Set Back In Deb's Recovery

[OBIO]

Deb has been doing really really well the last week or so, making daily improvements. Well, yesterday she was off and again today she was off....and a lot of the things she has been doing she was not able to do. So, the nurses contacted the docs and they ordered a CT scan. The results of that scan show that sometime in the last 2 weeks, most likely with in the last 24 to 48 hours, Deb has had a stroke. The stroke area is centered around that area of her brain where the shunt (drain tube) was inserted a few weeks ago...so the doc feels that perhaps the shunt had damaged or collapsed a blood vessel....but as a precaution they have implemented an anti-stroke regimen, have moved her out of rehab and into an acute care ward, and have her on intravenous water pill medication to prevent any swelling in the brain.

How much effect will this pose long term...no one can say...but the difference between Thursday and Friday (very alert, very talkative, very active, very coordinated) and Saturday through today is like night and day.

The doc says that they will do another CT scan every few days to monitor any brain swelling..but feels that Deb should be able to return to Rehab in 4 or 5 days. He sees this as a minor set back in her progress and recovery.

OBIO

[Rami]

I hope and pray that it will be JUST a minor setback.

[ben54b]

Sorry to hear about Deb's setback OBIO and we still keep you and Deb in our prayers.

Ben & Linda

[drivincar67]

We will also continue to keep you and Deb in our prayers.

Sam and Kat

[dvslats]

Keep her morale up OBIO....you know what to do. More important now then ever.

[Jaxon]

Very, sorry to hear!

But obviously she is in good hands there, I guess.

You are in my thougts!

I`ll send you a smile: That`s all I can do and it can help so much sometimes:
:wavey:

[SPman]

Oh bugger, mate!

Let's hope this is just a temporary setback.

[Allen]

Not good. Hopefully they won't have to go back in.

[Jagdflieger]

Damn. Our prayers are with her tonight.

[rmalone]

Hey Obio,
Sorry to hear of the set back- She will over come this just as she has overcome other things-Keep the faith.
RM

[watchdog22]

Hang in there with Deb, mate. I'll see if I can drum up some extra prayers for you both

[miamieagle]

I hope she does well. Iäm praying for her my friend.Wish you both well!

[huub vink]

Take care OBIO, especially when things don't go as wanted, Debbie will need you by her side.

You are in my thoughts,

Huub

[JP127]

Sorry to hear about this, Obio. I will keep you and Deb in my prayers and thoughts.

Jeff

[Desert Rat]

Obio,

sorry to hear this, we will say a prayer for you both tonight.

Jamie

[OTTO]

Same here Obio,

As always more prayers are on the way
The best to you both !
OTTO

[Bulldog]

More prayers here too. Hang in there Obio!

[erufle]

My prayers are with you as well.

The best thing you can do to help Deb heal faster is to stay positive. It really does make a lot of difference!

On the other hand, you probably need to release some frustration. We can help you with that here at the forum. For instance, if it makes you feel better, you can respond by calling me a dumb son-of-a-biscuit eater who ought to mind his own business.

[OBIO]

Today's developments have a bit of a bright spot in them. The Neurosurgeon and Deb's two attending physicians got together and took a look at the CT scan from yesterday. And it may not have been a stroke. It may be an infection around the shunt. An MRI was ordered and done, and based on that image, still can not say for sure...but Deb was put onto the 3rd strongest antibiotic known to modern medicine. And she is going in for a PET scan tomorrow to get a more detailed look at what is going on. I have a consultation with the neurosurgeon tomorrow afternoon...he may be going back in to have a look and possible remove the shunt I suppose (if it is in fact an infection around the shunt and not a stroke).

Will pass on any news tomorrow.

OBIO

[TARPSBird]

I hope Deb's condition is not as serious as they first suggested. We'll keep her in our thoughts and prayers - and you too. Hang in there. :)

[Rami]

Let's hope this good news holds! :ernae:

[Ravenna]

Obio,
You and Deb are in my thoughts. Thank goodness for the state of medical science!

