze stained in red and brown.

Nurse: I don't do trach care.

Me: Can you ask the Respiratory Therapist to come look for me then?

RT: I don't do trach care.

Me: Then who does?

RT: She does, the nurse does it.

Nurse: I was told not to touch it.

RT: No, I was told not to touch his trach, that you were going to do it.

Nurse: I don't know how to do it.

RT: Well, I was told absolutely not to touch his trach.

Nurse: We never do trachs up here except Derrick and he isn't here.

RT: Well, I'm still not doing it. You're supposed to do it.

Me: Okay, both of you, out of here, I'll do it, go!

RT and Nurse as they are walking out of the room: I'm not supposed to do it; No, I'm not supposed to do it.....

So Parker and I did it. Today we found an RT we knew from downstairs and he came and cleaned it up for us. He did tell me the RT's aren't supposed to do it anymore "because they don't get paid for it," but he doesn't mind helping us out. Jeez! I'm thinking they have no clue how bad that looked.

With the exception of yesterday morning when Parker threw up, then had intestinal issues, followed by an emotional meltdown during PT, he has done very well here. He walked a total of 350' on Friday which was a record! He is working on the parallel bars on squats to strengthen his quads, doing side to side walking with me tossing a balloon back and forth to him (and yes, of course it popped!). He has dressed himself, walked with shoes, made his bed, and this morning he is getting his first shower since March. Yea for the shower!

His wound vac was changed yesterday morning. Below are two photos. The first is the wound on May 16th after a month of healing. He was in the middle of his first ileus, so his belly is bloated like a pregnant woman's, and he has the retention sutures in surrounding the wound. The second is how the wound looked yesterday when the PT Wound Care girl changed the vac. Huge difference in the depth of the wound. We are considering pushing up the skin graft surgery to get everything done sooner and give Parker more time to rest up before he returns to work.