Home again, home again...

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

I can finally bring him home...

I am now officially "no longer considered contagious!" Just a little congestion left, which I often have due to seasonal allergies and an allergy to house dust anyway. I'm also still building my strength back, but, honestly, if it wasn't "COVID," I wouldn't even be thinking about it.

As it is, I will continue to take things relatively easy - no relapses! Calm, lots of rest, but slowly getting back into the swing...

And, best news of all, Biff can come home tomorrow! Speaking with multiple medical professionals about both his condition and mine, it is safe for my beloved Biff to finally come home again!

We'll be taking things slow and easy as we both get back on track. And it will be a tremendous boost to both our spirits to have him home after more than a month! Crazy.

What a wild four+ weeks. Ready for things to settle down, as we work out the next steps on this strange journey.

😃🌞❤️

From the man himself...

hello everybody. thanks for staying in touch with this blog . admittedly I don't contribute much other than being sick. add that I can only type with one finger and hopefully you can find mercy.

it has been a long and winding road leading in various ways. but i think I might be back on the right path now. if there is such a thing. first off as all of you know I would never be able to get through this w/out Taylor at my side. I have reached a whole new level of love and appreciation for this beautiful woman . I don't know how anyone could do this w/o a strong support Group of aloving family and friends the kindness and generosity shown has been overwhelming at times . I will be forever grateful. 

I'm doing better everyday. I flew through my occupational and physical therapy today. I believe I could manage being at home today EXCEPT for TA having covid. I don't want to even try without her. but I'm really done with the hospital life everything about it pretty much sucks. 

sooooo for now I have to be content this too shall pass and I will soon be amongst my family, neighbors and friends celebrating the joys of life. 

PEACE BW

Some good, some not so good...

Biff is doing much better, thankfully. He'll be doing PT sessions again today.

Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID again last night. Symptoms are still relatively mild, but they consider me still contagious (and I still feel sick). Have a phone appointment with doc this afternoon... Doing everything I'm supposed to do, resting, hydrating, also sitting up, not laying down all the time. Fatigue is the hardest part. Think cough is getting better actually. And temp has been under 99° all morning so far!

Please send all your healing vibes that I don't end up continuing to test positive, don't have lingering COVID, which happens to some people. Not sure what we'll do if they decide Biff is ready to discharge before I get clear of this... 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🫶🫶🫶🫶

Up and down, up and down...

Our rollercoaster ride continues. 

First, he's okay! And I'm doing better every day.

However, he fell yesterday morning and hit his head again. They immediately did another CT scan, which showed a tiny (.9cm) area of concern. They also x-rayed his hip - no fracture or damage (abundance of caution as he had no hip pain at all). But he did have a good bump on his head.

He was cocky. Got up to pee standing by his bed with the urinal, which they were allowing him to do unsupervised, but he couldn't find the urinal, got urgent, and rather than call or just make a mess, he walked the few steps to the bathroom. He got dizzy and fell on his way back to his bed. 

A second CT scan a few hours later showed a slight enlargement of that area of concern (1.2cm), so they moved him to the ICU so he could be hooked up to all the monitors and the Neuro team could test him and keep an eye on him overnight.

When I spoke to him this morning he was very groggy and a little confused, which distressed me, although he insisted the doc had told him they were going to move him back to rehab. I couldn't get a call back from the doctor until 12:30pm, which left me in a stressful state of worry all morning.

But the good news is the multiple scans they did during the night, along with the Neuro tests, show everything is stable! They will be moving him back to Rehab this afternoon. Doctor said Biff really didn't get any sleep last night - the scans and testing and all - so it isn't surprising that he was groggy and confused.

He's very angry with himself. "Pride growth before the fall" he keeps saying. Quite literally in this case. Hopefully he has learned the lesson for good this time. He got a little too euphoric with the news about his neck/throat being clear...

I apologize for not sharing news of the fall sooner. I just couldn't bring myself to do it until I knew more about ramifications. Luckily, just a small set back. He tells me they are even planning to do a PT session when he gets back to Rehab.💞✌️

A quickie from a groggy person...

