Picking up the pace

As mentioned in the last blog entry, Karl’s progression has been slow. But I have a feeling things are about to pick up dramatically.

The day after Labor Day was very busy for Karl…doctors took out the rest of the sutures on his back which meant they could put in orders to change to a bed that would allow him to sit on its edge. A nutrition team came by and talked to Karl about taking out his nasal-gastric (NG) tube. Karl was very reluctant about that since the last time they took it out caused him a four-week setback because of a kink in his small intestine. The nutrition folks weren’t the only ones who encouraged the removal of the NG tube. Nurses who had worked with Karl would pop in and ask when the tube was coming out. Doctors encouraged its removal. Therapists teased him about removing the tube. Yet Karl wouldn’t budge and they all understood why. In the meantime, Karl was still receiving intravenous nutrition and was barely eating although he thought Hawaiian Punch he drank was an excellent source of nutrition. Doctors were very concerned about his reluctance to eat and said his nutrition markers were not good. And Karl had no energy and slept most of the time, though he managed to sit in his medi-chair at least once a day.

On Wednesday when I arrived Karl was sleeping. Something looked odd and upon closer investigation I noticed the NG tube was wrapped around Karl’s hand and was no longer in his nose. I woke him up and said, “Karl, did you decide you didn’t want the NG tube in after all?” Karl, startled from waking suddenly, was very confused and then felt his nose, looked at the tube wrapped around his hand and announced that he didn’t do it…the nurse must have. Of course I got a nice chuckle out of that and responded that she apparently wrapped it around his hand to make it look like he did it. Karl, ever the joker, had the occupational therapist (who just arrived to begin arm exercises) tape a straw to his nose to see if the nurse would notice. She walked in, looked at him and matter-of-factly asked, “Karl, why is there a straw taped to your nose.” We all had a good laugh. She was thrilled that the tube was finally out. And so was everyone else. He still received the intravenous nutrition and didn’t eat much…still a big concern for his medical team (and his family). At about 6 p.m. Karl finally got transferred to a different bed.

Oh what a work-out Karl had on Thursday. While sitting on the edge of a bed sounds like a pretty simple thing for you and me, it requires the use of many muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones Karl hasn’t used in seven weeks. Other than being dizzy for the first few minutes, Karl sat up without help for a few minutes. He was very, very tired and didn’t feel like eating much, but the IV nutrition keeps him going.

On Friday the nutrition team came again, concerned about Karl’s lack of appetite. They decided to take him off the IV nutrition to see if that was affecting his appetite. If that didn’t work, they told Karl they could insert a small tube through his nose to his small intestine and feed him while he slept. Karl didn’t like the sound of that AT ALL. He sat on the bed again (after much coaxing) and his physical therapist and I tried to encourage him. But he was pretty lethargic and a bit depressed. He had strict orders to sit in the chair one more time on Friday and twice a day during the weekend. But he just didn’t have the energy to do it on Friday.

On Saturday, Karl was an altogether different person. Without IV nutrition, Karl’s appetite came back a bit. He had meatloaf and a potato, milk and Dr. Pepper. No more Hawaiian Punch – the drink of champions! That’s the first “real” food he’s had since July 14. But he slept most of the afternoon. He did comply with the orders to sit in the chair twice – once for lunch and the next for dinner.

Sunday was a great day for Karl, although apparently the nurse jump-started his appetite with the threat that the nutrition team would be giving him a tube feeding if he didn’t take in 1,200 calories. He ate well. He sat in the chair at lunch and dinner and we had some nice conversations with the nurse. Then we spent most of the afternoon watching movies and talking about Nikki’s engagement. Holy schnikeys – my daughter is engaged!

I don’t know what this week will hold for Karl, but if the last two days are any indication, I think he’ll probably be moved to the rehab floor where the pace will be fast and furious. He will have about five hours of rehabilitation each day. He will learn how to transfer to a wheelchair, stand, walk, and receive education about various and sundry things. He will be wiped out, but the harder he works, the closer he is to coming home!

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Many blessings,

Kerry

Check out Karl's hair! Here he is in the harness that takes him from his bed to the medi-chair that's laying flat. Once he's in place, they raise up the back of the chair and lower the feet.