Donna is on the move..............

Sorry it took so long to get back to this, yesterday was a busy day. When we arrived at the hospital we found Donna busily folding LAUNDRY ! She had a whole stack of towels and washcloths that she was working on. I asked if she was doing her "chores" and she smiled and agreed. (The nurse said she was very fidgety so they thought she might enjoy doing "something" ) Soon they brought lunch and she wasn't wild about the selection they brought - cottage cheese, fruit and vegetable soup but she ate some then pushed it away. While she was eating Eric arrived (not her son) to take her to a new room. Yep - it was time to Step-Down and that's a good thing! So, now she is in a "regular" room, with it's own bathroom, extra bed (where I slept last night) recliner and all the comforts of home - almost. More good news - they took the catheter out and all she has left if a central line which is on her chest. This allows the nurses to hook her up to antibiotics twice daily but she doesn't have to stay connected all day. Hooray - Donna can now move around on her own. She is weak but with help is able to get up out of bed and make it to the bathroom, with lots of help. Last night we went for a ride - in a wheelchair. She didn't feel like walking so we explored the hallways, looking at other patients, bulletin boards, out the windows and so on. She had a bad case of cabin fever and needed to get out of her room for a bit. We had to be careful not to get too far out of range for the heart monitor that is attached to her. Good news is that the monitor is portable, bad news is that it has a limited range. We must have been within the boundaries because they didn't call a code blue on us, which they do if you go too far !

Today finds Donna resting more. Yesterday was a big day and today she just wants to stay in bed and doze. That's okay, it's a lazy Sunday afternoon and a nice nap sounds perfect. Tomorrow is Monday and it will all begin again - the physical therapist and speech therapist will arrive and continue to push her towards recovery.

By the way - her cards are getting quite the attention, there are so many of them. She's enjoying all the pictures everyone has sent too. Her room number is 2424 at Baptist East Hospital, on Walnut Grove Road. When asked, she often doesn't want to talk on the phone so it's probably best not to call and just let her rest.