The great escape was incomplete!

It was a wonderful escape from the confines of the hospital, but a you can guess we still have all the medications ( and no nurses saying “take these now”), and the home nurses visits, doctor visits, chemo therapy coming up, PT, and the mundane things like shopping and bill paying. I had lots of plans for today, but the only ‘normal’ thing we got done was wash a load of clothes and a load of dishes.
Every day this week has “medical” written all over it.
So this is our ‘new life,’ squeeze in some regular activities and continue the important and necessary activities for getting rid of the cancer!
Our doctor today looked Joyce in the eyes and said that she will be cancer free!
Joyce put it this way ”He looked straight at me with his big blue eyes and said you will be cancer free!”
But we still say it is wonderful to be home!
I probably will not be doing daily blogs now, so when I do, I will go back to sending an email telling you that I did.
Thank you for your love, prayers, tears, notes, and thoughts, we need them all.
Doug

THE GREAT ESCAPE!!!

As we were leaving the blue parking ramp at 12:24 pm on the 30th of August, 2009, Joyce said the above! What a perfect title.
I have to say that checking out of the hospital rivals sitting in a closed airplane for 6 hours! It is an endless parade of medical people giving last minute instructions and asking for a signature. I think Sunday is an OK day to exit because there is a bit less chaos. On the other hand where were fewer of our 4E friends around to say ‘goodbye’ and ‘thanks’ to. The nursing staff rotates most every day and night, but after 38 days and nights we got to know many of them. As you may guess they all just loved Joyce. We hope we won’t be seeing them on duty again!
It was great to get home, we walked around outside so she could see what was left of all flowers that I neglected watering some times. It was fun just to be together at home, but she got very tired.
We came in and just looked at all the mail, etc and decided that stuff would wait.
I just tucked Joyce into bed!
Good night.
Doug

IS SHE OR ISN’T SHE ??

Going home, that is!
This morning on rounds, the doctor said Joyce could probably go home Sunday. Then about 30 minutes later she said maybe today, then later changed back to Sunday. So, now everything seems geared to tomorrow! As you probably can guess, after some other false starts, we are excited, but nervous.
We will still be doing a couple shots and some more pills, but probably will have a home nurse for a while, and we still have the hospital bed at home too.
So now I have the biggest challenge of this episode; I have to pick out what she will wear going home.
I am pretty sure her favorite colors are green, purple and chartruse, so if I can just get the right combination I will survive!
After all of the accessories had been disconnected and we were walking the hall just holding hands, Joyce said “I would much much rather hold your hand than Baxter!!”
Doug

The Joy(???) of eating vs IV nourishment!

Joyce ordered scrambled eggs again for breakfast, but got a very small amount, so I went to the cafeteria down stairs and got some more plus french toast and we had breakfast together. We may be sharing meals like this for a while; the food in the cafeterias is quite a step up from the food going to the patients from the kitchen.
Joyce’s hemoglobin has continued to drop, so today turned out to be blood transfusion day. We had done some walking and she had done some other exercises, so she rested during the transfusion.
Her legs continued to be swollen, so they did an ultra sound of them. They were concerned about blood clots, but thankfully none were found! We felt better that it was done, even though that takes a lot of energy out of Joyce.
Exercise in the chair, PT, walking, drinking lots of water. These are our daily routines that will get us back home. Speaking of which, they are estimating going home soon, probably next week. We have heard that before!
Doug

I must be a mysterious alien!!

(Wednesday and Thursday are together, I slept at the hospital last night.)
Last night her arm got swollen enough that they had to cut off her armband so this was the comment she made when someone tried to check her name and birthday.
Joyce’s sense of humor is coming back—what a great sign!
Every morning is full of medical people checking everything. I don’t know why, but today it felt invasive and seemed to go on for ever.
Her room got a good cleaning and cleaning up, she got a great shower, bed linens were changed, PT gave her more excercises, more blood(of course), and a walk. She ate a couple spoonfuls of cream of wheat. Her breakfast had French toast and a sausage, which she gave me.
For lunch I had some warmed over pizza, and I was going to eat some place else, as usual, but she said why don’t you eat in the room? I did and it really smelled good to her. Probably the first time food didn’t set her back. Her lunch tray was chicken salad and a bun, and she had a little of each.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
How fast things can change.
The scan of Joyce’s arm revealed a blood clot, most probably caused by the pic line! So out comes the pic line and up goes the hepherin. It is a good thing that Joyce is starting to be able to eat because the TPN is being stopped. The good news is just that, Joyce is tolerating food by mouth now, so we believe we are over that bump in the road. Just think, she hasn’t had anything in her mouth except a few ice chips since July 23!
So now Joyce will be on a “soft diet” for some time and we will see how her system reacts to having some food in it. Small amounts are necessary, so she will be eating 5-6 times a day for a while. That is what is next, but as usual, stay tuned!!

