Friday, November 29
Hello, blog followers! I am sitting with Pat this morning. Though I worked at the hospital on Thanksgiving, but was able to get some turkey dinner and have it with my Sweetie Thursday night. Today she is up and going to physical therapy and reading her own mail (I have been reading her your cards and letters, but today Pat has taken control and is opening them and reading them herself! She is right now enjoying a big stack of letters from the kids at Palmer school.
More later!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 10 PM
To all of Pat's followers:
I have just come from Pat's room at the Spectrum Health facility, and it is time for an update. First, and of great importance: after work, I brought my iPad with me to Pat's room. We got a chance to watch the Big Bang TV show together. It was cool. 'nuff said.
Pat is feeling much better. More and more I see that smile for which she is so famous. Pat is doing more in physical therapy, and has gone up several steps, which is one of her milestones. It was quite a workout today, and she was very tired, but very accomplished. She doesn't always think she is making progress, but I see her doing more every day. Now that she is feeling better, the hardest thing is having to be apart while I go to work. Her mom spends a LOT of time with her, and helps Pat with activities, and provides encouragement, and is doing a lot at home to get the house ready for when Pat is discharged to home.
Pat is off oxygen, and we are gradually working to decrease the number of tubes she has to drag around when she does PT and OT. We are close to losing the wound drain, and then, who knows?
I (Greg) got to have a visit with the grandgirls. David and I, and Sylvia, Veda and Evvie went to see the dinosaurs at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The dinosaurs moved and roared and the girls thought it was great fun. The Museum is a really nice place to visit.
Pat got a surprise visit from a couple of friends. Here are Kim and Paula, bearing gift to banish boredom and bringing some friendly banter into a busy day.
Once again, it is hard to emphasize enough how much your cards and comments mean to Pat. I read them to her and she loves knowing about what is happening at Church, and Palmer school, and at all the places our friends and family go. It really seems to encourage her that all this will get better!
Stay warm, and have a happy Thanksgiving. I will be sharing a bite with my Sweetie that day. And looking forward to the day she is back in her own home, and to when she will be back in action!
Greg
To all of Pat's followers:
I have just come from Pat's room at the Spectrum Health facility, and it is time for an update. First, and of great importance: after work, I brought my iPad with me to Pat's room. We got a chance to watch the Big Bang TV show together. It was cool. 'nuff said.
Pat is feeling much better. More and more I see that smile for which she is so famous. Pat is doing more in physical therapy, and has gone up several steps, which is one of her milestones. It was quite a workout today, and she was very tired, but very accomplished. She doesn't always think she is making progress, but I see her doing more every day. Now that she is feeling better, the hardest thing is having to be apart while I go to work. Her mom spends a LOT of time with her, and helps Pat with activities, and provides encouragement, and is doing a lot at home to get the house ready for when Pat is discharged to home.
Pat is off oxygen, and we are gradually working to decrease the number of tubes she has to drag around when she does PT and OT. We are close to losing the wound drain, and then, who knows?
I (Greg) got to have a visit with the grandgirls. David and I, and Sylvia, Veda and Evvie went to see the dinosaurs at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The dinosaurs moved and roared and the girls thought it was great fun. The Museum is a really nice place to visit.
Pat got a surprise visit from a couple of friends. Here are Kim and Paula, bearing gift to banish boredom and bringing some friendly banter into a busy day.
Once again, it is hard to emphasize enough how much your cards and comments mean to Pat. I read them to her and she loves knowing about what is happening at Church, and Palmer school, and at all the places our friends and family go. It really seems to encourage her that all this will get better!
Stay warm, and have a happy Thanksgiving. I will be sharing a bite with my Sweetie that day. And looking forward to the day she is back in her own home, and to when she will be back in action!
