FYI....for more than you ever need to know about Greenfield filter. Google it.

Today the roller coaster took another dip on the track.

Bill complained to Dr. Adams that his left leg hurt. Upon his examination Dr. Adams did indeed find the leg was swollen so he pulled Bill out of therapy and into a Ultra Sound. A blood clot was found in the interior of his left leg. The hospital called approx 10:30 AM and Bill was off to the CAT LAB......Bill hates cats.

Lucky Bill's Friend Paul Guidry was working there today and stayed with Bill until I could get there and thru the procedure. That had to be a huge comfort to him to look up and see a familiar face. Dr. Bourgeois of the Dr. Eiserwirth team did the procedure. I did make it there in time to see Bill before it started. After the procedure Paul came and brought me to the back by Bill. The nurse said her face hurt from laughing the whole time at those two guys joking around. Not just Paul but Bill too...they do a local for this so he was awake the fifteen minutes or so while they worked on him.

They went into his right groin ......floated up inside of the artery to a point and placed a filter in the Vina Cava. The filter opens and acts as a umbrella inside the artery it will stop this or another clot from getting into Bill's kidneys, lungs, heart or brain. He was back in his room for 1:15PM. Couldn't move the right leg until 5:00PM after which time he ate his best hospital meal yet. Meat sauce and spaghetti, with bread, spinach and jello with pears. He said that is the first time since he has been a EJ that he would have liked to have had more. So he got his diet upgraded somewhat and enjoyed the food. About 4:00PM the nursers and CNA all showed up in his room and the team moved Bill down the hall in the bed.

Bill is now in room 905 in the EJ Rehab unit. It is a private room and considerably larger. He doesn't know it yet but he has a shower in his room. I hope that is in his near future.

Don & Maurice came to visit today around 4:30PM Bill is ready to enjoy his visits now. We just need to work on the voice. I have noticed his attention spans growing...ie....asking for his glasses to read (Maurice brought him a couple of new magazines to work on while he is recovering) and Bill is not clicking the TV remote just to be clicking. He's watching the same show until it goes off now.

Bill was concerned that he had suffered a set back. Dr. Murray explained they would have preferred it not happen. But that it is just a procedure to prevent any problems. Bill gets a new RX for awhile LOVENOX.....hey that sounds like good stuff. It is a anti coagulant to prevent blood clots. Dr. Murray said this is just a temporary RX. Dr. Murray also stated his recovery is REMARKABLE. I think so too.

Hang in there baby....we are going to make it to Texas and you'll have 6 beautiful girls for your GET WELL cheer leaders.....Abby,Shelby,Maggie,Victoria, Macy and Marley.

Bill is now being moved from his bed to a wheelchair by only one Physical Therapist...that is real progress. Showing improvement in the leg for the first time in awhile. Doctors and PT say he will walk again. I sure hope so...I really want to bring him home. SOON.....just kidding I can wait as long as it takes for them to get him strong enough. Keep up the good work Bill.

Today Bill called to say a friend of mine works on nine in the Rehab unit...sure enough. The baby of the Mag 7.....Debbie Puglis. It is comforting to me that we have a friend on the inside. I think she will look in on Bill a little extra on the three days a week that she works.

I almost forgot they cautioned me again today. The doctors want Bill to loose more weight.
They say it will help his recovery. They want him to have less weight to move.

So to all who have been asking...it is still limited food & drink from outside. If you really want to bring him a treat....please keep it small & if possible low in sugar and calories. This too will pass in time.

He loves the sports page of the newspaper...maybe your favorite article about the draft or the Saints. Maybe a CD or DVD....a copy of one you have and like.

Today Bill looks extra special....he was wearing a new set of lounge pants & shirt.....BLUE. His eyes looked so blue and his skin so pink. Maybe it was the fresh air and sunshine yesterday.

A man came in to work on ordering him a new custom wheel chair today. Bill is still having trouble staying on center...which means since he had a right brain event...he has weakness in the left side and tends to fall left of center. The chair will also have a high back for added back and shoulder support and a very soft cushion seat as a regular chair hurts his butt and back.

Guess what color Bill picked....you guessed it.... all of the chrome parts will be RED and the cloth will be BLACK. Just like his truck......I think Bill is going for the fastest looking chair !