Thursday August 27, 2009
Today was weird, no one was around until about 8:00am. Usually there are medical people starting at least by 7:00, and the surgeon team is always first. They made up for it though, it was nonstop until noon.
JOYCE HAD SCRAMBLED EGGS AND HAM FOR BREAKFAST!!
AND MORE IMPORTANT, THEY STAYED DOWN!!
She does not eat very much, but this is looking good. She is going to be getting some of the enriched products to help build her strength and take small amounts 5 or 6 times a day. PT comes most days to work with her, and we do go walking as much as we can.
Her hemoglobin is still not recovering, so tonight she is getting 2 more units of blood.
She doesn’t have the NG tube, nor the TPN, but she still has the heparin and antibiotics and GIRD meds going through the IV!
The blood clot is gone, but she may have a urinary infection!
We get discouraged at times, but we get some positive things that bring us back up. And of course part of that is the encouragement we get from you. All the prayers, cards, email, and thoughts are very important, thank you!
The doctors and nurses and other staff are always very supportive with their thoughts and prayers.
Joyce is one incredible woman!
Unbiasedly,
Doug

Out, Out, Out damn NG Tube!!!!

Once again (number 4, but whose counting) the tube is gone, Joyce can turn her head to talk to people, or her husband!
She started with little sips of water, and then had little sips of decaf coffee, and broth.
“Here comes the food tray.” Is not exactly an event that warms her heart.
Everything is OK tonight. Tomorrow she will continue and may have something like cream of wheat. Her doctor is encouraging her to have only what sounds good to her and not to push it.
Walk, sit, rest. Draw blood. Clear the beep beep. How are you feeling. Walk, sit, rest…..
Another little change in routine, Doug started itching a little early morning. Luckily he was able to get a medical opinion, or 3, quite soon and got some benedryl. He sure got some naps today!
The highlight of the day was about 30 minutes of music therapy. It is very soothing and calming.
Doug

Improvement, Day two

The usual chaotic morning started before 7 am with two of the surgical team doctors visiting us. They were pleased with Joyce’s progress. Enough so that they said tomorrow she could have something more than ice chips. She hasn’t decided what yet, it is a big decision. They also said to “clamp” (disconnect, but not remove) the ever present NG tube. They ask about every hour if she is nauseous and she is not, but that was true with the other times also. It is the intake that causes all the problems!
She has walked twice and spent quite a bit of time sitting up. She still has enough “wiring” that she needs the nurses to get her up and on the journey. Each time she walks she feels and looks better.
Her blood sugar and other vitals are much better, but of course it is the medication doing it’s job.

Joyce & Doug

And on our special gourmet appetizer menu today, our famous “Ice Chip Delight!” Please do not over indulge!

The day started early with a C-T scan at 5:30 am. The hospital Doctor had ordered it in the evening. Then about 7:30 a surgeon team member came to see us and read the scan. He said the surgery was a success, the blockage was gone!

He said Joyce could go back to ice chips. She said “Oh thank you, thank you!”

Yesterday it was all JB wanted, ice chips! And now when she can have them, it is easy for her to ration herself.

Her hemoglobin was low so she got a blood transfusion, and her pulse rate is still high so she is getting a beta blocker to lower that.

PT came in a little later and gave her some more exercises and took her for a walk. Then sitting up for about 3 hours and she was ready for a nap. But of course there is no such thing as a good nap in the hospital.

Joyce has so many attachments to her that she has to have 2 Baxters and it takes about a half an hour to get her all settled in bed. It is about as tiring as another walk.

Tomorrow we hope for improvement in output so we can continue the present progress. We don’t know what is down the road, but we are cautiously optimistic that this time we will keep on that elusive improvement path.

Doug and Joyce
PS This was created by team D & J at the Hospital at about 7 PM!