Biff is definitely negative on COVID - hooray!

Also, he was taken to a previously scheduled follow up with the surgery team. They told him they see no signs of any cancer in his neck/throat anymore!!!

Still have to fight off the 3 spots of spread in his lungs but so awesome to get good news on the cancer front.

I'm definitely doing better today. No energy or appetite. Fever still clinging - just took next dose of Ibuprofen - temp check before was 100.3° which is still better than over 101. The achiness all over and the headache basically gone. Last night, even my teeth hurt. 😁

I've been sleeping on and off - mostly woken up by calls from Biff.🥰 He's feeling much better this afternoon. All clear from surgery team was a real boost!

Probably won't update anymore today unless some major news. Both Biff and I planning to do some more napping!! 

Thanks again to everyone for all the love, concern, and support!

Well, shiiiiiiiittttt...

Some not great news: I tested positive for COVID this morning. Immediately advised Biff, and he immediately advised staff, and they whisked him off to an isolated room in another area of the rehab unit. He has no symptoms, they even went ahead with an abbreviated PT session.

That's him standing! Wearing a mask now when up and about. 

He's been tested, but VA doesn't do the 15-minute tests. They advised if he hasn't heard otherwise by end of day, test was negative. They will test him again in 3 days, and again 2 days after that before considering him officially clear. Of course, I'll share any developments as best I can.

Thankfully, the three people I was with unmasked over the last few days have all tested negative. I had to switch my long-awaited physical for a phone appointment. Paxlovid and other meds to help with my symptoms are being picked up for me by our neighbor.

So, all previous plans are up in the air for now. I am to isolate for 5 days, then if, without meds, my symptoms have improved and fever free for 24 hours, I'll be good to go again.

Just a little tickle in my throat yesterday afternoon and felt like a cold was coming on last night. Took cold medicine to sleep and knock it out. Didn't feel great this morning, but again, more like a cold. But I kept checking my temperature. Kept creeping up. And when it hit 100° I did the test.

After all this time. 🤬

My worst symptoms are the fever and body aches, I plan to sleep once I get the meds. Oh, and a headache is developing. Throat is about the same... Go figure.

Good freaking grief. Although, in a weird way, it's lucky Biff is in the hospital - makes it a lot easier to isolate. But no visits for at least 5 days will be rough. 

I'll keep you posted... 

Love to all! 💞

Yep, a good day...

Here Biff is today! Wearing pajamas instead of the gown! Sitting in the chair next to the bed, and eating slightly more solid food... Not that he's thrilled with the food, but he's eating much more these days!

First sessions of physical therapy and initial occupational therapy evaluation and orientation... Wore him out a bit.

Commented that this PT stuff was going to be harder than he'd thought maybe... But he's doing good.

He also now has a roommate on the other side of the room. He's very quiet, although all the docs and nurses attending him do make the room a bit noisier and busier. But so far so good. Poor guy, Bill, came from a room with four guys crammed in a smaller space than this room - " a nightmare." I introduced myself and talked to him while Biff was using the bathroom (Yes! He used the walker and was supervised to get there but went in on his own and conquered... 😉). Overheard Bill on the phone later telling whoever that he thinks he's "found paradise!" Poor guy. Hopefully the sharing will be easy for both of them!

A good day! ❤️❤️❤️

How has a week gone by...

I can't believe I haven't updated this blog for a whole week! Seriously, I could have sworn it was only a couple of days...!!!😳

Today!

(Monday, June 12th)

As you can see, the feeding tube is gone! In fact, he's not hooked up to anything anymore. He's been eating more solid food (they aren't pureeing everything anymore), and his ailments are much improved all around.

Best news of all, they moved him to the Acute Rehab Unit today. If they didn't think he was strong enough, they could have tried sending him to a nursing home for rehab - which he definitely didn't want!