Bill has a roommate Aubrey St.Romain. Who has also had a stroke. Today while the four of us were sitting around. He and his wife and I were talking. Bill was enjoying that and decided to join in...with his voice...soft but enough that he could be heard. Aubrey graduated from Fortier also, class of 61. I think that will encourage both men to be a little more interested in staying awake and working on their speech therapy.

Bill feed himself all three meals today without assistance. I have been told to back out of assisting him when ever possible. They say it will help him more in the long run if I do not help.
He is gaining strength every day but ever so slowly. It has to be very frustrating for him but he never complains.

All day I have been looking forward to updating the blog......

This morning at 4:45AM the phone rang...of course it scared us to death. It was Bill....Hello Sweetheart, I'm hungry will you bring me a slice of toast, a poached egg and chocolate milk. I was releaved.....I expained that Greg & I were asleep and that I really could not go out in the middle of the night to buy groceries but I would bring him some extra food today.

I did call the nurses station and ask her to please bring him a snack. Since breakfast is not until 7:30AM and he must be very hungry to call.

Greg & I got to the hospital today a bit before Bill got his lunch tray. We stopped on the way to buy Bill a few things. Fresh Strawberries that he has been craving since Strawberry Fesitval, Hersey chocolate milk boxes of the shelf...I'm not sure how that works....must not be dairy, Strawberry Jello with peaches, V-8 that he loves, Soup in a container that you can just drink it from the lid....looks great for late night bed snacks, Kraft Mac & Cheese in a cup and a real honest to goodness C O K E. Not a diet or caffienne free....the real deal. Those of you who have been on board for the whole event will remember all of the blog COKE enteries and the notes to everyone in the family to do not come back without COKE. Well..........

I checked it out first with the nurse...she OK'd a cup of real deal C O K E. I could not belive my eyes. He took one sip made the most awful face and said what is that? I said COKE...he said and Greg was my witness.....it taste like GASOLINE. The better you know Bill the more you will appreciate this story. He was a COKE Aholic .

Bill did get up in the wheel chair today but no therapy. Since Maw Maw, Babes, Ross, Greg & I were all there they let us roll him outside the front of the hospital. Bill got fresh outside air for the first time in 7 weeks. The rain stopped and the sun came out. We rolled him into the sunlight for about 15 minutes that had to feel good. But it did wear him out....it takes a real effort to get him out of the bed and back in it.

I think he had a very good day. Tomorrow back to therapy.

Note help pass the word. Bill is able to enjoy his visitors now. His room # is 912. It is in the REHAB area of EJ. Saturday and Sunday you can visit anytime. Monday to Friday they ask to visit between 3-8PM since he works at various therapies during the day and goes back to his room to rest in between sessions. Thanks Ruby

Greg is still in town and spent the day with Bill. I was grateful for the break and didn't go up until around 3:00PM. We have open house for the house tomorrow, so I cleaned the blinds and spruced up around the house today.

Bill did not go to therapy today...so he had a much more quiet day and more time for quality time with his son in the room. He was up in the Ortho chair for a couple of hours.

Oh my gosh, Greg bought Bill a new DVD player today and some DVD's to replace the famous missing one that I supposedly stole from him. Tonight we were looking in his office for a new cartridge for the printer and found the one he bought still in the box. So that mystery is solved....kind of....and luckily I am cleared.

Guest blogger today ... I got to see my dad, today, for the first time in several weeks. He was in speech therapy when I got there and doing some homework. The therapist had a page that had rows of words; he had to read each row and identify which word didn't belong. His voice was just louder than a whisper. But, I was impressed at how fast he was able to spot what didn't belong - and, not all of them were simple. "Adriatic, Baltic, Mediterranean, Spanish and Atlantic." He didn't even hesitate to throw out, "Spanish, because the rest are all bodies of water and Spanish is a language." But, his voice gets tired pretty quickly and by the end of the night, he was more mouthing the words than saying them.

We went to occupational and physical therapy next - he stood for 8 minutes, albiet in a "standing machine." But, it was nice to look him in the eye, standing up. He had alot of fun, joking with the physical therapists. He's opening and closing his left hand, even able to grab things. Between the shoulder and wrist, though, he's not doing much.