[Blondi]

my wife and I are pulling for her to keep getting better. You both are in our prayers.

Blondi:cost1:

[Skywolf]

Thank goodness for the state of medical science!

Medical sciences can only go so far. After and during that, it up to God. May God be with you and your wife, OBIO.

[hewman100]

Still thinking of you both. Hope this is just a minor setback.

[OBIO]

8 AM tomorrow Deb goes back into surgery. The neurosurgeon is going in to remove the shunt and to do a biopsy of the "unknow mass" as it is being called at this point...still not sure if it is an infection or a stroke or a hematoma or what. So, the biopsy will allow them to identify 100% what is going on in that area and once they know that, they will know for sure how to treat it.

They were giving Deb blood platelets and some whole blood today to counter act the aspirin she has been on.....the aspirin thinned her blood, now they are thickening it so she does not bleed excessively during the surgery.

When I got up to the hosptial at 11:30, Speech Therapy was in working with her. And Deb was brushing her teeth by herself...wasn't a dentist approved method I am sure, but she was brushing her teeth! And she was able to swallow some water...not a lot but she did swallow a few small spoons of water. That's good!

I had a sleepless night last night, so I am going to try to crash this evening for a while, get some sleep, get up, get ready and be at the hospital at 6 am. Maybe even 5 am.

OBIO

[egypt23spitfire]

......our feelings run with ya
............take care of yerself dude:d
.....deep breaths,deep breaths and dont forget to eat

[The_Editor]

Best wishes to the both of you.

[franzi]

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR HOPE!

BEST WISHES FOR YOUR FAMILY!!!!

Franzi

[OBIO]

After nearly 6 hours of nervous pacing in the waiting room, the doc had good news. It was NOT a stroke! From what he saw inititally, it looks like the shunt (drain tube) had failed some how and allowed a build up of normal brain fluid to collect around around the shunt and in the "channel" into which it was inserted. There was no outwardly visible signs of infection, no puss, no discoloration that would indicate infectious activity...but he did send a number of small biopsy pieces to the lab for culturing to rule out infection. He is sending the shunt back to the maker for them to analyze and he put in a temporary shunt (most of which is external) to do a rapid drain off of the excess brain fluids. Deb will be in recovery until about 4 PM then will be moved to Surgical ICU for a day or two to allow for the draining of the brain fluids...then back to Surgical Step Down for continued monitoring. If the swelling goes down and her functioning returns, she will be returning to Rehab. Additional CT/MRI scans will be done to monitor the swelling in the problem area.

One bright spot from yesterday's MRI....the area of the initial surgery, from where the tumor was removed, looked wonderful. The brain and brain stem, which had been compressed and pressed to the side, have expanded to their full size and returned to a normal, natural position and looks like there had never been a tumor the size of a Chihuahua puppy there.

I am going to take a nap...have had 6 hours sleep in the last 3 days....and will go back up to the hospital later this evening to see Deb.

OH....another bright spot...when Deb returns to Rehab, it will be considered a new intake, and her time in rehab will start all over and the November 1 insurance run out will be totally voided. This is good as it will give Deb approximately 8 full weeks of Rehab time, beginning with her return to the Rehab ward.

OBIO

[hewman100]

Fantastic to hear Tim. Give her our best wishes!

[Cowboy1968]

I will keep praying for her...........you and her are often in my thoughts

[miamieagle]

Keep your headup and keep praying. I will pray for you and your wife. This episode in your life will only make your bond stronger.

[Hern07]

My wife is in the hospital now with a minor case of pneumonia. I'm not comparing the two illnesses, but I am finding out how important that you also take care of yourself. I've told her of y'alls problems and she wanted me to emphasize that we are BOTH praying for you two.

[OBIO]

Hern

Prayers are in the air for you and your wife.

