October 30, 2011

Hello Everyone!,

Last night I stayed the night at the hospital with Donnie and he did not have to wake me up at all.  I did get up a couple of times to check on him but he was sleeping and ok.  I heard him refuse his morphine a couple of times which is a good sign but then about 6:30AM he called for some because the pain in his right leg and foot were catching up with him.  It is much, much less pain that it used to be now that his back is sewn together.  At 6:45 AM Dr. Sohn came in to check the back wound.  I quickly jumped up out of bed to see him and watch him do his work.  He said I didn't need to get up but believe me, I wanted to be sure to talk with him and see the wound as it is now.  It looks good and just needs a couple weeks more to heal completely and be solid.  I asked him about the report that the Charge Nurse gave us last night about skin grafting on Don's ankle.  Dr. Sohn looked rather surprised and then looked at the two wounds left on the right leg.  He announced that the body would easily heal those and there would be no skin grafting.  I think that the notes were put in Don's file back when Dr. Sohn did the 1st plastic surgery and was doing a quick look at what he was facing with Don's case.  We are so happy to know that this was not something he was thinking about currently!!!  Praise The Lord!

The Physical Therapy lady came in very early...just before 8AM with the wheel chair.  Don wasn't even dressed yet so we quickly got his shorts and shirt on so he could get into the chair.  It was quite cool this morning like around 50 degrees for the low.  We poked our heads out the mail lobby doors and decided to go to the cafeteria so I could get a quick bite to eat and some Naked Juice for both of us.  Nobody ever told us that patients are not allowed in the part where you get food so we were in there looking around and the cashier came in and told us that patients were not allowed in there.  There were not more than 4 people in there so I just got my food and she came again and kinda yelled at us.  Donnie quickly wheeled himself out past the cashiers and apologized for not knowing about this rule.  It wasn't posted anywhere either.  Gosh, we have been here so long that they think Mom and I are employees you'd think they would cut us some slack.  Donnie could be out in the eating area but not where the food is.  Guess they don't know how many anti-infectious oils he has inside and on the outside of his body, do they?  We got a chuckle out of it anyway.  Heck with the personal care Mom and I give him, he is the cleanest, best smelling patient in the whole place!  I'd bet money on it, wouldn't you?

Mom and Aunt Detta came in about 9:15AM all dressed for church.  We visited for a while and we worked some on the puzzle together before they went on to church.  We had about 300 of the 500 pieces of the puzzle together and it was a cheapy!  They cut several of the pieces exactly the same but as you would go along you would suddenly see that in some of the areas that were like grass or an area where there was a lot of the same color that the pieces would have to be pulled out of one place and switched to another.  Then there would always be a piece or two that didn't quite fit right.  Well, we got to laughing about how crazy it was after about 5 different rip outs that we decided the best thing to do was put it in the trash can.   So I pulled up the can and dumped it.  This puzzle came in a box with 5 different puzzles in it (yes, they were individually wrapped in separate bags) so I got out another one with lots of flowers and a real cute house on it.  I started it myself and when Mom and Aunt Detta got back I had about 1/3 of it done!  We worked on it very diligently all day and by 10PM we got it all done!  How's that for a puzzle marathon and a half?

Don didn't help us much on it as he was feeling kind of nauseated.  They gave him so much different stuff to move his bowels that he was just flat miserable.  We were very patient with him and just let him rest and sleep as much as he could.  We did have an explosion later (actually a couple of them) and he feels so much better now.  The morphine is really a problem with causing constipation and that is what is giving him trouble.  Don has refused all of his morhpine all day today and it is now 11PM!  This is great!  He did just say that he is going to take one dose of morphine just to get his leg to stop hurting so he can sleep better.  He has had a very big day today and he really should sleep well.

Tonight is Mom's last night with us and in the morning she flies back to Florida on a nonstop flight.  This time we definitely gauged it better for her leaving.  Everything here is much better under control and both of us feel like we can handle it from here on out.  We are hoping that within a couple of weeks we can go back to Mesa, Arizona.  At least we should be able to celebrate Thanksgiving at home!  It truly will be a day to be thankful for when we can get in our own vehicle together and go home!

This week should be very busy and interesting as we anticipate a move to a rehabilitation facility near by.  Lots of changes and big steps toward recovery for Sugar Bear.  He is really a trooper and is handling his condition so well.  You would all be so proud of him!

Please keep up those awesome prayers...we sure need them!

Until tomorrow, take care and stay tuned,
Don and Carol Schirr and Mom (Sharon Zelinko)

P.S. I have attached a picture from the champagne (spiced apple cider, really) party and also another picture of Mom and Don playing Skip-Bo by the side of the bed so you could see how we spend a lot of our time keeping Don occupied.