The gloves are off! And: Moved again.

Wonderful news! As of today (I think -- it may have been yesterday), no more need to don mask, gloves and gown to visit Jan. Wonderful because it means whatever infection she had is now gone. It's great to be able to touch Jan's hands and face skin-to-skin again. She clearly did not like being touched by my gloved hands any more than I liked wearing the gloves.

On another note -- one that we find alarming at the moment -- Jan has been moved out of B5 ICU to a semi-private room in a normal patient care unit. This would be terrific news if it had come as the result of a neurological assessment that she no longer needed to be in ICU. But the decision was made, not by neurology, but by the ICU resident who 'needed the bed'. While I understand the principle of triage -- prioritize the expending of limited medical resources by need --, Fede and I are not at all sure it is safe for Jan to be in a semi-private room without a nurse always present. She still cannot swallow and has no gag reflex to protect her airway.

Jan's new nurses tried to reassure us that it is not unusual for patients in Jan's condition to be in their area. At the same time, they listened to our concerns (thank you!), made some inquiries, and told us how to contact the resident who made the decision earlier today. Part of our concern is that the hospital did not contact either Fede or me before moving Jan, in spite of our being told we would be informed first. We had no chance to express our concerns and have them addressed at the time. We will be following up with the resident, as well as with Jan's neurosurgeon.

Jan appeared very tired this evening, which of course is still to be expected. When she wasn't sleeping, she was, as Fede says below, paying careful attention to what was being said. By her responses, she fully understood what she was hearing.

She is even communicating a little with her hands. At one point, we asked if she wanted to look at some pictures. She nodded 'yes'. Then we got distracted by what we were saying, and a minute later she held up and shook the back of her hand at us in a gesture that was crystal clear to me: "Come on you guys! Where are the pictures you promised?" At another time, she held up her hand and made the universal "yak yak yak" gesture - we were talking too much!

I never thought I would be so delighted to be chastised by Jan!

Where is Jan? D5 Patient Care Unit, room 49.
How do I get there? Take the main elevators we've been using all along up to the fifth floor. Walk down the corridor past B5 ICU and keep walking as the corridor takes you out of B wing, into C wing, and then into D wing. The "Patient Care Unit" sign is large and easy to see.

In other news of Jan's progress, the physiotherapist had Jan standing (!) for a time today, while holding on to a table. Sometimes, my overwhelming desire for Jan to speak to me keeps me from noticing that she is indeed making great progress at a very respectable pace.

I'll end this overly long post with the word that I stared with: Wonderful!

-Steve

Jan is getting well

One step at a time Jan is getting better. This evening she was interested in my invitation to come home to her own bed instead of this uncomfortable hospital bed. She nodded and smiled, then rolled her eyes saying "dream on"...

She is very active, too active for the likes of the day nurse. She was wearing a restraining coat (untied) to keep her in bed. She seems to be planning already a get away. Whe trying to sleep, she turned and tossed blankets, arranged and re-arranged those infernal wires and tubes. The nurse told Louise that Jan took the IV off, so they switched it to the left arm, because she cannot use the right arm yet...

Upset, frustrated, sad, depressed, tired, overwhelmed and more is what she must be feeling. She appreciates our love and often reciprocates.

Bring your happiness and hopefulness. She sees that in your face and will lighten her days at the ICU.

Thanks on behalf of my wife for your unquestionable love,

-Fede

A hopeful note on progress

Jan is improving, and this is more than the optimistic view of her husband. There have been sightings of smiles, patting on the shoulder, skillfully flipping pages of picture albums, reading greeting cards, clear indications to the nurse of being cold or hot, of wanting another blanket, of sitting on her bed, of stubbornly keep trying to take the tube off her nose, etc. When Jan looks into your eyes what you see is not a blank stare of someone who is not aware of her surroundings or of people, instead, what you see is a penetrating look that is trying to focus or recognize who on earth is this visitor. So, given so many witnesses who can corroborate this, I must declare that Jan is getting better all the time.

This evening, I asked her if she was confortable in this hospital bed, she answered with her head a clear NO!. I asked her if she wanted to come home and sleep in her own bed, she nodded in affirmation, smiled and then rolled her eyes, as if saying: dream on!

A physiological mark of improvement is that the swelling of the brain seems to have receded. Instead of the bulky left part of her head, she now has a noticeable indentation. This is exactly what the neurosurgeon had indicated as a simpton of improvement. Now what follows is that Jan needs to recover her swallowing reflex and slowly recover her beautiful voice.

It is tough to see her frustrated and sad because she cannot communicate with all. But it is indisputable that she is recovering one step at a time. I hope to be talking to Her soon whether it is in Spanish, French, Portuguese or any other language she may choose,

-Fede

Visiting

A quick note to better navigate and plan your visits to Jan. To get a quiet visit and plenty of time, plan to visit during the weekdays (those who can). Mornings and early afternoons are best.

Understandably, Saturday and Sundays are really busy times. These are the only times most people have to visit loved ones at the hospital. In this crowd, some have gone home without seeing Jan or have felt pressured to leave too soon to make room for others to visit. My apologies, if you have been in this situation.

Keep in mind that anyone visiting Jan does it out of love for her. Don't give up visiting and or blogging. She will need your support more in the days to come.

-Fede