Monday, July 21, 2025

Monday, July 21, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2005. Mattie was three years old and this was his third trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. By that time, Mattie loved the beach! Not because of the ocean, but he loved creating and building in the sand and of course collecting! Mattie was a collector of all things found in nature, so shells were right up his alley. 

Quote of the day: Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile, even though it’s breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by if you smile through your pain and sorrow. Smile and maybe tomorrow, you’ll see the sun come shining through for you. ~ Charlie Chaplin

This morning, before going to the hospital, I decided to sit outside on the patio for 15 minutes. While out there, I had many hummingbird sightings. These little winged creatures are absolutely remarkable to watch, and I have read that the same hummingbirds (and their progeny) return to your garden each year. I know this to be true, because in March of this year, I had hummingbirds coming to my porch, to the exact location I typically hang the sugar water. However, there were NO jars up at that time, yet they clearly remembered where I hang them! 

Of course if I am outside, my kitty side kick wants to be there too! So out came Indie. She loves the bird watching and sniffing the breezes! Seeing greenery, watching the birds, and being in my garden are about the only things now that give me peace.

I got to the hospital around 1:30pm. When I arrived, someone came in to post tomorrow's therapy schedule on the cork board. This woman then proceeded to tell me that my dad was done for the day. Again, I said.... what about his 2:30pm physical therapy session? She said it was moved to earlier in the day. That was when I got upset. So I decided to talk to the rehabilitation coordinator. Any one who knows anything about hospitals, knows there are NO PRIVATE conversations. Forget HIPAA! I learned that early on with Mattie, so truthfully when I am talking I do not care who hears me, I am going to get my point across if it is about the care provided to my loved on. This unit is learning quick.... that I am a Type A, that I come daily, that I will hold them accountable, and that ultimately I want what's in my dad's best interest. One of the aides today commented to me that my dad's hospital room always looks so neat and clean! You got it, I remove all medical debris (stuff falls constantly), I fold towels and linens dumped in the room, I Cavi wipe down all surfaces daily, and the list goes on!

Any case, I explained to the rehab coordinator that I am not happy with my dad's therapy schedule which changes daily. Particularly because they are consolidating all the treatment in the morning, leaving him chair bound from noon until 7pm. To me lack of movement for someone my dad's age is the kiss of death. So I acknowledged that schedules have to be changed to juggle other patients, but what could they do to get my dad up in the afternoon to walk the hallways? Keep in mind I am not allowed to move my dad on my own! The answer was they were going to put it in my dad's chart that his nurse should walk with him every afternoon! I can't tell you how hysterical that is because the nurses hardly have the time to manage their own tasks with multiple patients, so where they are supposed to find the time to walk my dad, is beyond me. My dad's nurse apparently did not like all the various concerns I brought up to the coordinator (because remember we were in the hallway), that she never returned to our room again, and instead we were assigned another nurse. This surprised me because I am always pro-nurse, I never experienced a nurse who did not want to work with me!

The other issue I had to address today was my dad's pain meds. He hasn't been receiving his dosages every six hours. My dad's PT requested this to my dad's doctor two days ago and the orders were still not in the system. So my dad is in pain and this makes it harder to get him moving and working toward his goals. Thankfully this issue was resolved today. I wish it wasn't this way, but in a hospital system, the family making the most noise, gets the attention!

I was able to observe my dad in his physical therapy session today. The therapist told me that earlier in the day, she got him up a flight of stairs, rested a few minutes, and then came back down the flight of stairs. I think she was surprised he could do this! I knew my dad could do it! He is actually stronger than he looks and given that I have him moving daily and getting four sessions of physical therapy a week at home, I know what he can and can't do! He couldn't move initially when hospitalized because he fell on his back, and was in pain. So today, I saw a glimpse of hope in his rehab story..... as he can walk, he can get in and out of bed with support, he is doing stairs, and with a lot of assistance he can get out of a chair. There are still things to work on, but I am seeing progress. 

Later in the day, my friend Ilona came to visit. We are both moms who lost are only children to cancer. We share this profound nightmare, and it has bonded us together. Ilona wanted to bring me something for my birthday this week. I love tea cookies, and they aren't easy to find in my area! When my dad saw them, he immediately wanted a cookie or two. When I tasted them, they reminded me of cookies my grandmother used to make. 

Ilona perked up our day, and for that we are grateful! What we endure each day, has worn us down physically and emotionally, and it helps to have people around us who get it!