Days 90 & 91

Oh dear!! I did want to let you all know IMMEDIATELY when Stan got home but haven't had a second to write. (I even started that first sentence hours ago.) But anyway!!! NOW we can all celebrate!!!

He had lots of phone calls today... I am sorry for those I had to cut short. Many of the calls were during the nurse's visit, and I just couldn't stand and hold the phone to Stan's ear and be attentive to her. Hopefully, there won't ALWAYS be a meeting going on. (It does begin to sound like it, tho. There will be a Social worker, nurse, PT, OT, and speech therapist on a regular basis, and some one to come help bathe him. At first I declined that help, but decided it would cut some of my time down....so reversed the decision.)

Pete went to the hospital after taking Phil to work yesterday and was there to feed Stan bfst. He told him we were doing things to get him ready to go home and would be back as soon as possible. I still had to deliver the car for its "beauty makeover" and then get to the hospital. Pete spent the day running errands, and then met me at the body shop and took me to St. Elias. It was almost one when I got there. Stan's lunch was waiting for me!! While I fed him, I sent Pete flying home to get him clothes to wear....I had totally forgot any. The transportation was supposed to arrive at 3 and it was close to two when I sent Pete home. He had to fetch Isaac from Jake's house on the way, and have Isaac shovel off the front deck so we could get Stan into the house. If you remember, I did mention the new snow....it wasn't just on the car and the road. The deck was inundated, too!!

I took care of all the paper work, finished packing up our stuff (the staff had three boxes about 12" by 18" by 10 " already full of stuff we were able to take home.....

When I finished with all that, I still had plenty of time to worry about Pete getting back in time to NOT hold up the transportation company. I think I actually started pacing the floor....but in he walked at about 3:02! At 3:30 (with an ever increasingly anxious Stan) we got the message that the transcare people were running 45 minutes late. I figured that meant they would be there in about 15 minutes. WRONG!! They arrived 45 minutes later at 4:30. Andy had called and said he was on his way....I told him it was snowing hard, the van was late, and that he just might beat us home. Pete had to pick Phil up from work and deliver him to class at four, so I was sure hoping I could ride in the van. It is much too far, and it was much too blizzardly to walk home....especially since I did not wear a coat!

The van finally arrived, we dressed Stan and wrapped him in the lovely quilt Cheri made him a year ago for Christmas. (BTW HE even "ordered" what he wanted to wear!! It had been 90 days since he'd even seen any of his clothes!)

We did forget a hat, and he mentioned to someone later that he got snowed on! It was his first ride in his new wheelchair with a nice high back. Sadly, he didn't give the back much of a work out....his head kind of fell forward most of the way. I was seatbelted in, and couldn't reach his head. I was able to stick a bag of diapers under his bad foot when it slipped off the foot rest. I don't think he could see much of the scenery on the way because of his position and because there are no windows back where he was locked into. None of us could see much of the "scenery" anyway....it was snowing hard.

We did beat Andy, and Isaac did have the deck all shoveled and sanded. It took both the transcare guys and Isaac to get the wheel chair up the 3 steps to the landing, and then up the next 3 steps to the deck....but they made it!! From there it was easy....he was rolled to the front door, and his room is right off the entry. We left him in the wheelchair until Andy arrived....maybe ten minutes/maybe less....after the transcare guys left. Again it took Andy, Isaac, and me to hoist him into bed. We MADE IT!! Pete was picking up Phil, taking him to his next class and then headed to Fred Meyer's to get Stan's myriad of meds.

Everything got off to a late start....Fred's didn't "deliver the goods" until after 8 p.m. I couldn't feed Stan until I had the meds. So his dinner and then his bedtime were both pushed back to "late." But...we succeeded, and he slept until about 3 (or was quiet). He woke me with a "help me, help me" for a drink of water. I heard him again about five, but Isaac was taking care of him. I got up and going about 7....and got a call from the Home Health nurse asking if she could come early. I was still trying to figure out a schedule, get Stan changed and fed, etc...and I stalled her until one....then I got myself in gear and thought maybe I could be ready by 11, and would rather not put off the unknown...so I called and rescheduled. Turned out that in all my "figuring" I forgot about me eating!! However, she was late (like almost an hour) so I ate standing by the window watching for her. Her meeting took almost 3 hours....so now Stan's lunch was really late again. It wasn't a bad visit though.... We did a lot of paperwork first, and then she examined Stan from "head to toe." He is rattley when he coughs (which is often) so I was glad when she said his lungs were clear. I think the yuk is all drainage from his sinusitis.

He ate all his lunch. I let him have a small glass of Coke for his beverage, since he drank the apple/pomegranite juice mixture I concocted for his bfst.

His stomach tube got all stained dark before leaving St. Elias. I was told to clean it with Coke, so I tried. It didn't come very clean, and I don't think there is any way to change it. It seemed to be leaking a little around the site tonight. I don't understand that. I don't want ANY problems developing at home!!

A couple of more "setbacks"... the stool softener the pharmacy gave Pete said "capsules" but they were gel caps and could not be crushed...and certainly couldn't be swallowed. Pete returned them...open...18.99!!!... and said we wanted our money back and needed the liquid form or something crushable. They weren't going to take them back because they were opened. Pete convinced them it was their error, and they would, too, take them back. Then tonight he said he had a headache, and I decided to give him Tylenol. We didn't buy any new, as we had a big bottle already. Welllllll...they are gel caps....I did manage to crush them, but had to pick out all the gel covering before I could get them into his feeding tube. Oh, yes. I thought to try his pills in applesauce at dinner time. ONE bite and he almost vomited!! I couldn't separate them from the applesauce (they were all crushed up and a PART of the food now) so I added water and fed the whole thing through the tube. I don't see how anyone ....even those who can swallow.... could get this many pills down by mouth!!

My hands, especially around the nails, are getting so sore from all the washing!! Poor me!! But they do hurt... I didn't realize how much I use my thumbs to type...and it is the sides....so it hurts!! Hits on that edge where the "hangnails" have formed. (I understand that "this too will pass." )

The boys are getting involved and doing a great job. Pete and Isaac have helped ME change Stan before, but tonight while I fixed his dinner and pills, Brian, Pete. and Isaac did the job together without me there....and did a great job.

I have the baby monitor that I used with mom by my bed, and my "sewing room" one by Pete's bed. They are wonderful aides.

I need to go check on him..... I hate the way he coughs....but he always did have a loud harsh cough, even before the stroke, so I know it sounds worse than it probably is.

Then I'll try to get some ZZZZZZZZ's!

We didn't get the additional 12 inches of snow last night and today.... I am sooo glad!!

Love, M