We had lunch with the man that he accused of being Paw Paw - and, really, the man DOES look like Paw Paw - not identical. But, enough that I can understand how someone with a massive stroke and no glasses might have mistaken the identity. His name was Mr. Carter and he was pretty nice ... not as nice as PawPaw, though.

Harry visited later and my dad really enjoys those visits. Ralph and Karen came by, too ... they didn't bring Bubbles, though. My dad was asking about her.

Tomorrow, I'll be bringing him a DVD player, for real this time, and he asked if we can call Macy on the phone. He looks good. But, I was a bit surprised, though, at how apparent the stroke was. He's still got a lot of work to do.

Bill looked great again today...He was sleeping deeply when I got there I let him sleep while I caught up some newspapers. Harry came in around 3:00PM when Bill heard us talking he woke up. Harry changed the batteries in the CD player Ryan donated back to Bill. He had made him several CD that he really seemed to enjoy. Listened to them I guess for a couple of hours. Harry left......Mike, Shirley and Maw Maw came by for the regular Thursday night visit.

I spoke to the cardiologist today. He said I had missed Dr. Adams and that he was going out of town until Monday but that they had a long talk about Bill. Dr. Adams still agrees with Dr. Eiserwirth that Bill is making remarkable progress taking into account the seriousness of the stroke he has been trough. When I asked about the dementia...he told me the cat scan showed that Bill still has a lot of blood in his brain. I got the impression that they were surprised to see that on the test. They will do another one next week he said...

I cannot decide if I think that is good news....since it could be the cause of the dementia. Or if it bad news that his body is not absorbing the blood maybe as fast as would be expected. I need more info....tomorrow is another day.

Greg is driving in tonight it will interesting to see what he thinks of his progress. It has been at least 3 weeks since he was here last. I almost forgot he got a room mate today. It is very crowded in that room with two men and all their stuff. I don't think that will last long we will see.

I missed Dr. Adams and the results of the catscan. Harry Ravain was there visiting with Bill when the doctor came. Dr only commented on how well Bill is doing. Good news I guess I don't think he would have not called or left a message for me it the catscan had shone anything yesterday. Will follow up tomorrow....Note Bill still thinks the same man is his Dad.

Shaved him and washed his hair around 8:00AM today. Visited my sister in the hospital in Mandeville from about 11-2:30Pm while Harry covered bases with Bill.

Took advantage of the cover and went to JC Penny bought Bill his first pair of bedroom slippers. A new pair of shoes with Velcros closures. Several pairs of lounge around type PJ's. He is not in a hospital gown anymore. That has to feel good. I am trying to arrange for his first shower since March 12 can you believe it. Only bed baths since then. Physical therapy is going to help me out. I am going in the shower with him....so I left me a change of clothes and shower shoes for the big SHOWER event.

He is getting stronger every day. For now I see the right side getting stronger faster...but the left side is coming along just at a slower pace. Today he pulled on the right side of the bed rail when he felt he needed to come back to center in the bed. That is a first in the past we needed to call for help. He's working very hard in PT three hours a day minimum.

It has been a day and a half.

Bill has been having some disorientation which I thought was normal...since he has been in 4 different locations within East Jefferson.

However today when I arrived at the hospital I found him sitting in the wheel chair near the nurses station. He was very agitated. It seems that his first day in the Rehab unit at the breakfast table he thought that one man was his father and a lady was his mother. He argued with the man and woman to the point that it must have been pretty disruptive.

He told me to go see his parents in that room...I explained his father is deceased and his mother is at home. Well that went on all day. Then he saw Barley, Cheryl and Shaun Emmons down the hall. I had mentioned the disorientation to one doctor yesterday. Today the nurses reported the breakfast event. This afternoon Bill got a cat scan to see if there is a neurological explanation. If not it could be a combination of meds causing it. I hope it is just being in the hospital for so long. I had hoped to avoid that issue by keeping him at EJ.

He did call tonight he does speak well enough now to be heard on the telephone.....he wants me to come early in the morning to shave him with the electric razor. He had one lady cut him up so bad with a disposable razor....so I will be there extra early to put his mind at ease.