______

Just got off the phone with my mother-in-law....I have not been up to see Deb since the surgery...too many days with too little sleep has taken its toll on me..but I have pretty much caught up on sleep now I suppose, since I slept from 4 pm yesterday until 2 am this morning, was up for 5 hours then slept from about 7 this morning until noon. But the Momma in Law said that Deb was talking more than she had for the last few days, a bit more active than she had been for the last few days, so the new shunt seems to be doing its job and releaving the pressure on her brain. Will be getting ready here in a bit and heading up to see my baby. Had a few things to tend to and a few more things to take care of before heading up. Will pass on the multitude of hellos and all the out pouring of prayer and support. I make sure to let her know that all my Sim Brothers are keeping her lifted up in prayer (along with a ton of people on the fish keeping forum that Deb and I are members of doing likewise)...and knowing that people from around the world are praying for her gives her strength and brings a smile to her face.

OBIO

[Hern07]

Obio, make sure that you take care of yourself the best you can in these circumstances! Deb needs you and she needs you in good shape, alert and well rested.

[OBIO]

After making my post at about 1 this afternoon, I went back to sleep for another 5 hours. I am now well rested and alert again, all my reflexes are back to normal and by vision is not fuzzy...it's amazing what happens when you go too long with too little sleep.

Went to see Deb around 8 this evening...and what a difference. She is much more alert, more talkative, able to move better, the swelling in her neck and face is down greatly. The new shunt has drained out around 160 mililitres of brain fluid since yesterday morning....which is A LOT. With the excess brain fluids being pulled out of her brain, the pressure is reduced, the brain swelling is reduced and things are working better. Still not back to where she was this time last week, but much better than how she was Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Her vitals are solid as a rock (have been since day one).

I was filling Deb in on what the neurologist said about his findings, and that he said that she should soon be back in Rehab and on the road to recovery within a week or so. Deb reached up with her right hand (which has 2 IV ports in it and is wrapped in tape to hold the lines in place) and patted my face and said. "We're going to be alright." Yes, we are going to be alright....won't be alright tomorrow, or next week, but we will be alright in time.

I passed on all the well wishes and the fact that she has prayers in abundance being said for her...and she smiled a bit. And I reassured her that I love her dearly, deeply and forever and ever and ever.

OBIO

[Blondi]

Thats GREAT news. We are pulling for her.HAve a good one.

BLONDI:cost1:

[OBIO]

At 6 Pm yesterday evening, a total of 340 ML of brain fluid had been removed from Deb's head....and that is far beyond normal. As a result of that removal, the pressure in her brain is down more, she was more talkative, more alert, more active. Not so much when I was there, as she had just been given a good dose of Morphine for pain..but earlier in the day she was much more with it. Today, I will be going up mid-afternoon to catch her when she is not so tired and hopefully not medicated into a stupor so I can get a good gauge of how well she is coming along after this latest surgery.

OBIO

[OBIO]

What a difference a couple days and the removal of a bunch of excess brain fluid can make. Deb was moved from Surgical ICU to Surgical Step Down, the temporary shunt was removed. Today, she was talking much more, more alert, more active...still not up to where she was in Rehab...but getting closer. Her sense of humor has returned full force and she had her mother and I cracking up.

The attending physician from the Rehab Ward was in to see Deb and gave her a run through testing her neurological state, her cognitive state, her motor skills...and he said that she should be able to return to Rehab in a matter of days.

And there is a 100% rule out of a stroke. The culturing of the biopsy pieces collected Thursday have not grown any bacteria, so infection is 100% ruled out. Which leaves A) faulty shunt and B) allergic reaction to the shunt. Four doctors putting their heads together and looking at all the signs, symptoms, CT and MRI scans and the information collected during Thursday's operation have concluded that it is a combination of A and B. An allergic reaction to the shunt that resulted in a bit of swelling that collapsed the shunt to the point of it failing to remove brain fluids.

OBIO

[Jagdflieger]

Great news! God's speed for a fast recovery now that the shunt is working.

[OBIO]

Tomorrow morning, 9 AM...Deb goes back to the Rehab Ward! She was great this evening. Talkative, funny. I trimmed her finger nails for her (something the hospital staff is not allowed to do for some odd reason)....nothing new for me as I pamper Deb by giving her manicures and pedicures weekly.

