He's Home!

After lots of delays and waiting, Mike arrived home Friday afternoon! Yeah!!

The day began with a few bumps ... we started off with Frank's truck getting stuck in the mud while trying to retrieve firewood off the back acreage, but he called a friend who understood the miracle of four-wheeling and all was well (but that load is left for later). Frank did bring us wood from somewhere and I SO appreciate him. He also took a look at the furnace and under the house with inconclusive results. =) I do need to get some external foundation vents covered and that may help some with the frosty-house syndrome.

Mike's van continued to sound even worse when I took Tatum to YMCA care/field trip and we had to postpone the brake job when Mike was re-admitted so I ended up taking the Passat at Kathy's urging in order to prevent further damage. He wasn't as comfortable as he could have been, but it was workable.

We almost had a major setback Friday morning when results of an unexpected chest ray revealed that Mike's PICC line had moved out of place, over 5cm! So, it was partially pulled and is now a Mid-Line ... I just know that is okay for short-term usage and also means less risk, so we're fine with that. Praise the Lord for the x-ray ... could have serious consequences.

Once we were ready to be discharged, I had to check out with the cashier - thank you for wonderful insurance! Then, his discharge medication list was a page and one-half long! Family members have to go to the pharmacy on campus and pick-up (pay) for medications before the patient is released. Of course, it was complicated because I did not realize Kaiser had two pharmacies in two different buildings on their campus and I waited over 1/2 hour at the wrong one. Once I was apologized to and re-directed, it still took a little time, more money and then we found out that one was omitted - hence, a second pharmacy run was required last night.

Mike's hospital bed arrived while I was at the hospital picking him up, and Trevor and Teressa took charge of accepting it and setting up his space. They also were the first to greet the visiting nurse and refrigerate Mike's new IV medications because our check-out took hours longer than anticipated. Once we arrived home, we immediately had two hours of consultation and training from the Home Infusion Nurse, followed by a busy evening of medication administration and then I left to get Tatum from a field trip, made that second pharmacy run, trip to the grocery store, dinner and finally sleep.

Mike has seemed to adjust well to being at home with lay-man nursing care. Right now, we're trying to figure out a routine that keeps him happy and healthy. I made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all his meds and meals, which has helped me quite a bit today. We've had a second visit from a nurse and it looks like we're doing it right.

Teressa helped me get the van to Les Schwab, and it's ready for pick up after getting new brakes and rotors. We also received a wonderful surprise UPS delivery from the ESD of a huge Honeybaked Ham. Yeah - Christmas dinner is covered, since everyone can pitch in with sides. Thank you, Vicki, and all. My next goal is getting into our storage unit today or tomorrow and finding that darn Christmas tree and decorations. It's just NOT Christmas without a tree! You can't just stack gifts in a pile in front of the fireplace!! So, my "urgent" needs are a silly tree/lights and some wrapping needs done, too, plus a trip to Home Depot for ash bucket, ax and vent covers. As far as gifts, I still need something special for Tatum but I managed to work on a couple of gifts while sitting with Mike, and just have one more critical item to finish for Monday. Add in making balanced meals and snacks, and we've got enough to stay out of trouble I think.

Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for checking in.
-Shawnee