Some glitches, but better than the last discharge

I've started receiving emails & phone calls to see if we were OK. So I thought I'd better take a minute to post to the blog... and I'm including two photos to make up for the lack of posts for two days. One's a photo taken in the last minutes of Denise's hospital stay on Saturday. The other photo was taken today when Denise went outside for a walk up & down the driveway and a wheelchair ride around to see what the neighbors were up to.
I've been either too busy or too tired to post until now. I'm shadowing her everywhere she walks, rolls, or sits. Overall, things are going well. Denise is weaker than she was at the time of her first discharge. She did lose precious ground as far as physical ability and endurance are concerned. But she likes being home. Food is staying down reasonably well, though she'll gag on a pill once in a while and throw up. There is no nausea. Naps are frequent. Overall, she seems to be getting a little stronger each day. Today she went outside for the first time since being home, and it was a beautiful day. Tonight while opening a door for herself, she was able to walk backwards with only one hand on the walker. That's a major accomplishment.
The kids stayed with friends until early on Monday so that Denise could adjust amid a quiet atmosphere. Many thanks to our friends for providing that for us. We also had my cousin and another friend quietly rotating their services to cook, clean, run errands, and be our support so that I could focus on Denise. Again, many thanks. Since PT & OT couldn't be lined up on such short notice, a parent from my school that is a PT came to our house a couple times to help Denise work out. Thank, thanks, thanks! Now my aunt the nurse is in town for a week to tag-team with me in caring for Denise (including a very short haircut at Denise's request) and doing tons of phone calling.
Though many things went better with this discharge, we still went out on the weekend of a holiday with all the "regulars" that are familiar with Denise gone for vacation. So in the rush to get Denise out, some things still fell through the cracks. My aunt & I have been on the phone all day today (the first "business" day after the weekend for medical offices) trying to line up appointments, secure needed services, obtain records, call about bills, etc. Tomorrow will be filled with appointments & phone calls as well. And the next day. And the next. Wish us luck!

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