Greg
Friday, November 22, 2013
Friday, November 22
I'm updating the blog, belatedly, from Pat's bedside using my iPad, so beware of typos! So is Vi. I just read Pat your cards and letters and it brought big smiles to her face. She is happy to hear about the progress of Night of Giving, and what's going on at Park Church and and the Miss Fits!
A more detailed blog will be coming soon!
Greg
I'm updating the blog, belatedly, from Pat's bedside using my iPad, so beware of typos! So is Vi. I just read Pat your cards and letters and it brought big smiles to her face. She is happy to hear about the progress of Night of Giving, and what's going on at Park Church and and the Miss Fits!
A more detailed blog will be coming soon!
Greg
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Sunday, November 17 11:45 PM
The wind sure is blowing! We hope everyone is okay and still has power.
Today Pat had a procedure to drain some fluid in her tummy. All went well, no problems. Pat is still uncomfortable, and so her mom and I will be working to find what works well for her to eat and drink. It might just take a day or two for everything to settle down.
She is in the acute care hospital setting now which means close observation but also more pokes and vital signs being done through the night. It's a trade-off. But Pat got something for discomfort tonight and I think she will get some sleep.
Pat's mom, Vi, has been as wonderful as a mom can be. She is Pat's guardian and protector, and always checking with the nurses to make sure everything is going okay. She is at Pat's bedside a lot, especially this weekend when I had to work. I have no mother-in-law jokes because mine is a real gem.
Also wonderful are the comments we get from everyone. Pat loves keeping up on what is going on 'out there.' I know a lot of you sent Halloween cards to Pat at the NIH. She was transferred out of the NIH before the cards arrived, so - surprise!- a few days ago we got a HUGE bundle of Halloween cards. I read every one to Pat and that sure got some smiles! Even though it was past Halloween, Pat thought the cards were great!
So, keep the sweet lady in your thoughts and prayers. You are all kind and gracious people, and I can tell by the messages you send to Pat. Thanks.
Greg
The wind sure is blowing! We hope everyone is okay and still has power.
Today Pat had a procedure to drain some fluid in her tummy. All went well, no problems. Pat is still uncomfortable, and so her mom and I will be working to find what works well for her to eat and drink. It might just take a day or two for everything to settle down.
She is in the acute care hospital setting now which means close observation but also more pokes and vital signs being done through the night. It's a trade-off. But Pat got something for discomfort tonight and I think she will get some sleep.
Pat's mom, Vi, has been as wonderful as a mom can be. She is Pat's guardian and protector, and always checking with the nurses to make sure everything is going okay. She is at Pat's bedside a lot, especially this weekend when I had to work. I have no mother-in-law jokes because mine is a real gem.
Also wonderful are the comments we get from everyone. Pat loves keeping up on what is going on 'out there.' I know a lot of you sent Halloween cards to Pat at the NIH. She was transferred out of the NIH before the cards arrived, so - surprise!- a few days ago we got a HUGE bundle of Halloween cards. I read every one to Pat and that sure got some smiles! Even though it was past Halloween, Pat thought the cards were great!
So, keep the sweet lady in your thoughts and prayers. You are all kind and gracious people, and I can tell by the messages you send to Pat. Thanks.
Greg
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Saturday, November 16 2013
Hi, Pat's followers! Time for a much needed update. Well, E and Froggie have been doing a bit of traveling. For a few days Pat has been feeling a bit under the weather and has been getting tired more easily. She did not like this one bit, as she was trying to do as much physical therapy as possible and it was getting harder and harder. The PA (physician's assistant) at the Continuing Care facility saw that Pat wasn't feeling well (as did I, for a couple of days or more) and so she was sent to Butterworth. She is now at Butterworth, a bit uncomfortable, and waiting for the doctors to fix some things, which is scheduled for tomorrow, the 17th. This won't be major surgery, but just some stuff to help resolve some problems.
Everywhere Pat goes, the nurses like her and the aides like her and all the staff likes her smile. Even in the midst of problems, Pat touches people's lives and makes them better. As for me, I'm working full time, but the distance from where I work at the Children's Hospital and Pat's room at Butterworth, well, it's just a short walk down a couple of hallways. So if she has to be here, I'm glad I'm here too.
