Our One Week Anniversary

Day 7.  One week.  Wednesday.

I couldn't remember what day it was as I started writing this.  I asked Dan and HE told ME!  "It's Wednesday." That's a far cry from thinking it was 1935 which is what he was saying in the ICU.

In some ways it feels like we just got here, in other ways it feels like we have lived here forever.  I know where the linen closet is and I help myself.  I know most of the staff now and Dan has many fans.  He keeps the girls laughing and the guys think he's really cool.

Today was fantastic.  After a long night of wakefulness and constant disturbance as our neighbor was evaluated through the night (lights on, loud talking, laughing, banging around), when I finally fell asleep, Dan took charge.  He got up by himself, walked across the room, closed the window, took off his hospital duds and put on his mother's sweater which Julia wears and had left here overnight.

Ok - that's great you're thinking, right?  Well, on one hand it is.  But on the other he is still a fall risk, gets dizzy, does not have his cognition back yet and so it is extremely dangerous.  If he were to fall, he could hit his head, start his brain bleeding again, break any number of bones and not be discovered for a while.  That would be an unbearable setback.

He did something similar when Julia and I were down the hall drinking a cup of coffee.

So he got a good scolding today from Julia, me and his Occupational Therapist.  He didn't like it but I think he gets it now.  But tonight:  Bed Alarm is On!

Biggies today:  Shower.  Rehab evaluation.  OT training to use the bathroom and brush his teeth - SAFELY.  He only took a couple of short naps so hopefully will sleep tonight.  Read Newsweek.  Watched a movie.  Got the word that they are working on discharging him to Rehab (keep fingers crossed for UW).  So we feel really good tonight.

Kevin (Dan's brother) is back in town and has been  amazingly helpful in getting the business end of this together.  He is the one who found the Fremont blog and that is where all the best witnesses have come from.  Even now more witnesses are stepping forward.  People are amazing.  Kevin has been helping me keep my head on straight as far as insurance, rehab facilities, police reports, medical records requests, etc.  He went down to the police station for the report and got that rolling.   Between Aileen, Kevin and Joe this has been really coming together.

I talked to a couple of women in the waiting room today.  Both are here because of motorcycle accidents.  One is here with her husband who has been in for a month -- 2 weeks in ICU and 2 weeks here on the Trauma floor.  The other is here for her son who has been in and out for a long time.  In all of our cases, it was the other driver's fault.  We comforted each other, compared notes, one woman cried a little from fatigue and worry and missing her husband and then we pinkie swore to never allow motorcycles or scooters under our men's butts again.  Again - it's the other drivers who really have to be considered.  We seem to live in a city of crazy, distracted people who are on cell phones, texting, trying to get ahead, beat the other guy, look at signs, stores, babies in back seats...  Driving is serious business and I think we've all become too lax in our attitude on the road.

Again, thanks for cards, calls, emails.  I can't answer them all, but just seeing them makes us feel so good.  As problems go, having too many emails and phone calls to respond to is a pretty good one. And it's been the best medicine of all.