I'll be home for Christmas - kinda

Tyler is still experiencing a sharp electrical type pain in his right leg but is able to move his foot more. He is using a cane or walker to move around but at least he is mobile. He continues to cut back on the pain medicine, but still gets waves of nausea every now and then.

I got back to Houston and went directly to the hospital since Tyler was holding the apartment keys hostage. Thank goodness because I had forgotten why I was in Houston. When I got to the hospital Tyler was having an echo-cardiogram done by order of Dr. Frasier. Dr. Frasier came in and adjusted Tyler's pump to see the effect while viewing the echo. He settled on 9400 RPM and again made a comment about maybe Tyler's heart could get some R&R and Tyler wouldn't need a transplant. Tyler thinks he can wrap his head around that. I think I can also!

After adjusting the pump and the echo, Tyler and I were going to go to dinner outside of the hospital. Before we could go, it dawned on me that they only adjusted the primary controller to 9400 and not the backup controller. So we waited for just a little bit to get that fixed. Dinner was good. Table with chairs for both of us. No candlelight, but a waiter. Salad came out first, then the main meal. A pleasant, non-hospital smell...could there be life outside of the hospital?

A special thanks to his mom and sister for staying with Tyler. They didn't necessarily come to Houston just so I could take a trip back to Denver...I think they may have wanted to see Tyler also. It was good to have the chance to go back to Denver and to come back to a cleaner apartment! They also left a really nice card for us. Weird circumstances but it has been good to really get to know them. They have been wonderful to me.

Tuesday was our 8 hour pass day. In the morning we asked about a handicap sticker for the car. The reaction was negative at first...."the doctor doesn't really like to issue handicap stickers....." Okay, okay. Can anyone look at more than just the top or bottom half of Tyler. Can anyone notice the walker, cane, and wheelchair in the room? Ay dios mio!
Also, a different doctor came in who didn't know about the Fentanyl patch Tyler is wearing. Once he looked, he noticed it was a 50mg patch and said that Tyler was going to have to be weened off of it. Tyler said "fine, as long as I don't have to stay in the hospital during the weening process." Otherwise I think he was just going to pull it off and say goodbye.

Tyler used his walker to go from his hospital room, all the way through the hospital, and through the garage to the car. It is a long walk but he did fine. Only once, stepping off a curb, did his left knee give him trouble. We went to the apartment and had lunch. Then watched a little bit of a movie before Tyler got tired and wanted to take a nap. After the nap we went to get him a hair cut, which he thoroughly enjoyed (especially getting his hair washed for real after two months). Finally something normal and usually inconsequential but yet another big step in recovery. After the hair-cut we went back to the apartment and hung out until about 7pm. Janet brought over some cookies and both of them gave me grief since Tyler had to get up and answer the door for her. I just considered that occupational therapy.....right?

Once we got back to the hospital the nurse tried to give him a 50mg Fentanyl patch, even though he was supposed to be weening off of Fentanyl. Both of us protested and finally they were able to bring him a 25mg patch.

Now the next big step (Christmas miracle?) is actually discharging him from the hospital, which we are doing today. I'm glad because I won't have to run back and forth to the hospital. Tyler, for some reason, is chomping at the bit to get out. We aren't home yet, but a least out of the hospital. Can anyone really believe it has been 8 1/2 weeks? So long, yet so fast. Maybe October 25, 2009 will finally be over soon! (Soon being a relative term these days).

Robert