Doctor was in to see Joyce at 6 am

Well, the doctor made it in before me today. He told her to swallow as little water as possible. No more ice chips for now! Just wet her lips with a swab whenever necessary! See how long you can do this--An hour, or two? We are not sure how long she is going to have to, but you can be sure she will do what is necessary to head us out the door!

Her heart rate was about 135 so he also scheduled a c-t scan. The scan showed a small blood clot in her lung, so they gave her heparin to get rid of the clot and TPA,a blood thinner. Her pulse rate went down to 115, which is about where it has been most of the time in the hospital.

We spent most of the rest of the day recovering from all of that. Joyce was so dry today that I had to do most of the talking. She would swab her mouth and talk a little and so on--Not fun.

By the end of the day we were pooped, but thinking about a short walk. We took one look at the IV - Christmas - Tree and decided she would just sit at the sink and get cleaned up.

The nurse weighed her tonight and, right now, she has regained some of her weight loss. Maybe that is temporary.

Once again, please call before coming to visit. It is hard to maintain your strength, much less increase it when you can't have liquids. The nurses let us know though that they are expecting some walking tomorrow.

Heaven knows you have to obey those wonderful nurses! Or else!

Surgery Day II, 9 PM Joyce was sitting in a chair beside her bed!!

Seven hours after 3 hour surgery, WOW!

The Doctor had predicted adhesions and kinking of the bowels and found more than he expected. He did 3 hours of work on them and expects that the chemo sessions will help also. We will know more next week, but are very hopeful.

We expect the next chemo treatment to start early September (September??). We plan on going to the hospital from HOME!

Of course, how Joyce is able to tolerate real food is another bridge to cross. It has been one month since anything but ice chips have crossed those beautiful lips (food wise speaking).

Joyce was very tired tonight after sitting up, so please touch base with us before coming to visit.

Tired, but happy, hopeful, and confident.
Doug

Goodnight!

Surgery is tomorrow at 10:30 am.
I am sleeping with my sweetheart tonight at the hospital!
Doug

Thank You God!

Every morning I wake up and say thank you God for Doug.
It’s not just the surgeons, we are on a journey with God!
God will not let me down. She never has and she never will!
That’s why I wake up every morning and say thank you God for everything.
It might be just making it through the night or just some little things.
Thank you God that I can eat ice chips, so it isn’t so boring.
Thank you God for clean hair.
Thank you God for surgeons who explain things to us.
Thank you God for neighbors and friends who are taking care of Doug.

Joyce

So....It isn't JUST about Gas!

The morning wasn't very old when some of the sounds we have been waiting so long for,came from the bathroom. GAS! And it came more than once. We were in heaven!
So we are three days before scheduled surgery, and the bowel is starting to work.

Enter the Surgeon. Sorry to tell you, but the C-T scan shows enough of a blockage that we will need to operate. There is too much going on in the "transition point" to be cleared out with just passing some gas.

DEFLATE!

It does give them more confidence that it is not a tumor because that would likely be total blockage. It also gives them more confidence that it will be taken care of relatively easily. Asked again, can it start working without surgery, his answer was less than 1% chance.

So it took us the rest of the day to regroup and rethink, and talk and talk.

And question.

Do we still have faith in the team that we have working for us?

Yes, we agreed that we had confidence in each one of the surgeons on the team.

We will stay the course! Period!

We will get you through this! You will be OK! This is not life threatening!

Mornings at the hospital start early. Today Joyce was preparing for a C-T scan by 7:00 and by 8:00 she was back in the room. Not too long after that the resident Doctor talked to us and then one of the Partner Doctors in the surgery group.

Joyce's white blood count is almost back to normal, and the other indicators say that she has beaten the chemo.

Unfortunately, the bowels are still not responding. The C-T scan shows that there is still a partial blockage. The Doctor said we need to do something and she is scheduling surgery for Friday. There have been so many 'maybes' that it hit us pretty hard. That is when the doctor looked Joyce square in the eyes and said with authority the words in the title!!

So, Joyce can do PT and OT exercises to keep up her strength up. We can go walking and head outside to sit on the boardwalk, and we can hope that the bowels open up!

And we can keep repeating and believing that the Doctors will get us through this and that Joyce will be OK!!!! And it is not life threatening!!!
Doug

On a scale of 10, I would rate today at 6.625

Joyce did get more sleep last night. She got two doses of the medication and slept until 4AM.

She was feeling a little low this morning, we both do at different times, but then--

The Physical Therapy person came and got her up walking. Not very far, but around a couple of times, And she had JB do some exercises. So this helped a lot to get rid of the blues!

