Last Entry Barring Complications

Well, Tom's home now, and looking ok. He now weighs 138 pounds, same as when he was a sophomore in high school. That's just a little annoying. All that weight watchers and now he can eat whatever his little heart desires for the entire holiday season and be just fine and dandy. If he gains the average 5 pounds a year that most Americans gain he'll be able to go 3 years and still be a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member.

Home at Last

Today at about 2:30 Tom finally got discharged. He is tired but hanging in there.

Surprise visitors

So when Liia heard about the illness of her dad and her grandfather she was pretty distraught so we decided to bring her home for Thanksgiving after all, that she will have to forego the holiday with Julia, but on the bright side she will have my turkey (made with pop pop's recipe, foolproof, perfect and yummy every single time) and get to hang out with the relatives for a bit. She surprised her dad, he cried. She surprised her grandfather, he remembered her name (but decided she'd be a better Mary), and then surprised Onu Jaan and Granny and Vanaisa. Not bad for a few bucks.

Tentative Discharge.

Saw the good Dr. Silver this morning and he says Tom can go home tomorrow, he only has to accomplish one more rather critical thing. His pipes have been reconnected and the top part is working, he can drink without puking, he can chew and swallow, but he needs to make sure the whole system flows freely. So there's a very elegant way of letting the entire world know that Tom is eagerly awaiting his first intense potty experience. Nice. Kind of like having a newborn. Only now its on the Net.

Why the marching band, you may ask? It's not just because you can see half of the massive Strath Haven marching army (yes, that's Gusten on quints waving at us). Rather (or, additionally) It's because today, right now, as I typed this post I received the following text from Tom. "Good news! I had a bowl movement!!"

Nice. Typos and all. wonder where he put the bowl?

Food Glorious Food, but still no WiFi

I do believe it is possible that Tom will be returning home at some point in the near future (oh no!! I need to clean!!!!). Today they pulled his catheter, so he's down to just an IV, so he can still have good pain control and positive humor. The morphine also helps keep him at a semi-normal accelerated human pace, so its all good.

He can eat and drink, had a chicken breast and carrots for dinner, ate every bite, which is funny because heretofore Tom has hated carrots. As my grandfather used to say, if you are hungry enough anything will be satisfactory. He had a lovely time circling his menu for tomorrow breakfast, made a spread sheet to consider all his options and tray positions (complete with elaborate diagrams) to try to fit every single menu item on one tray.

He went upstairs on the elevator to see dad today and (I think) he was allowed to go with only a sibling chaperone!! Who knows how he'll handle this new independence.

Nurses

Now that he has moved to the third floor Tom is really appreciating the exceptional quality of the fifth floor nurses. One of them, Musawa (??) from Sierra Leone came down to visit him last night and took him for a walk on her break. Very nice. She is the same nurse who gave Tom's dad his IV when Dad was determined that his nurse Fred was a hypnotist. His other favorite was Kim who took him for his first walk, and now is his Dad's nurse. Both of them are pictured above. As well as the movie of his first walk if I can get it to load, then you can see Kim in action.

NEW CONTACT INFORMATION and FOOOOOOD (of a sort)

Tom called me this morning at about 9 to announce with great joy that he has had his first nutritional substance in his mouth since last Sunday night. I never knew anyone could be so excited about apple juice and jello. 

Tom is moving to a new room on the third floor. The census is down at the hospital so they are closing his side of the floor and moving the few remaining patients. This is supposed to be a cost saving endeavor, but it takes so much manpower to move patients around I think it's only a paper savings. They are not spending on nursing, but they are tripling up on the nonprofessional staff. I suspect this is a union issue. I know that there is a big conspiracy in hospitals (well in this hospital anyway) because Tom's dad has been filling me in on their inner workings. Clearly when you put an engineer in an illogical situation he or she must use all of their prodigious mental skills to make sense of a nonsensical world. Dad has been having some vivid dreams and he is using analysis and logic to sort all of the data and he has developed a highly elaborate understanding of the inner workings of the medical system, including how doctors live and collude with one another, how hospitals can be forced to close down, and how this all fits together. I got to spend 5 hours with him last night and the continuing force of his determination and will and drive are amazing. He is still terribly concerned with his children and looking out for their futures.

Tom's new room number is 366 bed 2 and his new phone number is 610-284-8819. But the really BIG mystery is......IS THERE INTERNET???? Just in case anyone isn't clear, he's in Delaware County Memorial Hospital