Janary 10 thorugh 14, 1999 update

Been a long week. Suze is continuing to improve. They are working her pretty hard during the morning so she sleeps through most of my visits during the evening. Haven't been able to get up there until about 3 to 7 at the earliest this week but they have been letting me stay later than the official visiting hours.

Everyday, since I first asked Su to be my wife, I have asked her to marry me, something that I continued even after the wedding. (Hint to all you married guys out there...) I continued to ask her even though until recently she wasn't able to communicate. On the 12th she was finally able to understand the question and she indicated yes in the strongest possible way. When I left that night I was walking on cloud nine.

Brought her yellow roses (which she adores instead of red) on the 13th for our 'informal wedding anniversary' and the nurses say she watches them like a hawk if they move them from her bedside. She is also able to communicate with more consistency this past week. She will follow your conversation and if you say something she wants you to ask her about her will move her fingers to get your attention.

Held the first 'team meeting' yesterday. Everyone thought she had improved significantly, mostly in the last week once she got acclimated to the new environment. Made some real significant changes to her treatment. She no longer has to wear the wrist restraint, and they are going to move her out of the Vail enclosure to a regular bed. Her agitation has just about ceased and when she agitated it is in response to an environmental situation than an internal. They removed the 'PRN' direction for the Trazadone so the issue about over medication is fixed, instead she will get a nightly dose to help her sleep.

Took her off the Peridex for her teeth and institued a more rigourous regime of brushing and cleaning her mouth. She likes having her teeth brushed and readily co-operates with that evolution which is another step on her road to self-sufficiency. She even manages to do most of the brushing herself during her morning washing.

Starting next week the team goal is to get her out of bed everyday and on her feet and then into a wheelchair!

She is about 25% of where she needs to be to go to an Acute facility. Expectations are that she will be ready in about 2-4 weeks for transfer.

The OT recommended that she go to Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in Richmond vice Riverside. MCV is one of the top ten rehab places in the country, serves a younger population and her current Doctor is on the staff at MCV so he would remain in charge of her case. So I now have to weigh the cost vs benefit of having her closer to home vice further away. Next week I will be heading over to MCV and Riverside to compare their facilities.

And despite being asked the insurance case manager was a no show, which figures.