I woke up feeling under the weather this morning, and Connor was still stuffy, so we spent a day at home, eating pomegranate-chocolate-chip ice cream and listening to tape recordings of The Shadow from the 1940s. Then we played peekaboo for a while, only instead of saying "Peekaboo!" I'd sneak up behind him, let out a sinister laugh, throw his burp cloth over his head and rasp "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" and then when he yanked the cloth off and giggled, I'd yell "The Shadow knows!" Connor is very, very lucky that Jeremy did not allow me to name him Lamont Cranston.
I'm such a nerd.
Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, as I'm getting Connor prepared for school (Which actually starts Thursday and not Wednesday. Shows you how on top of things I am, doesn't it?) and also having Jer's wheelchair delivered. There's only one wheelchair with detachable arms that's shared between three floors in the hospital Jer's currently in, so if he wants to do the exercises assigned to him by the physical therapist, or if he just wants to get out of bed, they have to track it down for him. Depending on the nurse and the day, sometimes they can't find it at all, which means he's stuck in bed until it resurfaces. So I called the home equipment delivery service and we're getting Jer's home-use wheelchair early. I'm going to take it up to the hospital tomorrow, we'll mark it somehow so that the hospital knows it's ours, and Jer will just keep it in the room with him and use it to get around. I think it will be much less frustrating for him; he tends to get rather bad tempered when he wants to get out of bed and has to wait five or six hours to do it.
Hopefully Connor will be feeling better and won't still be all stuffy. I'm already feeling better. I'm pretty confident that this was just a 24 hour bug; I've got a pretty strong immune system so usually anything that lasts four or five days with Connor ends up lasting just a day with me. We'll see how things go in the morning!
~Jess
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3 years ago
7 comments:
I'm so amazed at your good humor and resilience and strength. And what strikes me about this post is the sentence where you write that "there is only ONE wheelchair with removable arms in the hospital." I find this incredible -- is it only me? Your husband fought for this country and is fighting now to regain his life as he knew it and there isn't more than one wheelchair in the hospital? Forgive my rant, but I find this incredibly awful, frustrating, maddening, etc.
Wow, a hospital with only one wheelchair to share? You're incredibly on top of things, by the way. I just ran the washing machine and forgot to put detergent into it. Also, I poured my cereal into my coffee mug. So your ability to stay on top of things amazes me!
I think you should decorate Jer's wheelchair in a most annoying fashion, that way no one will want to steal it.
You have got to be too young to know "The Shadow". That's what us nerds do - keep alive those special bits of culture that others forget.
Elizabeth is correct, but you found the way around how that particular hospital - which just so happens to have the surgeons he needs - doesn't offer everything for complex patients.
And the reasons hosp personnel give for not having something - well, that's just the reason of the moment, I think.
Having full access to one chair is best anyway - over personnel who will jump at the chance to help one of America's best. (since not many are not like that) (apparently) Sigh.
Admiring your humor and organizational skills, too. Barbara
I'm trying to think of something ridiculous you could do to decorate Jeremy's wheelchair, just to keep others from stealing it (and make it very easy to find if they do). Balloons? Big plastic flowers?
Hope you're feeling better. Connor, too. And Jeremy! Can't forget him! If I'd known you were home, I would have called.
-julia
PS: Nerds are awesome.
So sorry to hear that you and Connor are under the weather. You sound like you have a great attitude in the midst of chaos playing alternative peekaboo and eating pomegranate-chocolate chip ice cream. Now that I haven't tried before :)
Why isnt there more then one chair in the hospital?
No offense yet I would have complained and insisted they get more wheelchairs.
It is not okay to just have one- its bad practice and tells you how bad hospitals can be at being prepared.
Natty
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