Instead, he's still in the same facility, just on a different floor. And they'll be doing a formal Physical Therapy evaluation tomorrow to determine the schedule, planning on 3 hours a day of intense Therapy (as safety and his health allow). And he's committed to being prepared, ready, and willing to do everything they ask of him, to the best of his ability.

The Rehab nurses we met today were all great. He's already charming them, naturally. 

On the home front, I've been extra crazy busy working on projects with the help of dear friends. Working toward a deep clean of the house, finally got the washer/dryer out of the laundry room (gonna need a mold inspection and a little clean up and flooring change before new machines can be installed), and so many different little chores. It's endless and great and exhausting. A bit of a rollercoaster at times. And, all in all, consumes all the time I'm not at the hospital, physically and mentally - until I hit the fatigue wall at night.

Hoping to have things in sparkling shape by the time Biff comes home - so there's almost a sense of being in a race. LOL The Big cleaning day (crew of 5 professionals coming) is next Monday, the 19th...

If he does manage to recover that miraculously, I've recruited an old pal to take Biff to his place while the cleaning happens. I think, realistically, it might take a little longer than 6 days for him to be strong enough, but he's a tough mofo (🫢) and has surprised me with his resilience for decades now, so there's a chance!

But, if you want to see a picture of his skinny legs, click the link below (I think you'll see why I have a little skepticism).

Click here for pic of skinny legs. It's okay if you don't want to look though.

He weighed in at 157.6 lbs. when he arrived at the Rehab unit today. Of course, we have to laugh - every scale in that place tells a different story, varying by more than 5 lbs. either way, in some cases, from one to another. But, he's easily lost 40+ pounds since December and a lot of muscle. He's determined to come back in better shape than he was before, and if it takes longer than he'd prefer, it won't be for lack of trying!

So, a new page in the latest chapter - and joyous news as far as I'm concerned! The dogs and I can't wait for him to come back home!

Speaking of the dogs, as I was leaving for the hospital the other day:

First it was just Snookie. She looks so sad.

I put my phone down, but when I looked again, Bopper had joined his big sister...🥰

Did I mention that our neighbor is now walking the dogs three times a week? So grateful! Alleviates at least a little of the guilt I feel that they aren't getting enough attention right now.

Same neighbor also texted me today, asking if he could pick up anything for me at Costco - and I had just run out of my favorite cereal!! So nice!

Family, friends, neighbors - and fans and just plain strangers! Medical professionals! These days Biff can't keep himself from getting emotional trying to explain how moved he is by all the support, all the care, the generosity, all the LOVE that has come our way during this difficult time. 

I can only echo the sentiment. He's pondering it all with a little more depth, a more metaphysical, philosophical perspective than my own. I'm just enormously grateful.🫶

If course, he has more time for that sort of thinking than I do right now. 🤪

He's so ready to get out of there, trying to keep himself occupied, distracted as best he can from the boredom of being trapped in a bed. Rehab will be great. It'll be so good for him to get moving again!

More "adventures" ahead, but he's getting to the other side of this traumatic crisis. 

Hurray! Huzzah! Hallelujah!

A quiet day update...

 At least so far it's relatively quiet. 

As for yesterday, he was pretty worn out. He "got up to pee" quite a few times, but I don't think they ever got him doing any walking.

When I arrived, he was trying to nap, which he did on and off during the 4-5 hours I was there. But he also had staff come in to do checks and meds and treatments, "got up to pee" twice (with all the stuff he's attached to, and his physical weakness, it's a production requiring assistance, and he only stands right next to the bed), and he joined the family Zoom for a few minutes (just Mom and me otherwise this time).

And he had dinner before I left. The pureed beef and pureed rice burned - not as bad as in the past but still miserable - meaning he mostly ate the pureed broccoli!!!!🤯 And some of the sherbet. Drank his Ensure and water and a couple sips of coffee. They keep the Glucerna going in his feeding tube, too.

