The Weekend Shift

Written Saturday morning:

Yesterday, Friday, was another busy day and a step further along the road to recovery. Charlotta's chest tube was taken out at 7am but the young doctors (they do start early), and we had another drain from the incision in her back removed as well.

The physiotherapist came by in the morning and we got Charlotta up and sitting in her chair for about 20 minutes. That pretty much wiped her out, and she slept for about three hours in the afternoon. I would have to say that I didn't expect her to be so wiped out from the surgery, but it's really taken a toll on her and she spends a lot of time sleeping and when she's awake, she's not really herself. She is still getting some morphine (orally now), so I think that's keeping her a little on the "spacey" side. She seems to be having a few more "absence" seizures, so I'm wondering if the anesthetic and all of the other meds she has been getting have messed up her seizure control a bit.

Steve came down to the hospital last night with Jack, Ashley and two boxes of pizza. We all ate pizza in the room and the kids (not Charlotta) had fun playing in the playroom that is just down the hall from Charlotta's hospital room. I took the kids home around 8pm, and Steve will be staying with Charlotta over the weekend. I'll go back down on Sunday afternoon and we'll switch out. It seems like Tuesday will now be the likely discharge date, depending on how Charlotta progresses with her mobility.

Speaking of mobility, I just spoke with Steve on the phone and he said that this morning the physio came by and they were able to get Charlotta up and walking -- with support on both sides -- in the hallway for about 15 feet. When she was walking she was leaning toward the side where her curve had been, which the physio said was natural as she had been compensating for the curve these past few years. Over time she will learn to re-adjust herself and walk straight again. I see lots of physio visits in our future!

In fact, I'm trying to line up a physio who is experienced in post-op patients to come and do home visits at our house starting next week when we're back from the hospital. Charlotta will need to re-learn how to do many everyday things -- such as putting on her shoes, or bending down to pick up something -- since she won't be able to bend the part of her back that was fused.

That's about it for now. Go Canucks Go!