Talking, but confused

11/18/2009
I saw Tyler at the morning visitation. He has been moved to the 8th floor ICU (one notch below the CV ICU, but still ICU). His new address is: 8 Cooley A, Bed 2. He recognized me but is confused. His voice was a little better and I could understand him more.
Robert: "Do you know where you are?".
Tyler: "Ft. Wayne, Indiana". (I think this is based on hearing his family's voices)
Robert: "No. You are in a hospital in Houston".
Tyler: "Oh".
Robert: "Do you know what happened?"
Tyler: "No."
Robert: "You had a heart attack."
Tyler: "Oh. Is everyone else okay?" (he thinks there was a plane crash).
Robert: "What do you remember last?"
Tyler: "I was meeting with Anne Mounsey." (I believe that was the day before we left for Cozumel)
He was able to tell me he was cold, so I got a nurse to bring a blanket. The nurse said he had told her he was warm. I explained that Tyler bounces back and forth between hot and cold. Must be menopause! He also was fixating on bills, and I told him things were being handled. I looked at his heart beats per minute and they were getting high. Good ole Type A personality. I told him to relax, just relax. That is all he needs to do. He had yawned a bit, so slowly he started to fall back to sleep and I watched his beats per minute drop and his monitor stopped alarming.
The neurologist had seen Tyler before I got there and is still happy with his progress. I told Tyler I would be back in the afternoon.

The afternoon visit became hilarious and let me know that Tyler was becoming Tyler again. His voice was even better, but still weak and he is very confused. When I got in to the room I asked him how he was doing. "Well, I've been laying here doing nothing and you weren't here forever. I mean what am I supposed to do if you are gone all the time." Okay, Tyler is coming back. Then he went loopy. He told me that the doctor had told him that the doctor rushed surgery and that the doctor should have waited. Because the doctor rushed surgery, he was going to have to have another surgery. I think Tyler picked up that he had surgery and knows that he will eventually have to have another (when a heart becomes available). He also thought he was now in Kelley's house (his friend and business partner). He rattled off some figures because he wanted to prepare for taxes. Something about a party he needed to get ready for tomorrow. He just kept talking and talking and talking and talking.

I told him his family had been to visit and that his Mother and sister were planning on coming back. Tyler: "For Easter?". I'm not sure when he is going to realize the current date.

He asked how long it took to get home. I said 15 minutes to the place I'm staying at right now.
Robert: "Did you mean Denver?"
Tyler: "Well, yeah."
Robert: "About 20 hours."
Tyler: "That's ridiculous!" (in that typical Tyler inflection).

Of course the other lucid moment Tyler had was when I talked about the house.
Tyler: "Do you think Toby misses me?"
Robert (in my head): "Are you kidding me! Of course you would ask about Toby"
Robert (out loud): "Yes, he misses you and we'll see him soon."

The nurses have been able to start giving him ice chips finally. Still being fed through a tube.
Tyler: "You just don't know how good water tastes until you haven't had it for awhile."

My mother is in Houston now and will help a lot. I had to admit to Tyler's mom that I had lied to her about when she was coming in. His mom is worried about me and was somehow under the impression that my mom was coming in the same day they were leaving. I lied because I wanted his parents to feel okay about leaving.

So, a better day. Voice is coming back and they are already starting him on physical therapy. It is great that I can talk to him again and when I said I needed to leave, he moved his head toward me and pursed his lips for a kiss. After 3 1/2 weeks....finally!

Today was a great day!

Robert