Visiting hours in Rehab are after 3:00PM. As they are doing alot of therapy during the morning and early afternoon. Thanks for being there for Bill !!

This morning at 6:00AM....scared me to death. I answered it was Bill calling....to ask me to bring him some clothes. It was so good to hear him talking on the phone. I guess they are finally going to get him out of the gowns. So today is off to a really good start.

Today....Bill got moved into the REHAB unit of East Jefferson Hospital.

Today Dr. Eiserwirth talked about surgery to remove the cardiac artery blockage soon.

Today I had a bad day.....I miss my best friend very much.

Bill had a quiet day today. Less agitated about his DVD player that I am hiding from him. But he did mention it a few times.

Last we heard he will move into East Jefferson's REHAB unit on Monday. I will get you that room number as soon as possible. I think it is on the 9th floor but unsure as of tonight.

Not much to take about....weekends are very slow....not much activity.

Bill did have visitors today....our neighbors Art and Stephanie. Also, Bonnie and Mike brought Bill his first snow ball of the season and the much desired sports page.

Moving right along.....today they took Bill off of the Oxygen.

He is even talking louder today....above a whisper but still very soft.

He was in rare form today....I don't know what they fed him for lunch but he was out the box.
He insisted that we were in Houston. Then he insisted this box on the wall that is used to put used needles into was his DVD player that Greg had brought to the hospital. He said he feel asleep while watching one of the two movies that Greg also brought and that I got mad because he fell asleep and stole his DVD player. So he told Lori on the phone that I was being a BITCH.

I hope we don't have many more of these days ! I left early but Danny & Melinda visited later.

Bill stood again today with the help of only 2 therapist. He is really working hard ....the left hand and arm are coming along faster than the left leg and foot. Of course the hand only holds a ball or toothbrush but the leg and foot have to be weight bearing.

He was up in the wheelchair today for about 3 hours. He shaved with his electric razor. I washed his hair really good while he was up. I also cut his hair a little. I was getting so long on one side and the left side had been shaved so it looked odd. It may look more odd now that I cut it....I'm no barber mind you. I tried....he has not seen a mirror in awhile maybe his hair will be grown back before he sees it.

All of the doctors are very pleased with his progress. His stitches and staples got removed today.
Monday he will be moved into the Rehab unit of East Jefferson Hospital. I will get you a room number as soon as possible on Monday night.

Lots of company Thursday night.....Brian, Mike, Maw Maw and Shirley. None today unless it was after I left. In Rehab he will have to work for minimum 3 hours of therapy. We should see some real progress at that rate. He is still weak but in good spirit and working hard.

Bill stood up again today...it only too two physical therapist to assist. That's remarkable progress. Dr Adams came in today and still is saying Bill will go to Rehab next week. He did get moved today ...he is now in Room 9506 of St Theresa's Hospital in East Jefferson Hospital.

He is working hard in all of his therapy...and showing improvement daily.

Bill is getting stronger by the day. The therapist are really working on him in the bed and on the side of the bed for core strength. He is eating well and drinking just fine by mouth.

I was there tonight when the TRAC doctor came in to look at the hole were the TRAC was removed. I cannot believe how clean it is....when that thing heals it will just be in the crease of his neck and you'll never know it was there.

He is complaining a bit more now...that is a good sign.

Congratulations Bill

Good things happened today.

Bill was taken out of the bed and put into a regular wheel chair. He went for a short ride. He went into the physical therapy room were they got him to stand up. It wasn't pretty...OK.
It took 4 people holding him but he stood up for a few minutes.

He sat in the wheel chair for a time looking out the window at the Huey P. Long bridge. He actually choose that over the T V.

At around 7:00PM the doctor that put the TRAC in came into the room. Stated he was there to remove the TRAC. YEA...go Bill. Yes he is now breathing once again entirely from the nose and mouth. He now has oxygen into the nose from a small tube. He can be moved out of the room with a tank on wheels. I am unclear as to the reason for the oxygen at this time. I remember them explaining in ICU that well people need approx. 21% but that when the body has suffered a suvere injury it needs much more to heal. So I am still going under that assumption as I have not heard that there is a physical problem with the breathing.