He's starting to get tired of being in the hospital, but he rallies on phone calls and with staff he likes. ☺️

Haven't had any news from him yet today. I plan to head in for another visit this afternoon, although my plans for things this morning have gone wonky. Woke up with my back tweaked, so I'm doing the hot/cold thing and forcing myself to stay seated for now. Nothing serious but don't want to push it, end up incapacitated, you know? 🤪😜

Came across this review for the new season of ITYSL - mentions Biff as a fan-favorite up front, and his new sketch is ranked 10th best of the season:

Click here to see ITYSL review.

Not sure how Biff will feel about mention of the cancer. I'm sure it will be mixed feelings. It is for me.🫤

FYI, his new sketch is at the end of the Episode named "So, Now Every Time I'm About To..." (4th ep but they don't number them). On Netflix.

Hope everyone has a great Monday! ❤️

Doing better and better, along with some awe and sweetness...

Took this as I was heading off to the hospital on June 1st, dogs at the front window watching me leave - again! If you look closely, you can see Snookie behind Bopper. 

(And, yes, I do need to wash that window... LOL)

AS OF LAST NIGHT (June 2nd), he is doing pretty well. Still has the feeding tube, but they removed the Foley Catheter and switched back to the Condom Catheter, which requires him to push the urine out - and he is! Avoids need for him to use a urinal or toilet, but he has to "go, when he feels the need," so he exercises that function. 

He ate a bit more of his little piles of mush (nothing he hates in this meal) and all of his Ensure. Still got a lot of phlegm, still getting breathing treatments, and suctioning stuff out. And plenty of meds dripping, along with the rinse & spit...

He seemed a bit groggy today but fully coherent.

Oncologist has advised there will be no cancer treatment Monday. He wants Biff to get back in good shape, recovered especially from the mucositis, before another treatment. And they are still waiting for the results from the gene test, which are still a week out.

He'll be staying in the hospital until at least Monday. I've requested guidance on what's available for assistance with home health care in the meantime. And a friend came this morning and helped me with some stuff at home, trying to catch up. I know there was talk of possible physical therapy at some point, and he hasn't walked in over a week now, so he might need to build up some strength for that, along with being fully able to eat and drink and go to the bathroom on his own before discharge... Although it's possible physical therapy was discussed (again, in passing) back when they were still worrying about possible surgery on his head... Even with all my notes, things can feel a little scrambled in my head. They tend to talk fast, and there is so much information, and the days all start to blend, overlap, merge. 😜

Good news is he is doing better today than yesterday. Hope to keep the momentum going in that direction! He's dozing off now. I'll be heading back home shortly - and back again tomorrow! 🌞❤️

AS OF THIS MORNING, I've spoken to him on the phone (I will be heading down for a visit as soon as I can get it together today). He had a rough night. The Condom Catheter came off, and he wet the bed. There was only one guy available to help get him all cleaned up, so it was a minor ordeal. So, yeah, that sucked.

However, the managing doctor has already visited him this morning, and they have removed the Condom Catheter. No more catheters! They want him to use the urinal, standing, instead. Of course, he has to call for assistance, no doing it on his own yet. 

They also want him to get up and move around a little today, again, with assistance. And they expect him to call for assistance getting to the toilet when he needs to, well, let's say "move his bowels." There is a toilet in his room, steps from the bed. But the point is, they are starting to try to get him back on his feet, start building his strength back up!

NOW FOR THE AWE & SWEETNESS...

Thursday night, Biff had agreed to do a quick video for a Raffle set up to push the GoFundMe campaign. The last thing before I left for the night, we shot this to send to Danny - who also set up the GoFundMe campaign in the first place (I couldn't get the video to upload directly for some reason, so clicking link before will bring it up in a separate window):

Click here to view Raffle video

It was awe-inspiring to see Biff dig up the energy and focus to do this short video. I know he misses working, even doing Cameos, and I think this gave him a little taste of that back. And Danny was so happy with it, too!

Then Danny emailed this video (in the middle of the night!) showing the audience response (again, clicking the link will bring up the video in a separate window - I'm out of time to try to figure out why I can't get it in here directly right now):

Click here to view Audience response

Wow. Just, wow.