Then the Doctor came in with more good news. Her white count was almost back to normal, her hemoglobin was better, and her blood sugar had gone down considerably. She said Joyce is not in danger of infection any more and her body is beating the chemo. So tomorrow she will get a C-T Scan, and will not have to drink the white contract stuff.

Joyce was talking to someone today and used the phrase "so this is our crazy life now." I have to say this helps me change my thinking. It helps me get away from daily expectations and look at a bigger view. This IS our life right now and looking at a day at a time puts us right back on the roller coaster!
Doug

Nights

Every evening when I leave Joyce, I think, maybe this night she will get the rest she needs and deserves!

Every morning turns out to be like this morning. I get there by 6:30 and she is sitting up with her eyes open, (I hesitate to say she is awake), and tired as the devil!

I wonder if anyone who is not drugged can sleep in a hospital bed.

So today she did spend time dozing. I helped with that, whenever I started talking, she fell asleep, how good am I.

Her pulse rate has been high today and blood sugar also, so she got a dose of insulin today. She has a difficult time calming down, partly because her hiccups come every so often and bring the thought that she may vomit. The NG tube is doing the job, and is not as painful as the last one.

She seemed better to me at the end of the day than in the morning, probably because she got some rest.
Tonight she will be getting 1 or 2 doses of a drug that helps with anxiety and sleep.

We asked the doctor today if we are dealing with a lazy intestine, or a partial blockage. She said it is probably a partial blockage. She had not seen the last C-T Scan images so she did not have any new information. She will be talking to us tomorrow.

I think I said in a previous blog that the hope was that the chemo would get things going, and the oncologist thought that could take two treatments. We are unclear on the status of that at this time.

I am looking forward to tomorrow morning and having Joyce feeling rested up, and ready to resume some of our walking!
Doug

Friday, August 14, 2009 2:00 am, Methodist Hospital, ER

Yes we are back again!
All day Thursday Joyce struggled with vomiting and a queasy stomach with a little pain. We talked to the home Nurses and they tried to contact some of the Doctors, with little response. We got the set-up of the TPN done an Joyce went to bed, but every so often she would vomit. Then she had a big one and we headed for the ER. We got there at 2 am and were in a room next to our other room by 4:00 am. We found out her white cell(?) blood count was less than one, so we got a private room.

We both dozed fitfully until about 7:230 when the put in another ( #4 ) NG tube. She immediately felt better and stopped vomiting and the pain almost went away! Through the day she got more liquid out than she had before, and it was still coming when I left about 9:30.

She needs to build herself back up with hydration, sleep, TPN, anti nausea IV, GERD IV, and more sleep! The doctors feel this is the only way to go right now and hope that it finally starts to work. This is basically what the plan was when we went home, so we really are restarting that.

I have to say we were happy to get home and do a few "normal" things, but it did not feel right to either of us. It just was not working right. So when we finally got a room in the Hospital, we both felt relieved!

If you come to visit please keep it short. Remember she is in an infectious room. If you have a cold, or are not feeling well please send a card or email or blog note. And flowers are not allowed in the room.

So, what can we do except keep blogging along, and keep you right with us!!

Doug

Welcome to the Battcher-Malchow Medical Clinic!

It's not too bad now that we are somewhat oranized, but the amount of stuff they bring us for doing the IV is mind-boggling. Plus, we decided we needed a hospital bed, it's much better for Joyce to have her head elevated. But even more crazy is all the stuff that gets used up each day.

Joyce has been very tired again today. Happy to be home, but just pooped out!
Yes, a little movement down there, but no celebration.

A little story. We were suppose to get a nausea medication that dissolved in the mouth, so she wouldn't have to take it with water. We did not get it at check out, so we asked our health care nurse to get it for us. She did her best, but could not get a prescription from the doctor. Joyce was on the phone with the Nurses organization and got promises but no results. About 5:20, as a last resort, I went to Walgreen's and got the right person, she made two phone calls and had the doctor paged, and 2 hours we had our medicine! Fantastic.

We are getting settled in with a different routine than before, and that we hope changes back pretty soon, so I may not be sending a message every day now.
I am also hoping the "happening" happens soon so JB can start eating and get her strength back so she is able t0 have visitors.

When things happen I will let you know.

We continue to need your wonderful words of wisdom and powerful prayers that keep us going every day!

