3/25 March Madness

No not really - It's been pretty relaxing. Quiet! Wait! Shhhhhh!!!!!! I better not say that - as they say in the hospital world we don't want to jinxed anything. But really since Nicholas, KC, Roni and Alex came to visit and since Nicholas last posted things have been rather quiet. Just a few things I would like to talk about.

I first want to discuss Jamie's spiffy new bed. Friday night around 7pm 2 men came a-knocking with a-new bed (you know, they can never come at a decent time). This incredible 2,000lbs, tug boat looking, monstrosity of a thing was The Clinintron Bed. This incredible bed was ordered by Jamie's Dr. Smith and it really does weigh 2K lbs. The bed is completely filled with sand and warm air is blown throughout the bed creating a soothing bubbly sensation throughout Jamie's back side - from head to toe. It's main and sole purpose is to help the backside wounds heal faster. It's like floating on air. We all want Jamie to move over - we want to try. Let me go back to the "tug boat looking" thing - that was a problem. Jamie could only recline and she could only incline with the help of a big blue eggcrate wedge AND we had to stand on a side platform to get up to help Jamie if she needed anything. But! and I say with a big BUT the kind, silly men said if you don't like this bed there is a different model, that really looks like a bed, it inclines and reclines and only buddles from her waist down to her legs and if you don't like the tug boat we can make a swap tomorrow - Silly Men. So Saturday morning we ordered The Clinitron Rite-Hite Bed - and of course it didn't arrive till Saturday evening. I guess my point is these are the issues we face now - sweet isn't it. BTW Jamie loves the bed and she still won't move over.

Although it may sound like things are simple, there are things that continue to haunt Jamie and as we try to get a grasp on these things we can truly see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hemoglobin is a little low as well as her pre-albumin, another word for protein. Now there's a haunting word. If we can get that protein level up things would be great - it's at 9 and it needs to be around 20. Getting both her protein and hemoglobin up will promote healing of the wounds.

As I write this Jamie's was to take her last trip to OR for the dressing change of her leg wounds on Tuesday - well it didn't turn out that way. As we took the walk to the double doors of OR I was talking with Dr Smith and we were quite frankly discussing how wound care for now on would be done bedside - hopefully, keep your fingers crossed. Final result - we need to go back and do some more grafts. A couple of areas on her legs but more importantly her bottom. The wounds on her bottom have taken a 180 degree turn for the worse and unless we want to be here for another 4-5 weeks we need to place skin grafts on them where the possibility of them healing will be in 4-5 days. Okay no question we're doing grafts. So tomorrow Jamie will be back in OR doing more grafts.

Besides all this the most incredible truly wonderful heartwarming things are happening Jamie is awake more, alot more alert, her appetite is great (we had Church's Fried Chicken tonight, yum!), the pain meds are decreasing AND we're discussing the future. WOW!!! We're leaning towards a certain rehab but still need to work out all details - like will it be the right place for Jamie. We even talked about school tonight. Jamie discussed which classes she wants to complete. You see UT was kind enough to give Jamie an option to finish her Fall classes and she will have till May 5th to finish them. She can do it - hell she's been thru worse. In fact she's been to hell and back. I know there's alot more to come but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's late - Jamie and I are watching Jon and Kate +8 but we need to turn the lights out tomorrow will be another long day. Did I mention we have surgery tomorrow. Oh well.
Good Night and God Bless all of you!!