Love to all y'all. I know both Biff and I are definitely feeling all the love coming our way, and we are grateful beyond words. Thank you all so much for helping us remember we are not alone.

Whit Blood Cell count is back to normal range...

Rather than wait until tomorrow morning, I'm typing up this post while he watches basketball! NBA finals! He never misses that.

The best news: his White Blood Cell count is back in normal range - it's a 7 as of this morning. This means his healing/recovery should pick up speed. Fingers crossed!

His mouth is feeling much better, although everything still burns some (and the rinse & spit meds still hurt a lot), and there no longer appears to be any blood. He's still pulling mucus from the lungs and suctioning that out, every once in a while, as he feels the need.

They are "feeding" him Glucerna via the feeding tube now, starting with a slow push that will be increased at regular intervals. He doesn't notice it at all. They also put his crushed pill meds in through the feeding tube, rather than him having to swallow them.

The Swallow folks had someone sit with him at lunch, work on good position for small bites of the pureed diet (as he can stand it) and a bottle of Ensure. He was very proud to tell me he'd drunk a whole bottle of the Ensure and eaten a couple of bites each of four of the piles of mush (more on that later).

They have moved him out of the PCU, but only to another room at the front of the unit, so he's still on the same floor with the ICU/PCU, nice and handy if anything goes funky. They moved him in his fancy, hi-tech bed, along with his drip feeds stand and his monitoring machine - just brought it all into the other area/new room. The nurse was able to push and maneuver that huge bed all by herself - I'm pretty sure there is a motorized assist, but it was still impressive. (He went from bed 16 to bed 4, right in the very front area of this section - sadly, no windows to the outside, but I'm glad it was an easier move than last time and that he's still close to the extra care if the need arises.)

Because he is getting more nutrition now, his blood sugar did go up, so they gave him a low dose of insulin, keeping an eye on everything. Wish I could say I was as confident in the nursing care as I was in the PCU. Although I didn't care for the nurse yesterday personality-wise, I didn't question she was on top of everything. The new nurse today just doesn't seem to focus on him quite the same way. But I can't say she's neglecting him. And when he hits the call button, someone comes within a few minutes.

I also happened to be here when the in-house Hematology/Oncology team came by. They work with his chemo doc, although they said they hadn't talked to him directly about future care yet. As for "pre-chemo labs" that Biff was scheduled to go in for tomorrow (in anticipation of a treatment on Monday), they will have those labs done here, for monitoring and reference, although he won't be doing another chemo treatment on Monday. They aren't yet sure if they will go ahead with the immuno therapy infusion either. All of that will depend on how he does over the next few days.

They were able to tell me that the PGx test was already done (they didn't say exactly what day, but it was probably on May 30th when Biff first told me they'd spoken to him about it). Those results can take up to two weeks, so there's a good chance a decision about exactly what kind of chemo treatment to try going forward won't be made for a couple of weeks. And, of course, we still need to get him back in fighting form anyway.

So, there's still all kinds of random things. Like his right arm is a little swollen, but they tell him that's okay, likely due to the steroid medication, nothing to worry about (so hard not to worry anyway). But generally, he's on the mend. Still hooked up to tubes every which way, but real progress is being made. He's still kinda ragged, can get a little confused, and his energy is still low. But he's doing much, much better.

Tomorrow, I won't be coming in the hospital until a little later in the afternoon (have my therapy appointment set for 10am tomorrow morning now, and a friend is coming to help me take care of a couple things at the house), so I will miss the Hematology/Oncology rounds in the morning, but they told me I can have the nurse page them to come give me an update. I'll do the same for the managing doctor, too. Get a final update from both before the weekend hits!

Around 5:30pm, his dinner arrived (and, yes, while they are also feeding him via the feeding tube):

Doesn't that look yummy! (Ugh!)