Also, Dr. Murray came in around 7:30PM. He said Bill is doing very well. Dr. Adams expects to move Bill into the Rehab unit of East Jefferson next week. I would be surprised that he could do 3 hours of therapy by next week. But the doctors seem very pleased with his progress. I am totally blown away. His recovery in one month is incredible. I was worried about the post Katrina health care in the New Orleans area but I am very pleased and impressed with the care Bill has gotten. He had me bring a flat of strawberries for the team as a treat for all the thing they do for him. He's still as thoughtful and sweet as ever.

Note: Anyone who goes to visit ...please note Bill is on a sugar restricted diet and his insulin is being watched closely. It has been elevated since the stroke. They think now it is just from the stress. But asked that I not bring in anything to eat or drink that would give him a false read.

Even if it is April 15th.....it has been a great day !!!!!!! Thanks to our brother-in-law Johnny who is a CPA for getting our taxes done on time and additional help with other tax issues.

Today Bill seems much rested and feeling stronger. Maurice visited today and Bill enjoyed that visit and seems to requesting more visitors. He will be getting the TRAC out in a few days. For now he is still very hard to hear but it should get better when they take the TRAC out.

I'll keep ya' posted. It is a very good sign that he is asking for company. He is in East Jefferson Hospital....fifth floor. It is called St. Theresa Specialty Hospital. The room # 9511. You can visit anytime before 8:00PM.

We'll see how he holds up and if it is a problem....I'm sure the doctor will cut us back.
Thanks for your patience.

Well it's been a month ago today.....it seems like a year.

Bill is eating pureed food very well even with the TRAC. He had cream of mushroom soup on his tray and asked if he could have some more. Maybe tomorrow.

Dr. Adams came in today. He said he fully expects Bill to walk out of East Jefferson. I sure hope he's right. You go Bill !!!

He did fuss about him not doing enough exercise with the left arm and leg....but thinks he is doing very well. He also said he expects the TRAC to be out very soon and that he will be able to talk. He can only speak in very soft whisper for now.

He can finally have COKE but caffeine free and diet. He has not had it yet ! I guess after no COKE for a month it will taste good.

He looks great...color good. Spirits are good all the time.

Great big thanks to Bonnie Murray for helping me out a lot today with getting the house ready for the Tuesday brokers open house.

Saturday April 11

My sister Bonnie & husband Mike gave me a break today for about 4 hours. They visited with Bill, fed him lunch puree, Bonnie gave him a through work in Rehab fashion. We are trying to get him to be more aggressive than passive when it come to Rehab. So far it is working...if you coach him into a work out he gets into it.

He also spoke today with an attachment on his TRAC. It is a whisper but if you listen carefully and turn the TV off...he can be heard. He even spoke to Greg today on the phone. He also got up into a Ortho chair for the first time in a while....he only lasted 30 minutes but that is progress.

Bill's MOM and sister-in-law Bonnie also visited tonight. He seems to be ready for a few visiors. So I will be asking him every day....who he would like me to call. The list is very long so please bare with us. I have already called the first person he requested.

Hey, it sounds like a lottery or a football draft ! HA HA The winner is ????????????
Stay tuned you could be tomorrows phone call. Just joking but I am happy that he has requested his first visitor and will be calling ya'll very soon. Thanks for being there for Bill.

29 days later Bill has a meal by mouth !

Eureka !!! 29 days and 20 pounds later Bill....had a pureed meal today for lunch and dinner.
Dinner was chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes & brown gravy, cream of broccoli soup, apple juice, ice tea, milk and vanilla ice cream. Wow !

He said everything taste bad....but it is all just mush and any liquid has to have thickener added.
But it is a really big step to getting the feeding tube out. He does still have a TRAC but it is metal this time and soon he will be able to talk.

Dr. Adams told me today he will need a lot of encouragement to get into therapy....for now he is just not interested. I hope the food will make him feel stronger and soon get more interested in the moving the arm and leg more.

Another big step in the right direction.

We should soon get the verdict on Bill's TRAC. I have heard everything from he will need it long term.....to we will take it out and he will be eating and speaking very soon. Although the progress is slow...it is progress non the less.

