Jim

Sorry for the lack of updates.  I did not have access to a computer but have found one at the hospital I can use now.

Saturday November 5, 2011

Jim did not sleep well last night-his cpap was very difficult to get used to.  He was so excited to see the kids but very nervous too and wanted to be on his best.  We got him up to the bathroom and as I was putting him back in bed I noticed his right arm was swollen very badly.  We had called for the nurse about 7 to get his cpap turned off and it was now 8 and we had still had no response.  We called again to let them know about his arm and it was another 45 min before anyone came to check on him.  I was not very happy and went to the front desk and spoke to a head nurse about the situation.  This solved the lack of attention for the rest of the day.  They did an ultrasound on Jim's arm to see if there were any blood clots.  They did not find any so they had him wrap it in warm cloths to bring the swelling down.  They then removed the IV and figured it was a bad IV.  he has not had to have one put back in because he has been drinking enough water.  He had many visitors today.  Our kids (minus Trevor), my parents, my sister Carisa, his parents, his brother Dan and his son Jake, and Nate and Jenny all visited today.  we also received a visit from some of our friends from Cedar City-James and Gaylynn Froyd.  The kids were very nervous to see Jim at first and you could see the apprehension in their faces.  After they visited with him for a time they relaxed and enjoyed their time with him.  They played balloon volleyball with him and loved being part of his "therapy".  Zack asked me when we went down to lunch at the cafeteria if dad had been down to eat with me.  I told him no and he said" but mom all he has to do is walk to the elevator."  Ellie asked Jim why his gown said "central laundry" on it.  Jim teased her and said "they gave me a job at the hospital cleaning clothes".. being gullible like her mother, she believed him and said "that is cool that they let you work while you are in the hospital."  Jim really enjoyed the time with the kids and had a big smile on his face when they left.  He was really sad that Trevor had not come up with the other kids but he had wanted to stay and go rollerskating with the school for getting good grades.  My parents and my sister  and I went to look at rehab centers for a time and looked at two possibilities.  Aspen ridge and Health South are both near the hospital here and were promising options.  Sat evening was quiet and Jim and I both took a much needed rest.   Bishop Leavitt called and gave Jim some comfort.  He told Jim that our ward would be doing a special fast for him tomorrow and Jim was very humbled and touched when he heard that.  Jim got a good night sleep as the respiratory therapist tonight started his cpap at a lower level and gradually increased the pressure.  he woke up Sunday feeling much more rested and refreshed.  During the night the aide that came to check vitals was a little ornery with Jim and Sunday morning Jim was referring to him and I said "oh you mean the star trek guy?"  Jim laughed and said I thought sweater vest but that is a more accurate description. I had woken up when he came in and rolled over and saw him standing there and thought I was dreaming.  He had a sweater on, dark hair, and features that made him look like he was straight off of star trek.  We had a good laugh about this.   Overall today was a good day.  Jim's speech has improved and he did really well at therapy.