Saturday, Sept. 27th updates

Dan's back on the 3rd floor Intermediate Care Pod, and we are relieved. The care he gets on the 3rd floor is exemplary, we feel like family there, and nurses on the floor have stopped by to see us and share kind words...we're sure EVERY nurse on the 3rd floor has been assigned to Dan at some point during this month plus.

They did take out the airway and a number of other tubes, etc. before moving him to the 3rd floor. He still has the picc line in his upper right arm (for IVs, taking blood for labs), an arterial line in his inside right wrist (to constantly measure his blood pressure), and a central IV in his neck also on the right side (not sure what all they use this for). He also still has a catheter and both calves wrapped with a gauze dressing (for the open sores he's had since pre-transplant) and compression stockings covering them. The doctors want his feet in compression also to relieve the swelling he still has, hope they do this soon but gently since he has broken toes on both feet from previous injuries. Dan's breathing is still shallow since this last surgery, so he's on oxygen - the nose tube that wraps around his ears, and a mask when he's sleeping. Today's chest xray showed a little fluid in the bottom of the lungs, so he has to work harder with his breather to reinflate the lungs. Thanks to Dan's parents, he is also working hard at exercising his legs while in bed.

Yesterday and this morning, Dan got food - clear liquids, still thickened. The doctors then decided to increase his caloric intake and give him a regular diet, so lunch appeared -- spaghetti and meat sauce, zuccini, breadstick and butter, salad and french dressing, fresh pineapple, and iced tea with sugar and lemon. Quite a change from just a few hours previous getting broth, jello, and a protein drink. Dinner was just as good -- beef burgundy and rice, etc. He didn't eat everything, but did quite a bit.

And more thoughts for the day from a bookmark "Advice from an Eagle" (by Ilan Shamir):
* Let your Spirit Soar
* See the Big Picture
* Cherish Freedom
* Honor the Earth and Sky
* Keep your Goals in Sight
* Bald is Beautiful
* Fly High!

Soaring,
Debbie and Dan