Doug

Moving Day is never fun!

Well, we are home! And we are tired, tired, tired!

It's 11.10pm and JB is asleep, finally. About 2 hours ago I thought it was midnight, so you can imagine how it felt for her. Saying goodbye to people who have cared for you is not so easy. but it is easy to get in the car and drive away.

we were home before 5 pm, but reorganizing things a bit, checking mail that was not a card or letter, and just trying to relax still took it out of us.
Incidentally Baxter turned into a turtle. Instead of a pole, he is a back pack. I think more manageable than the pole. He just sits beside the bed feeding Joyce and night and in the am we can disconnect and Joyce will e free to move around. The only draw back is that Doug has to learn how to rig it up and take it down. The Home Health Nurse was here from about 6:30 to 8:30, checking us in and giving me my first lesson. A nurse will be coming in the morning and one at night until we and they are comfortable with what I am doing.

So keep working on waking up that bowel!

You are all fantastic!

To bed!
Doug

Moving Day is never fun!

C'Mon Baxter, Move it, Wee have places to go and Things to do!

Yes, we will be going home tomorrow!! Holy Moses!

We had visits from 5 doctors (2 before 8) and one social worker as well as some of 'our nurses' but the only that counts is our doctor saying "you need to get out of here!"

Joyce's tummy still isn't working, so she will have to use "Baxter" to get the nutrition, but our doctor thinks a change of scenery will do the trick. Sixteen days in the hospital is driving us crazy too.

They will program the IV so it will all be together and will be connected for 12 hours at night and then disconnected for the day. Joyce will be FREE!

A home health Nurse will get things set for us. After being in the same room as Baxter for 12 hours a day, I think we learned something Beep Beep.

We haven't gotten the schedule for the next chemo treatment, but will be close to the end of August.

We couldn't stop smiling tonight!
Doug

Is Baxter coming home with us?

Joyce had a very good night, she was still sleeping when I got there, so both of us dozed for a while. She did have somewhat of an upset stomach, but not bad. We had two Doctors visits before 8:30. The oncologist asked how her chemo treatment went, which was very good. The gyn-onc was there to talk about her gut. Unfortunately there was nothing to report except a gurgling stomach.

Joyce also got a shower and then we set our goals for walking, puffing, and belly dancing! By puffing, we mean the "Inhalation Sperometer," the thing that helps clear your lungs so you don't get pneumonia and increase lung capacity. Joyce has taken a class in belly dancing, and knows some of the actions are excellent for the body.

The gyn-onc doctor said maybe we need to go to a different environment to get the guts moving. This could be home, but she can't eat yet, so we would have to take the IV tower with us. The IV tower is made by Baxter! So, this is a possibility that may happen this week, unless other things change, of course!

So we walked and puffed and moved the body and she had a Healing Touch" session, and still now gut activity and still n o t h i n g ! Maybe tomorrow!
Doug

The First CHEMO IS down the Tubes (so to speak)!

The day started out lousy! When I got to the Hospital, Joyce was sitting up in bed, awake and hurting. The NG tube was giving her great pain every time she swallowed. She had been awake since 3am holding the tube in the least painful spot. The Doctor was in before 7 and said they would try heat and a throat spray. No answer to our question ( and probably yours) as to why these were not tried during the night. These two did help, but marginally. We went for a walk and then she was able to sleep for a while. The Doctor did promise that chemo would start today.

Joyce told me later that from the beginning of the day she believed it was going to be a very good day!!

At 3 pm the pre-chemo IV started.

We are finally on the road to getting rid of the lousy stuff in her body!!!

At 3:30 the real chemo started.
At 4:30 the NG tube was removed and Joyce got instant relief!!!
At 8:15 the chemo was complete. Through the whole 5 hour process, and especially after removal of the NG tube, Joyce was feeling very good with zero nausea. When I left at 10 pm, she was almost asleep and feeling great!

The only klinker of the day is that her bowels have not decided to wake up yet so she has to stay on IV nutrition until that happens. We hope the chemo helps that process along.
Doug
PS I must have a virus in my computer so I am doing this from Joyce's. Another issue that will be resolved soon, I hope.

My Beautiful Wife with a Beautiful Nose!

