9:44pm (this is a recap). Yep, I was right...it was a sucky day. FOR ME, not Matt. Let's recap the day, pieced together from Dad and Starr and their text updates (I am so grateful that they are keeping me posted; I feel so helpless and guilty that I'm not there for my baby bro.)
5:00am: pretty good night; pain subsided. Got blood drawn 3 times. Has gotten to the point where they say "thank you" when they're done, and all he can do is grunt (didn't I say the other day how nice and gracious he has been to them, even in pain??). Still on sodium watch (urine output quality, basically tells how the kidneys are doing, based on pituitary gland function). He became more chatty late at night.
6:00am: Docs came in. Bandages should come off today. Will slow down the IV fluids or even stop them. Will move into a regular room today. Still no word on discharge date.
9:59am: Pain level about a 6 (better than 9 when I left yesterday). Will continue to monitor input/output of fluids before being discharged from ICU. Such teasers, they are. Matt didn't eat any breakfast, but did drink a 12 oz juice, 8 oz milk, 8 oz apple juice, large powerade, jamba juice, and an 8 oz bottle of chocolate milk. ...jeez...thirsty much? ...they say this is normal.
10:30am: Had a shower and drank a bottle of Gatorade. (...so.... it just dawned on me that he has been clean-shaven all these days...).
Oh, and he's been labeled as a "hard stick". Just like his mommy (favorite). Meanwhile, on the non-sissy side of the family, Dad and I are easy pokes. ....wait a second... o_O
He walked today; looks a lot better because the gas pains are down from yesterday. If he is still here in a few days they will take out the staples (WTH??? that was supposed to be MY job!!??).
Still dozing most of the day, but is more aware of the TV and people in the room. Seems to eat better at night. Breakfast apparently "doesn't smell good enough to eat", according to the looks he gives it. As long as mom and dad keep running out for Jamba Juice with protein, I'll feel better.
2:00pm: BP 119/80 respirations 18, pulse 80; respiratory therapist came.
He was able to finish a third of his lunch and still managed to drink a large orange smoothie, 8 oz. chocolate milk, 8 oz. lemonade, and some water. The nurse also brought him in four more 12 oz. gatorades to drink. The Occupational Therapist was also in to make sure he could perform simple tasks before they would discharge him and he passed each one. His mom was giving the OT other things to do that he might come into contact with when we got home and he did not like that at all (haha wah. Do what your mom says!). His tasks included: sitting on and getting off the toilet without help or assistance, picking up things from the floor, taking off and putting on his own socks, and simulating getting in and out of a bathtub. (...umm...I didn't see any bathtubs there.)
He is feeling the pain of the staples in his head now; got some pain meds for that. (I'm still bummed I won't be there for the unveiling and then the staple-removing!).
Just got released from introductory physical therapy (haha sounds like kindergarten for walking); will need to climb stairs and the next higher levels of physical therapy still.
with any luck, this part is ticking him off, because he KNOWS that he knows how to do this. Being ticked is a good sign.
hee hee okay, okay, it looks painful. Really. But in 3 years he'll look back on this and giggle.
Drinks a good volume; the output seems down. Dad has been feeding me details now and again, and said "but who really knows about the output thing, except the nurses that tally the records?" To which I said "I'm just going to ask Starr why she hasn't marked the urinal and sent pics." haha She doesn't yet realize what she married into.
Brett C. (Carter?) came, and Ronald Stout and Rusty and Hilary Stewart were coming tonight.
This afternoon he moved into a regular room!! Well, it's called Acute Care Unit...not exactly an unattended room, but no longer in ICU. Which the sister side of me says "whew..baby steps of happiness!" and the medical side of me says "well shit. Now he won't get hourly attention and 24-hour supervision."
9:38pm: Dad sent me a video of his room, from the outside to inside, and a 360-degree turn. That man knows how I think, and what I need :)
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