11/23/08 - 1pm Visit

For this visit, let me first give a HUGE Thank You to the Kolva's! Jennifer and her Mother came up here the first day or so and gave me an "I.C.U. Survival Kit". It included a notebook and a pen so that I could keep track of everything and write down what the Doctors said. They also gave me a small fortune in change because, in Jennifer's words... "you're gonna need it" ! hahaha As you know, the Kolva's are hospital/Emergency Room Experts because of the accident that Jennifer was involved in a while back. She had a LONG and sometimes scary recovery, but, as you all know, she is back to 100% now! The reason I have to Thank them so much is because every time Wendy has wanted a Coke, all I had to do was grab some change out of the "Kolva Fund" and run to the nearest machine. (Change is hard to come-by in a hospital.)

On to the visit ... Wendy was sitting in the Chair-Bed when I got there and was sleeping, lightly. Right-after I walked-in, her lunch tray arrived. It was Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Carrots and Peas, and Peaches. (oh, and let's not forget the fresh roll) She ate almost everything, except for the carrots and peas. On the second bite, she looked-up and said "Ewww... those are bad." hahahaha

She has not been eating well up until now, so, her Sodium and Potassium are low. They have put her on a vitamin supplement, so, she has to take three Horse Pills, ummm, I mean, "Potassium Pills" and one Sodium Pill per meal. Since her eating habits are improving, I think that this will only be for a little bit of time. After she ate, she wanted to get back in the bed because she was getting uncomfortable in the Chair-Bed. This time, instead of doing it myself, I called the Nurse so that I could see how they were doing it. After disconnecting all of Wendy's sensors, they hold her hand and support her arm, but let her stand-up and move under her own power. She did GREAT. Think of how you would feel if you fell asleep in a funky position on the couch and got-up to go get in your bed ... well... that's about how she moves. So, it's WAY better than before, but she's not jumping on the bed like a 5 year old, yet. Once she got to the bed, she is strong enough to lift herself and slide up the bed into position. (This is another big step because she was straining to do this before.) We got her all hooked-up and got the monitor started again and it was time for me to leave. So, she flipped-on the TV and started watching Good Morning Vietnam and laughing a little. (Adrian Cronhour is a funny dude!) She has become MUCH more relaxed about me coming and going with the Visiting Hours. It's almost like I'm running to the store to get something and I'll be right back. hahaha

OH ...I almost forgot... the low levels of Sodium and Potassium could also attribute to her "confusion" and being scared. The Nurse said that the supplements should help that, as well.

One last thing, the Patient that I asked you to pray for ... I'm about to add his accident picture to that blog posting ... like I said ... They are Thankful he was ejected...

Until the 5pm Visit,
Your "Court Reporter" in the Waiting Room,
-Shawn