OBIO

[hewman100]

Great news indeed Tim!

[gavinc]

That is great news Tim,
When she gets back to the Rehab ward tell her that we are all hoping that her next port of call will be home.

Gavin

[skylane]

Hi Tim!
I´ve been away for some time again and catching up just now. I´m very happy to hear that Deb is recovering again!
I´ll continue to pray for her!

Wolfgang

[OBIO]

Yesterday evenings visit with Deb was a blast. She was in superb spirits, was very much in a funny mood. I have been teasing her about her needing to get off her lazy butt and come home and make some spaghetti (I have been craving her all-day simmered spaghetti sauce over whole wheat angel hair pasta). Well, as I was getting ready to leave, I was telling her that I love her, that she is my forever girl...and she looks me right in the eyes and says. "You're only saying that because you want spaghetti." She had the entire room cracking up!

She is well on her way to being back to where she was before the entire bad shunt fiasco.

OBIO

[OTTO]

Two people well deserving of good news & maybe a miracle or two
Hope you get your spaghetti a lot sooner than you think !

Don't ever lose your faith !
OTTO

[miamieagle]

Thats just great news!:wavey:

[OBIO]

It's been a few days since I did an update.

Deb was out of bed for 5 hours today, sitting in a wheel chair. This is the longest she has sat up to this point. And she did it like it was nothing. Then, when speech therapy was working with her (they also work on her swallowing) she ate an entire tub of French Vanilla Pudding. Just two days ago, she managed to swallow a single spoonful...the first thing she has actually eaten in 7 weeks. So, going from a single spoon for the last couple days to the entire tub today is a remarkable step forward.

Yesterday, Deb moved the toes on her left foot upward for the first time...that foot has been a "drop foot" since the surgery. She can press down with the foot, but can not pull it upwards. The same for her toes. So her being able to curl her toes upward is another step in the right direction.

Her humor...for get about it. She has been cracking us up for a week. Yesterday Deb and I laughed for most of our time together. And this evening Deb, her mom and her sister Dee were laughing like three insane women...which they are. The nurse walked in to find Deb's face beet red and ask if she was okay. Deb said she was fine, just laughing.

OBIO

[Rami]

Laughter is a powerful aid for recovery. I'm thrilled to hear of her progress! :ernae:

[Willy]

Laughter is truely the best medicine. Thrilled to hear that she's doing so well. :d

[OBIO]

6 days since last update: Where does the time go?

Deb is doing great! Her energy level, stamina, strength, motor skills, coordination, speaking are all back to where they were before the set back...and beyond in most areas. Her swallowing has really improved and she is now able to eat pureed foods. She gets to eat breakfast each morning, and soon will be getting to eat lunch as well. Her blood sugar levels have really come down and been more stable with real food in her stomach. Hopefully once she is off the PEG (feeding tube) and the goop they pump in through it, her blood sugar levels will return to normal. She has been walking with a walker and some assistance....50 feet, twice a day. Her leg, hip and trunk muscles are a bit weak from being in bed since August 18th...but the therapy staff are working on those big time.

Her discharge date from the Rehab Ward, based on insurance coverage, was originally the 1st of November. It has now been moved to Oct 28th in light of her more rapid recovery...cheap stiffs. She will be going to a long term Rehab Facility in the neighboring county and town...which is only an 8 minute drive from home, and actually closer than the hospital since we live on the edge of the county. Driving to the hospital, depending on traffic, is 15 to 20 minutes...once Deb is at the rehab facility, it's a very quick trip at 50 miles per hour with only a couple stops to make. No more traffic and red lights.

She still has a long way to go, but she is closer each day and the speed of her recovery continues to pick up.

OBIO

[erufle]

Glad to hear it. Always gives me more confidence in the future to know someone who is on the road to recovery after an ordeal like that. :ernae:

What I mean is, everyone at the out-house knows there has to be something seriously wrong with my brain. :isadizzy: However, it probably can't be fixed until after the whole brain transplant procedure makes it through clinical trials.