Today Dr. Adams the lead doctor now (he is the neroligist that Bill had in 2001) and the head of the East Jefferson ReHab Unit came in and told us he did not expect the recovery that he sees in Bill in such a short time.

Dr Adams said he thinks he might spend 2 weeks in St Terrica while building strength and then be ready for the East Jefferson Rehab unit. WOW that really sounds positive.

We will take that kind of news all day. Go Bill !!!

First taste of food or drink in a month !

Bill got a good workout today. The speech therapist came in today to test Bill's swallowing abilities. He had water from a spoon, a spoon of pudding, a spoon of Gerber peaches, a large corner of a saltine cracker, and last a drink of water from a cup. She said as far as she is concerned he can have whatever he wants to drink. Soft food to start and very chopped up food if he tolerates the soft. If the doctor agrees.

That is really progress. All of that with the TRAC still in place.

Also we are waiting to see if the surgeon that put the TRAC in thinks Bill is ready to replace it with a talking TRAC. I hope... I hope....Then I think he will be able to enjoy some visitors. Without being frustrated because he cannot talk and causing his pressure to go up.

When we get to that stage I will ask him who he wants me to call each day....and will in time be returning all of the phone calls asking when can he have visitors. Soon I hope.

Thanks to all of you for being there for Bill & I at this difficult time.

Bill got a new room today

Today Bill got Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy....the first one works on the hands and arms. The second works on the trunk with balance and the legs. On the 12 of April it will be 31 days since Bill had his stoke. Since that time he has just been laying in the bed. He has a lot of muscle loss....his core stability is bad at this time....he is not holding his head up straight either.

Bill got moved today from the Acute Care floor into St. Terricia's Long Term Acute Care Hospital. It is still in East Jefferson Hospital. It is a special low level Rehab specialty hospital. The hope is in the near future he will be able to build up enough strength to do 3 hours a day of Rehab and move into that unit of East Jefferson.

Bill has a lot of hard work ahead but I know he strong. Today he asked Dean to check into a special plastic practice petal that he can work with at the hospital. Hows that for determination.
Remember drummer duet with their hands and feet.

He was tired after his therapy and the move into the new room. Tomorrow should be interesting. Also, for the first time ...he has a semi private room. Hummmmmmmm !

Four is good....today he started out OK but ended up tired out. He is still in a very fragile phase of recovery and I guess it was just to soon to expect all day every day for him to be back to normal. So we take it one day at a time again. Rest Bill.....we have plenty of time to Rehab later.

Four in a row......

Bill was awake for most of the day again today. It is wonderful to see such improvement in a small space of time. He does however have a long way to go.

His color I would say is back to normal. His personality is back to normal. Always making jokes and never taking anything too seriously.

He still has the feeding tube, still has the trek in his airway, still has the PIC line into the heart, the Catha and rectal tube. But is much improved from a week ago. His eyes are focusing much more often. He is turning his head to the left and the eyes also to the left. Slight but very encouraging movement in both the left arm and left leg.

Lots of visitors today....Lauren & Jason, Melinda & Danny, Julie, Jill & Jena and Bonnie & Rick, everyone has remarked on the improvement he has made since they saw him last. Wonderful Bill keep up the good work.

Three in a row...

Bill was awake for most of the day again today. Quiet day...uneventful.

Two in Row....that's Good News !

This is the first time since the stroke....Bill has had two awake days in a row. It was seeming that it wore him out so much to be awake for awhile that the next two days he needed that deep sleep to recover.

No complaints....nothing hurts. Showing slight improvement in both the left hand, left foot and for the first time today...slight movement in the left leg.

He said he is hungry. He watched his nurse pour his tube feeding and mouthed to her to please pour it into his mouth instead of the tube. Sad to see that but it is progress that he is saying he is hungry.

New bed today seems to be very comfortable. No mention today of any pain.

Good End to a Good Day !

I almost forgot....Bill had lots of visitors tonight. Maw Maw, Shirley, Mike and Bonnie R. it was a good night to visit. I am sure Bill enjoyed his visit. Thanks for being there.

Great Day !!!

Bonnie brought a Get Well balloon with a weight on the bottom of the string. That was the fiddler for today. He passed it from his left hand to the right with very little help.

