St. Joseph's

The transition to St. Joseph's has been interesting. We went from PCU, a pretty involved in your health floor, which was also a step down from ICU to laid back/chill rehab. I guess mom and I are having a hard time with Brian being so stable, nurses see him only for a quick listen to the heart and medication administration. His day is pretty jam packed he has like seven appointments scheduled throughout the day, these consist of PT, OT, and ST. The earliest one starting at 7:00 am. He is doing so much better than we ever could imagine. He is very strong physically, just has balance issues but is able to walk to the bathroom with one assist from his bed. He still uses a wheel chair to go upstairs to the forth floor for all his rehab. He can repeatedly stand on tippy toes, squat and stand on a "squishy mat" and balance himself. His mental progress is hard to put in words. I would say his is alert and oriented times three as a nurse because he knows who he is, he knows where he is at and he also is able to read the calendar and the clock in relation to time but still says random things that have no meaning or that don't make sense. He knows who everyone is and is able to answer pretty hard questions; for example the year he got married to mom. He is also not at all as agitated as he used to get, he does get tired at the end of his jammed pack day but is cooperative. He asks about his truck and the dogs and remembers most things up to the accident. He is able to tell me what he had for dinner but has difficulties grasping why I am there and where I am going when I am leaving. Poor mom has been so strong through this whole thing. I was kind of upset with her because she has been at the hospital since Monday (the ambulance ride from Harrison) and didn't want to come home with me tonight. I really think she is tired and could use some time away from the hospital but who am I to judge? Whatever mom is feeling I am feeling so I want to fix things when she is upset. If I were in that situation I would probably never leave Jake's side. I just want her to take care of her self and to not get burned out. So hopefully she will feel comfortable to come home tomorrow night. The other thing that made me mad was that mom hadn't received a cot or a recliner in the three days she has stayed, I made a point to fix those arrangements tonight. It is really nice working at the same hospital that Brian is in because I can visit on breaks and lunches and a badge can get you things sometimes. Brian's dilantin levels have been fluctuating but the doctors don't seem concerned, he also has an anti-anxiety med and nicotine patch available to use if need be but so far he hasn't needed them and is more relaxed and I don't think drinking or smoking will be a problem after discharge (today anyway). I talked to a nurse yesterday and she said that their plan for Brian to discharge is February 1st! So soon and this might change based on his individual progress. So hopefully this gives you an accurate picture of his update. Thanks again to everyone!