Anyone here have an extra brain to donate? I kinda want a female brain. I want to know what its like to have multiple orgasms. :icon_lol: :p:

[Blondi]

Glad to hear everything is going so well Obio. I think maybe it will be you making spagetti for her before long.have a good one. Blondi:cost1:

[Jagdflieger]

Great news Obio!

[hewman100]

Superb stuff Tim!!!!:wavey:

[Oglivie]

I'm glad for You and Deb, Tim. I hope the progress continues well for her.

Oglivie

[miamieagle]

Iäm very glad for you and Beb!:ernae:

[OBIO]

What a great day Deb had today. She has been eating breakfast for the last few days, and the plan was to up her to breakfast and lunch, then after a few days of that to add in supper. Well, they bumped her to the top of the pile and today she had breakfast, lunch and supper! To celebrate this break through, I bought her a ceramic cross with very Italian/Tuscan styling to it...stylized sunflowers, warm oranges, yellows and greens. Very pretty...she loves it.

And today, they removed her catheter to begin retraining her bladder and they were expecting it to take a number of days for her bladder to begin working normally again....nope! This evening, she tinkled and how!

Two big advances in one day!

OBIO

[Jaxon]

I see you are getting back on the track, though it is still some part to do.
thx for the update.
All the best to both of you!
:wavey:

[OBIO]

Just received a pretty hard kick in the butt.....the Rehad Center that we want to get Deb into called. Insurance will pay up to 80% of the bill, up to a maximum of $100 per day. Room and board alone is $180 a day, and that does not include medications, therapies, nada.

So, the mad dash to find additional coverage for Deb begins. Tomorrow morning I have an appointment to apply for Medicaid for her.

OBIO

[Jagdflieger]

Good luck Obio.

[Ghostrider]

Best of luck to you and Deb!

Ghostrider

[drivincar67]

We will continue to pray for you and Deb.

d67

[OBIO]

SHE FLIPPED ME OFF! In front of her mom! She was in the wheel chair from 6 am until nearly 7 pm.....and I was telling her that just shows how much her stamina and strength are building up. She looked at me, flipped me the bird, and says "That's what I think of your stamina and strength!" Oh, her personality has not changed on bit...darn it! She is still as rotten and pig headed as ever.....:jump:......wouldn't want her any other way.

She made me a card today...a belated Sweetest Day card. ON the outside it says "A Belated Sweetest Day Card" and on the inside it says "to the world's best bed pan putter on-er and taker off-er". This was all written by someone else...Deb told them what she wanted the card to say. By far the best part of the card is where Deb signed the card in the corner: Love, Debra.

OBIO

[sc7500]

Now I'm, SURE Deb is on her way back to health !!

Good Work, Tim ~ You Done Good.
SC
:kilroy:

[OBIO]

What a day! No sleep last night, left home at 9:30 this morning, sat in one Deb's morning Physical Therapy session. Met with Ned, the social worker, to fill out the application for Medicare coverage of Deb's Rehad Center stay, went to the Department of Family Services to get the application filed, then back to the hospital and sat in on Deb's afternoon Occupational and Speech Therapy sessions. Stayed to sit with her while she ate supper and made sure she is following the feeding rules (small bites, two swallows after each bite, putting the spoon down between bites to ensure she is not eating too fast, feeding to the left side of her mouth). Then waited for the nurses to get Deb to the potty and helped get her into bed and tucked in for the night. Just got home about 10 minutes ago. Now I am catching bloody heck from the dogs for leaving them alone for so long.

And I think I'm tired...I have no clue how tired Deb is. Poor gal has had a change in therapy schedule and her 3 to 4 o'clock break is gone...she now has therapy sessions starting at 8:45 am until lunch at noon. Then therapy starts back up at 12:45 and runs until 4. A one hour rest period until 5, then supper. Poor gal did not get into bed until nearly 7 pm. She barely stayed awake long enough to say good night, I love you.

