Hospital Stay: Day 9

J and Toe did so well together last night, I am taking another night at the Ronald MacDonald house. It really helped to sleep in a soft bed, to have some privacy and quiet, and to not be responsible for anyone but myself. The guys, meanwhile, held a D&D party in the hospital room and invited a bunch of friends.

We are in the hospital through the weekend. Toe is scheduled for PFTs again on Monday afternoon. The goal is to get him up to 110% (he was at 113% in July and the numbers kept creeping down every visit after that. The day before they admitted us, Toe blew 91%).

In the meantime, his arm was sore this morning. We had been giving pain meds only as needed, but today they decided to give them alternating on a regular schedule to try to make him more comfortable. We also worked on massaging the muscles in his arm. After favoring it for a full week, his arm muscles are tight and sore (in addition to the blood clot in his PICC).

It was such a beautiful day, J and I took a walk outside while Toe was in school. The weather reminded us of autumns in our late teens/early twenties in Minnesota and New York. We both miss going for walks at home.We usually walk a couple of miles together every day. We use it as our check in time.

Our ward is gearing up for Halloween. Here is the nurses' station:

J's work has slowed enough that he has been able to work from the room the past couple of days. I hope that lasts because it is SO NICE to have him with us.

Respiratory Therapy came at a different time today and we weren't sure they would be sticking to a routine of RT every four hours, so we spent much more time than usual in the room today, making sure we didn't miss them or make them wait. It worked out well. Toe seemed extra tired today and mostly wanted to stay in bed.

He spent most of the day creating new D&D characters and bouncing between breathing treatments and meals. Our friend Brian came by in the evening and joined us for dinner. After a late lunch and before Brian arrived (around 4pm), we all hit the wall. I sat down to knit and started dozing in a chair, Jason laid down and started reading comics, Toe played an app on his iPad. It was the quietest the room has ever been. The sun streamed through the windows and warmed everything. Life is good, but we are tired.