I'll post updates soon. Thanks for your comments because Pat loves to hear them! And thank you for your prayers and thoughts.
Greg
Hi, Pat's followers! Time for a much needed update. Well, E and Froggie have been doing a bit of traveling. For a few days Pat has been feeling a bit under the weather and has been getting tired more easily. She did not like this one bit, as she was trying to do as much physical therapy as possible and it was getting harder and harder. The PA (physician's assistant) at the Continuing Care facility saw that Pat wasn't feeling well (as did I, for a couple of days or more) and so she was sent to Butterworth. She is now at Butterworth, a bit uncomfortable, and waiting for the doctors to fix some things, which is scheduled for tomorrow, the 17th. This won't be major surgery, but just some stuff to help resolve some problems.
Everywhere Pat goes, the nurses like her and the aides like her and all the staff likes her smile. Even in the midst of problems, Pat touches people's lives and makes them better. As for me, I'm working full time, but the distance from where I work at the Children's Hospital and Pat's room at Butterworth, well, it's just a short walk down a couple of hallways. So if she has to be here, I'm glad I'm here too.
I'll post updates soon. Thanks for your comments because Pat loves to hear them! And thank you for your prayers and thoughts.
Greg
Monday, November 11, 2013
Hello, Pat's Blog Followers!
And apologies for the delay in an update. It's so nice to have Pat back in GR that I have spent a lot of time at her bedside. Well, it's time to update the blog!
Pat is doing better and better. She still needs some oxygen and she still has to take a break from time to time, but she has come a long way, to be sure. Every day, when physical therapy and occupational therapy come by, Pat asks for more. She does her exercises, and her activities, and physical therapy. We are getting closer every day.
Tonight, Pat and I had fun. We had dinner together, and we ordered birthday presents for grandgirls, and we watched Dancing With the Stars. What could be better?
Thanks for the blogs. As always, I read them to her with delight. Here is a pic of Pat giving her physical therapist a workout.
Greg
And apologies for the delay in an update. It's so nice to have Pat back in GR that I have spent a lot of time at her bedside. Well, it's time to update the blog!
Pat is doing better and better. She still needs some oxygen and she still has to take a break from time to time, but she has come a long way, to be sure. Every day, when physical therapy and occupational therapy come by, Pat asks for more. She does her exercises, and her activities, and physical therapy. We are getting closer every day.
Tonight, Pat and I had fun. We had dinner together, and we ordered birthday presents for grandgirls, and we watched Dancing With the Stars. What could be better?
Thanks for the blogs. As always, I read them to her with delight. Here is a pic of Pat giving her physical therapist a workout.
Greg
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
November 6
8 AM
Hi, Lily Pad followers! I'm getting ready to head to the Continuing Care facility to see Pat. That's a really nice thing to say, that I can get up and go visit her, and be there in twelve minutes instead of twelve hours! Since it is not far from the hospital (where I work), I will be able to see Pat, take her cards, read your blog comments to her, and do her laundry quite easily.
It's a busier place; instead of a private room, Pat has a roommate, and potentially two (each room could hold four people, but they seem to max out at three). The nurses are busy, but in general seem quite friendly and helpful. There seems to be an inability, though, to break free of something that beeps all night long. Though Pat has no monitors or IVs to make noise, there is a thing in the ceiling of the hall that beeps once a second whenever anyone has pushed their call button. Since someone is always pushing their call button, the thing beeps continuously. Such is life. I have grown more sensitive to these things in regards to my patients at the hospital.
Physical and occupational therapy is much more involved than at the NIH. Pat, as always, wants to do as much as she can, and she is doing more every day. Her ability to stand and transfer move is much better. She is a bit discouraged, but I see how much improvement she has made, and it's a lot. We are still working on getting the diet right and the meds right and get off oxygen. It's one small step at a time, but it's a step forward!