OBIO

[Kofschip]

OBIO, sometimes words cannot display a person's true feelings. This is one of those times for me. My prayers are with Debra and you and your dogs too. I am praying for a miracle to happen for all of you. -- K.

[Hern07]

If I may offer two suggestions: Take care of yourself, she depends on you keeping your strength and stamina and (2) keep your sense of humor. Sounds like she is. Sometimes I think the worst part of any illness is filling out the paperwork. Our prayers to both of you. :jump:

[OBIO]

WOW...what a difference 2 days can make!

Thursday, Deb underwent a nearly 3 hour Neurological Psychology examination, during which the focus was her cognitive ability, reasoning, short term recall, long term recall, problem solving. And she blew the test out of the water. The Neurological Psychologist was totally impressed with the results of Deb's testing and said that Deb had the best short term recall she had ever seen in someone who had experienced a "major cranial trauma".

It gets better!

Friday: Deb called me shortly before noon to tell me that she no longer uses the wheel chair during the day. She used the walker to go to her various therapy sessions, to go to the bathroom. She does have someone with her during all of this...but that is a huge step forward. In physical therapy, she did walk 25 feet with no human assistance....just her and her walker!

During the afternoon Occupational Therapy sesssion, Deb mentioned that it was her sister Tina's birthday. So, Kay (Occupational Therapist) put Deb into a wheel chair for the long stroll to the gift shop so Deb could buy Tina a present. Deb has been charging people 50 cents per visit and had extorted nearly 20 bucks out of us in 5 or 6 days. She bought Tina a jar of Buckeye candy and a OSU Buckeye key chain. They took the gifts back to the Occupation Therapy room and Deb stood at the high table, without assistance or mechanical device, and tied the ribbons to the handles of the gift bag and wrote out the card. She STOOD on her own two feet.

Monday was her first day of eating all three meals...pureed foods and thickened liquids. She, after only four days of full meals, was moved to Mechanical Soft foods...which includes foods that are naturally soft (noodles, pastas, mashed potatos, bread) and meats that have been coarsely ground.

The PEG feeding (feeding tube in the abdomin) has been cut back to only 3 hours per night and her blood sugar levels have returned to normal. The endocrinologist was saying that Deb was diabetic, but we knew better. She was having very high blood sugar levels and was taking some serious amounts of insulin. As she began eating and getting less of the feeding tube goop, her blood sugars began lowering. Now that she is eating all three meals and nearly off the feeding tube goop, her blood sugars have all come back perfect the last 3 days and the endocrinologist now says that Deb is not diabetic afterall.

Her bowel movements are totally normal and totally under control. No more catheter, no more bed pan, no more incontinence.

Every day brings new break throughs....and they are coming faster. At this rate, she will be back to her normal self before long. The two big areas that are still way off are her left foot (still can not move it upwards, but she can move her toes upward a bit...which is a good sign) and the right side of her face (still paralyzed, right eye lids still not closing all the way...but these areas are controlled by the same nerve that controls swallowing...her swallowing is getting better, so it will only be a matter of time to allow the nerve to heal up and her facial control will return).

Monday will be her last full day at the hospital (Tuesday goes to the rehab center in the neighboring county/town...and boy is she anxious to be out of the hospital and to have a change of view). They are planning a pizza party for her...and she will get to eat pizza! They will have to cut it into smaller pieces and put it in the microwave with a dampened paper towel to soften the crust...but my baby will have her much longed for pepperoni, mushroom, green olive and banana pepper pizza!

OBIO

[erufle]

Great to hear Obio! But you had better look out now that she is getting better. Sounds like in a week or so she will be less focused on recovery and more focused on YOU. That can be good, you know, kissy-kissy hug-hug. It could also be challenging, "Tim when was the last time you did the dishes!" :costumes:

[OBIO]

I am already ahead of that game. I keep the laundry done, the dishes done, clean one room every day if it needs it or not. I even ran the carpet shampooer yesterday...did the living room, office and hallway. Today I will do the kitchen and bathroom. The bedroom was done before Deb went in for surgery and since the bedroom has not been used since, it is still nice and clean.