Pureed Apple Cobbler - the one his spoon is hovering over in the picture: he ate a couple bites. Said it was not very good (his taste is still wonky, and pureed...?).

Pureed Brussel Sprouts - you couldn't pay him to eat a Brussel Sprout finely cooked and seasoned, let alone that pureed green mush, so no bites of that tried.

Pureed Mashed Potatoes with Mustard - mustard is another of Biff's no-go flavors. Can't stand it! So, no bites of that yellow mush either.

Pureed Chicken with BBQ Sauce - now BBQ chicken is a favorite, but he's avoiding BBQ sauces because of the burn from the spices. He did try a bite of just the chicken, but he said it was terrible. (I couldn't argue the point; I sure didn't want to try it - although he offered to let me eat as much as I wanted.)

So, he drank the bottle of Ensure and a little of the milk. Good thing they are also doing the feeding tube, right?

And one last thing, his new sketch on I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (on Netflix) is at the end of the 4th episode (although they don't show numbers on them). The name of the episode is "So, Now Every Time I'm About To..." and you'll see "Matching shirts at a school concert." in the episode description. It's a bizarre sketch, as they all are. LOL It's not as amazing as Crashmore, but that one was extra special. So cool that he was asked back. And this time he got to work with Tim Robinson directly! (There is even a raffle of some kind happening tied to this new sketch and the GoFundMe...?!?! "Gotta help a Shirt Brother!" The drawing will be tomorrow at an event in Seattle??? Too much for me to think about otherwise, but how amazing. So much love for my Funny Guy!)

Improvement continues, but it's still a roller coaster...

Well, they had him sitting up in a chair when I arrived yesterday. And the doctor was there talking to him, so I was able to chat with her right away. He was really happy to be out of the bed for a bit, although his butt was starting to ache by the time the doctor left, so the nurse and a big, brawny orderly came in to help him move back into the bed. Biff was actually pretty steady for the small move (I sure appreciated the strong person there to help him stand and "spot" him - NO MORE FALLS!). The tricky part was moving all the various tubes and wires that he's connected to!

The funny part was then watching the nurse and orderly try to figure out the fancy bed he's in. Apparently, it is a brand new piece of equipment, and I don't think they did any formal training for anyone on how to use it. Not only was a little comical watching them try to figure it out on their own, but then another nurse came in to explain and demonstrate, with Biff as the demonstration patient while she showed how the bed can do things the old beds couldn't, such as tilt the bed from side to side... Biff was laughing his ass off. Also heard the story of the first time the nurse who was demonstrating accidently used the emergency function, which flattens the bed in one fell swoop, bang! Bet that was a shock to the poor patient in that bed at that moment! (But, seriously, I can't believe the company who sold that bed didn't come in to do formal training sessions for everyone - but I think Covid may have made those kinds of things less common... Maybe?)

Before I had arrived, Biff and I had talked on the phone. He told me the Speech Language Pathology (SLP) team had been in to check his swallowing out, and they had decided he wasn't in good enough shape to do the Barium swallow test yet - so, tomorrow (or today, June 1) hopefully? Because of this, they would not be moving him out of the PCU yesterday.

But, in our conversation with the doctor after I got there, who we had met last Friday after Biff had been moved out of ICU the first time, we were advised that they do intend to move him out of PCU to a general medical bed. The first step of that process was shifting the managing doctor back to her, which was why she was up talking to us. Actual time for the transfer will depend on bed availability, and he may not end up back in the same unit he was before. But timing is completely up in the air, so we'll see when that happens.

I explained to her at length my frustrations with the delay in him getting actual care the last time they moved him out of ICU, so hopefully she can help make sure that doesn't happen again. 

She also advised that his White Blood Cell count continues to get better (although she didn't have the latest number for me). He's still on the Neupogen course to support that.

She advised that the SLP team had decided he could try to drink and eat soft, pureed foods again, if he felt he could tolerate it. He would need to swallow with his chin in a tucked down position they were making him do the day before when they only allowed him to swallow medications ("chin down, chin down!"), but at least he can try when he feels he can. 