So, off I go! Thanks again for your comments. Sara, Pat loves hearing about the NOG progress, and her heart is always with the kids at Palmer. She knows the people from Park Church are keeping her in their prayers, and thanks to Rev. Todd and all the staff. I bring the Congregationalist to her and it cheers her up. Pat always smiles at messages from Ria, her sister across the sea. Deanna, we had a suggestion, based on what we have seen: rather than having Rob go hunting, just park a bunch of cars around, have a party, and in the morning go collect all the deer that have run into them. Kim, eventually Pat will be walking the aisles of Once Upon a Child, so don't despair. And thanks to Leslie, and sister Suz and everyone who keeps Pat in their thoughts, whether you blog or not.
More updates soon!
8 AM
Hi, Lily Pad followers! I'm getting ready to head to the Continuing Care facility to see Pat. That's a really nice thing to say, that I can get up and go visit her, and be there in twelve minutes instead of twelve hours! Since it is not far from the hospital (where I work), I will be able to see Pat, take her cards, read your blog comments to her, and do her laundry quite easily.
It's a busier place; instead of a private room, Pat has a roommate, and potentially two (each room could hold four people, but they seem to max out at three). The nurses are busy, but in general seem quite friendly and helpful. There seems to be an inability, though, to break free of something that beeps all night long. Though Pat has no monitors or IVs to make noise, there is a thing in the ceiling of the hall that beeps once a second whenever anyone has pushed their call button. Since someone is always pushing their call button, the thing beeps continuously. Such is life. I have grown more sensitive to these things in regards to my patients at the hospital.
Physical and occupational therapy is much more involved than at the NIH. Pat, as always, wants to do as much as she can, and she is doing more every day. Her ability to stand and transfer move is much better. She is a bit discouraged, but I see how much improvement she has made, and it's a lot. We are still working on getting the diet right and the meds right and get off oxygen. It's one small step at a time, but it's a step forward!
So, off I go! Thanks again for your comments. Sara, Pat loves hearing about the NOG progress, and her heart is always with the kids at Palmer. She knows the people from Park Church are keeping her in their prayers, and thanks to Rev. Todd and all the staff. I bring the Congregationalist to her and it cheers her up. Pat always smiles at messages from Ria, her sister across the sea. Deanna, we had a suggestion, based on what we have seen: rather than having Rob go hunting, just park a bunch of cars around, have a party, and in the morning go collect all the deer that have run into them. Kim, eventually Pat will be walking the aisles of Once Upon a Child, so don't despair. And thanks to Leslie, and sister Suz and everyone who keeps Pat in their thoughts, whether you blog or not.
More updates soon!
Monday, November 4, 2013
November 4
11:30 PM
SHE'S BAAAAACCKK!
As of tonight, Princess Pat and Froggie are back in Grand Rapids. Every day a little closer to being well. Pat is happy to be here, as are Greg, Brian, E and everyone else! Pat is still a little uncomfortable, and still has some healing to do, but is so glad to here. She was flown back from the NIH, and of course the story must include delays, bumps, and an ambulance with a flat tire. Such is the stuff of the legend of Froggie and E.
The focus now is on exercise and rehabilitation. Pat is actually much stronger and much more stable with her walker than when I left her a week ago in Bethesda. With the acute medical problems much better, she can work on her physical therapy and strength and balance. But I was amazed to see how much progress she has made.
For the time being, Pat is working on adjusting and will still have a lot of doctor stuff to do; we'll let everyone know when she is up for visitors but she still loves the blog readings.
11:30 PM
SHE'S BAAAAACCKK!
As of tonight, Princess Pat and Froggie are back in Grand Rapids. Every day a little closer to being well. Pat is happy to be here, as are Greg, Brian, E and everyone else! Pat is still a little uncomfortable, and still has some healing to do, but is so glad to here. She was flown back from the NIH, and of course the story must include delays, bumps, and an ambulance with a flat tire. Such is the stuff of the legend of Froggie and E.