The dogs are well cared for, as are the ferrets and the 3 fish tanks. The only thing that I will catch heck for is her Spider Plant...which I keep forgetting about when I am watering the house plants...it is looking a bit DEAD! It is sitting in a place that makes it easy to forget...and I forgot about it until the other night...9 weeks without water. Not sure it will bounce back...the rest of the plants look great. Well, other than my Bonzai "tree"...it simply did not get enough light as it should have been outside instead of inside by the kitchen window....but that is her fault. I told her it needed to be outside, but she wanted it inside so she could look at it more.

OBIO

[erufle]

Dude, you're making the rest of us look bad! :toilet: You suck!:d

[Bill Kestell]

I just have to chime in with a short note (have been off-line for a couple of months, but have been following your and Deb's progress via my cousin's reports). For me, this has been and continues to be a truly spiritually uplifting saga. Our continued prayers go out to you and Deb and I do have to add that you are a truly fine example of a husband and life partner ... an inspiriation to many, including myself.

[Eoraptor1]

You remember to take care of yourself, too, Obio.

JAMES

[OBIO]

You remember to take care of yourself, too, Obio.

JAMES

Oh, I am....as best I can. Sleep is a bit of a problem, but I get it when I can. I actually slept 4 or 5 hours last night...which is an improvement over the 4 or 5 hours in two days that I have been getting.

OBIO

[Hern07]

How 'bout changing the name of the thread. Every time I read "setback in Deb's recovery" it gives me a momentary start until I remember that was a while back. Meanwhile, am delighted to read that she continues to improve and y'all both still have our prayers.

[OBIO]

If I could I would change the name of the thread...and I had thought about starting a new thread on the Advances in Deb's Recovery.

Today, they took Deb totally off of the stomache feeding goop. She still has the feeding tube for receiving fluids, but that is all she gets through the feeding tube.

I sat with her while she ate supper. Grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni salad, butterscotch pudding and a halloween cookie my sister-in-law brought Deb from Buckeye Backery...the best backery in town. She did wonderfully!

I helped get her into bed twice...time to learn how to do that properly. And I lotioned her back, arms, legs and feet...that dry hospital air is rough on her skin.

OBIO

[Rami]

Obio,

I remember the moment that they were taking the exact same steps with my dad as he recovered. I have continued feelings of joy for both you and Deb as she recovers. :ernae:

[OBIO]

Deb made it to the Rehab Facility in one piece yesterday. The place is well staffed, clean, and full of old people. Some younger folks there...but most are old.

Deb was pretty emotional as we left after getting her settled in, and even more emotional as I was leaving last night. And again this morning when she called me asking me to come get her and bring her home.

By the time I went to see her late this after noon, she was in better spirits after having a few short therapy sessions. The therapy teams spent the day getting to know Deb and finding out where she is in her recovery.

Once she is in the full swing of therapy, which will take a day or three for the various therapy teams to work up a schedule for her, she will be right as rain.

I had a big surprise just a little bit ago. I was getting paper work organized for the meeting tomorrow morning for Medicaid coverage for her time in the Rehab Center. Getting the three stacks of medical bills and insurance summaries organized into what has been covered and what we have to pay. Two pages that I came across nearly stopped my heart. Those two pages are for the BIG SURGERY...the actual 14.5 hour tumor removal surgery. It turns out that the insurance company DOES NOT cover cranial operations. Not at all. So, Deb and I have a $127,791.51 medical bill....with the due date being 2 weeks ago. :costumes::banghead::isadizzy::censored:

OBIO

[Hern07]

I had by-pass surgery a couple of years ago, and I'm still working on the co-pay. I get discouraged sometimes, but THEY AIN'T GETTIN' IT BACK. (LOL.) You know it's cheap considering the alternative. Hang in, and take this seriously. not a cliche, one day at a time.

[OBIO]

I'm not stressing over the bill.....if nothing else I'll leave them the money in my will :costumes:.

OBIO