And, because his White Blood Cell count is better, they decided to go ahead with a feeding tube through his nose. She advised that most people tolerate it fine after getting used to it for about a half an hour. If it isn't tolerable for him, they can do intraveneous nutrition, but it turns out that is considered more dangerous - more likely to create infection and cause liver issues, because the nutrition doesn't go through the GI process in the body but goes straight to the liver. But a lot of people do use it, if needed.

She advised that the mouth sores (official word for that is "mucositis" - had never heard that before!) is looking better, even if it isn't necessarily feeling better just yet, so they feel that the rinse & spit medications are working, slowly, sure, but working. And, truth is, he is obviously feeling a little less pain. Of course, yesterday, they only allowed him ice chips and medications, so he wasn't having to deal with the pain as much either.

She wasn't sure about the Barium Swallow test (and Biff didn't ask them himself today), so I'll try to follow up on that when I get there.

I sent a message to the Oncologist via the online system while I was there yesterday, but I still haven't heard back from him. Hopefully I will today.

Around 3pm, the nurse came to put in the feeding tube. I was asked to leave the room. About a half hour later, I went back to check on him, and he was sitting quietly with the tube in his nose, and told me they were waiting for xray to come confirm the positioning before taping it down. I left again to let him rest (and, the room was full of stuff from the procedure, so all Biff's stuff from the table was piled on the guest chair, with nowhere else for it to go, and I just couldn't stand around). 

As it was, that whole thing was a long stretch. I came and went a few times. Around 4:20pm, they had to pull the tube part way out again and push it back, attempting to get the right position. It is the smallest tube they use, and very flexible, so it catches on stuff inside and curls back... They had to do the reposition thing once more. I was outside the room at that point, and I could hear him moaning, but they finally got it in a good position, and after a little wait, they taped it down.

So, now the poor guy has tubes attached to both arms, his port on his chest, monitors attached all over and to a finger, and the catheter, and his nose:

In his high-tech bed...

Although the feeding tube isn't entirely comfortable, he tolerated it fine (once it was settled in place).

They also gave him a new device (I didn't write down what he said they called it):

He's supposed to spray (shoot?) it into his mouth 10 times an hour, and it forces the mucus in his lungs to loosen up and come up - and then he uses his handy suction tube to suck that mucus out:

Yep, pretty gross. However, the mucus was mostly white, just a slight tinge of pink, which we both think means his mouth was bleeding less, which has to be a good thing, right? Honestly, the day before, the stuff he was sucking out with that tube was bright red. This is a definite improvment.

Last thing I logged in my notebook yesterday, was his blood sugar check around 5pm or so: 141 - which was not a concern. They have given him insulin a couple times when the count has gone higher (from the sugar in the fluids). I'm glad to know they are keeping a close eye on that. I believe they aren't giving him his regular diabetes meds right now (he's been off insulin for years but still has meds to manage his diabetes), so it eases my mind to know they are monitoring that regularly and handling it!

I had a video appointment at 7pm, so I had to head out before 6pm (rush hour traffic). He was comfortable and resting when I departed.

He called me about 9:15pm last night to say goodnight. We ended up talking for almost an hour. It was nice to end the day that way. I miss having my best friend around to talk to, no interruptions.

And it was helpful for me last night in particular. If you want to read more on that, you can click through the "read more" thing down below.

But before I go there, I've already spoken to him a couple times this morning. He woke up during the night to discover he was pulling the feeding tube out of his nose - it was almost all out when he realized what he was doing. Freaked him out a little.

They've already got it back in, waiting for xray confirmation. The doctor advised that this happens all the time. Such a bummer, but mostly he was embarrassed, so I hope the doctor helped him feel better about that. They had given him his first dose of crushed meds via the tube before we spoke last night, which went well. Much easier than him swallowing that stuff. And they expect the dietician to see him once the tube is taped down again, position confirmed, so he should, finally, start getting some good nutrition into his system!!