Today our Doctor visited us and after a series of questions about "output" he attached the NG pump and turned it on. Little if any liquid came out, indicating that the intestines are doing their job. Then he said, "you can only test the water so long and then you have to jump in." He then pulled out the tube and Joyce's beautiful face appeared. She said "is it really out already? My throat isn't even sore"

So she had a few swallows of something for breakfast and we walked and smiled and said to each person on duty "See anything different on my face?" We had some good laughs.

She had a couple of swallows for lunch and then for dinner had a few bites of graham cracker, softened up of course.

We walked a bunch today and rested in-between. The second time the doctor came in, he said he had stopped by two other times and we were both asleep.

We both enjoyed a laid-back day, walking, resting, laughing and reading your emails!

Toward the end of the day, Joyce's stomach started acting up, but when I left about 10:30, she was almost asleep and everything was still in her stomach.

Doug

1:50 PM we moved into a private room!!

Last night Joyce and her roommate traded trips to the bathroom about every hour. Neither one of them got much sleep, so Joyce was just as tired this morning as when she went to bed. For the umpteenth time I complained to the Nurse, Head Nurse and Doctor. Low-and-behold as we were talking to the doctor, the head nurse said we had a room. Just like buying a house for the first time!! Just think our own bathroom and our own silence! Well, not exactly silence.

The doctor said reconnect the NG tube for 4 hours and check the output. If it is below 100ml, we can try liquids. WOW! The output was low, but given what we had gone through, we opted for just some ice chips tonight so Joyce can get a little caught up on her sleep.

Naturally there were delays to the elusive "Sound asleep" BeepBeepBeep-Occlusion.
BeepBeepBeep-Low battery. You get the picture.

The hero of the night was the IV nurse. Joyce had gotten a new IV site this morning and had pain almost right away. It was looked at and adjusted several times and still hurt. Luckily we mentioned it one more time and the night IV Nurse said it probably hit a nerve and started a new site. Problem solved!

About 11:15 JB schussed me out of there when they were waiting for the IV nurse come and take care of the occlusion. I hope Joyce gets some sleep!
Doug

1:50 PM we moved into a private room!!

1:50 PM we moved into a private room!!

3:30 PM - NG TUBE CLAMPED!

The doctor was in this afternoon and said the fluid collected was low, so she feels Joyce's system is working again. The NG pump got shut off at 3:30, but remains in place. Joyce will still have nothing by mouth pending the results tomorrow morning. If she has a good night with no vomiting, she will start with some liquids and progress from there as the doctor watches the progress!!

So we are nervious and anxious and very hopeful tonight. Joyce was sleeping when I left tonight.

I think we are both getting "hospital syndrome" about now. Everything seems like it doesn't go quite as smoothly, things upset us easily, people including nurses talk too loudly, especially when Joyce is trying to get some rest. Someone else's IV beeps incessantly before someone clears it. Joyce said "Lets just get out of here!"

We decided to go for a walk to try to get away from the hubbub. A nurse's assistant saw us and asked if she could help. She found a family room that we had not seen before that was empty and had a beautiful view of the wooded area East of the hospital. Mostly we just sat, and mellowed out until BeepBeepBeep.....BeepBeepBeep....! Our IV was the problem, so back to the room we went, but it did help!
The NG tube is really an irritant and makes it more tiring to go walking, and that of course gets into the vicious cycle of getting more tired.... After the NG was clamped we were energized and got in quite a bit before bed time.

As is our usual ritual in the morning, we read the cards, emails and comments that keep us going through the day!
Doug

Joyce, did you see that article in the paper today about . . . .

Today was day of waiting! The nasal-gastro tube was put in successfully yesterday and our doctor wanted to see how it goes for a full day.

JOYCE HAD A VERY GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP!!

Doug said: That is the best thing that could happen today!
Joyce said: The best thing to happen today is that Doug is here! (Can you beat that!)

She was only up once during the night and slept until about 8:00. She still has not caught up with what she lost though and she did have a couple of naps today. That NG tube is doing the job (about 800 ml has come out), but it is a lousy thing to have hanging around and irritating her throat!

Some good things--No vomiting, her blood pressure is down, her legs are not as swollen, and her blood sugar is down.

Another really good thing is that she is getting hungry!! Up to now she could hardly stand to see or smell food. That is akin to me not ever wanting ice cream again! (Shutter)

Tomorrow we will see the doctor again and find out what she recommends. If we can disconnect from the NG tube and/or the IV, we can take a nice walk along the boardwalk in back of the hospital. Maybe I better bring a couple of sweaters!

Doug