The focus now is on exercise and rehabilitation. Pat is actually much stronger and much more stable with her walker than when I left her a week ago in Bethesda. With the acute medical problems much better, she can work on her physical therapy and strength and balance. But I was amazed to see how much progress she has made.
For the time being, Pat is working on adjusting and will still have a lot of doctor stuff to do; we'll let everyone know when she is up for visitors but she still loves the blog readings.
Pat was happy to see Brian, and he was delighted to hug his mom after six weeks absence. And, as you can tell, Froggie (on Brian's shoulder) and E (on Pat's) are so glad to be back together again.
So, again, thanks for your comments. I will be reading them to Pat, once again in person, and I get to see her every day (as it worked out, I had Monday off and was at the facility when Pat arrived from the airport).
Yeah!
Greg
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sunday, November 3
7:30 PM
Yes, blog followers, it's true. Our little Froggie is coming home on Monday. Not actually home, she will be coming to the Spectrum Health rehab facility on Fuller. Through the hard work, kindness, and graciousness of staff at both the NIH and here in GR, she is being flown back to Grand Rapids late Monday.
Pat sounded so good when I talked to her today. She is walking farther and sitting up longer and really feels ready for doing more and more. The way she is going, I think she will be flying in a week.
Many major kudos to everyone for their encouragement and thoughtfulness. The journey isn't over, but we can see the road ahead and it looks pretty good.
I'll blog a 'Froggie Arrival' update tomorrow. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep, everyone!
Greg
7:30 PM
Yes, blog followers, it's true. Our little Froggie is coming home on Monday. Not actually home, she will be coming to the Spectrum Health rehab facility on Fuller. Through the hard work, kindness, and graciousness of staff at both the NIH and here in GR, she is being flown back to Grand Rapids late Monday.
Pat sounded so good when I talked to her today. She is walking farther and sitting up longer and really feels ready for doing more and more. The way she is going, I think she will be flying in a week.
Many major kudos to everyone for their encouragement and thoughtfulness. The journey isn't over, but we can see the road ahead and it looks pretty good.
I'll blog a 'Froggie Arrival' update tomorrow. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep, everyone!
Greg
Friday, November 1, 2013
November 11
Thanks, blog followers. Pat is having her ups and downs but, primarily, the plan is for her to be coming home to Grand Rapids next week. Medical problems are stable and we're looking for some serious rehabilitation. I already have a healthy respect for physical and occupational therapy and speech therapy, but now even more I appreciate their skills and abilities. With what little time they have had at the NIH, they have helped Pat progress to better walking, better eating, and better telling her husband what to do at home (I love it).
We are planning to have her at the Spectrum Health rehabilitation facility on Fuller Street tis coming week. She still has some work to do, but now her sweetie (that's me) can see her every day for help and encouragement. If I know my Patricia, she will fly the plane herself to get back if necessary.
Here's a picture of Pat celebrating Halloween with the nurses. We'll all be glad to have her home!
Greg
Thanks, blog followers. Pat is having her ups and downs but, primarily, the plan is for her to be coming home to Grand Rapids next week. Medical problems are stable and we're looking for some serious rehabilitation. I already have a healthy respect for physical and occupational therapy and speech therapy, but now even more I appreciate their skills and abilities. With what little time they have had at the NIH, they have helped Pat progress to better walking, better eating, and better telling her husband what to do at home (I love it).
We are planning to have her at the Spectrum Health rehabilitation facility on Fuller Street tis coming week. She still has some work to do, but now her sweetie (that's me) can see her every day for help and encouragement. If I know my Patricia, she will fly the plane herself to get back if necessary.
Here's a picture of Pat celebrating Halloween with the nurses. We'll all be glad to have her home!
Greg
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