Alert in the Ortho chair for about one hour. Then his back and behind hurt so much they put him back into the bed. The wound nurse checked him out and decided the wound he has is not a bed sore but instead a type of brush burn.
This type of abrasion is caused by friction on the bed linens over a period of time.....so they got him a very fancy bed today. The bed is for special skin care needs of patients. It is a air mattress bed that converts into a chair when needed. I counted 21 position buttons on this thing. That should help a lot with the sore behind.

He did throw the Frisbee and the ball a few times today also.

New complaint today.....Bill wrote notes saying he thinks he has a hernia in the upper left side of the stomach area. He has also written many notes about feeling full and about to pop.

So, Dr. Murray ordered an X-ray of the area.....sure enough he has a slight blockage in that area. Doctors think it is just gas and stool. So they are taking care of that tonight.

The good news is he felt the discomfort in the left side and was able to process that information into a written note to the doctors . Getting the problem resolved ASAP.

Dr. Eiserwirth says Bill has lost 18 pounds in the hospital. Tough way to do it !

Way to go Bill...we had a very good day today. The good days help us get through the hard days.

Wednesday April 3

Quiet day.......

Bill slept very soundly today. Until around 2:00PM. Then he was more alert and stayed awake for a few hours. He sat in the Ortho chair in a chais lounge position and seemed to be comfortable for about an hour. After which his behind was hurting. So he was back in the bed.

He did throw the ball to Bonnie a couple of times around 7:30PM.
Writing not really clear today. Mostly about wanting to go to the bathroom and his butt hurts when it was clear.

He wrote again today about Gloria....the aid that washes him and his hair. She must be very gentle or he likes her voice. She has made a big impression on Bill. He has asked for her a few times in his notes. Thanks for giving Bill much needed comfort Ms. Gloria.

Tuesday April 1

Quiet day for Bill. Back on antibiotics for as yet to be determined infection.
Today Bill seemed tired he did get up in the Ortho chair for a couple of hours. But tired out after that.

Dr. Murray came in ...he will be adding more protein to his liquid feedings.

The case manager and Rehab Counselor came in today to see us. She has been following the assessment of Bill's stroke closely and does not think it is wise to enroll him in Rehab at this time. The team of doctors will make a decision tomorrow as to which step in his recovery will be next. Skilled nursing or LTAC unit of East Jefferson Hospital. That will give him more time to heal and get strong enough for the full benefit of the rehab unit. She also gave me some information to read in regarding the recovery of patients who have suffered a Hemorriagic Stroke.

Roller Coaster Ride continues !!

Monday March 31
10:30 AM Bill was fresh & clean upon my arrival. Physical therapy had already been there and had him sit up on the side of the bed for a while. I have not seen him sit up alone ...just with large seat belts in the Ortho chair. He look great ! He is sleeping now ...they wore him out.

He got a soft bed cushion today....that seems to have relieved the pain in the butt area and back in general.

Dr. Jackson- Pulminary says the lungs sound OK. Yea Bill !

Assessment to be done today to decide where he goes from here.

New PIC line put in today since Bill pulled it out on Sunday night. That is a line into his heart in the event they need to give RX's in a hurry.

Babes came to visit today and Bill wrote to him about our neighbor Ralph and Faux Greaux. Ralph came over to help March 12 until the ambulance arrived. I guess that is why Ralph makes the notes the most. Bill asked Babes to bring COKE.

Dr. Eiserwirth came by to check on Bill. He says Bill is doing very well. Dr was wearing a red carnation on his lapel. He said it was doctor day. Bill wrote Dr Persich is #1, Dr Eiserwirth is #2 and Dr Murray is #3. Dr Murray is Bill's cousin and they all have a standing joke about who is really Bill's favorite.

ICU pulmonary tech came in to check and clean TRAC. Said hey man I remember you from ICU. I said you have a great memory. He said I don't really remember him...but I remember the ball......we threw it around in ICU.

7:30 PM I am tired and am leaving now....just as I pick up my back. Dr. Johnston comes in the door. I put the bag down...await an update. He says Bill is doing very well and they have decided to try him in some therapy. So he will be moving again. Good news is every move is a move up in the right direction. Good Bill keep up the hard work !