Christmas Eve Eve

When progress seems slow, it's good to look back and see how far we've come. Blog posts from a month ago seem like ancient history.

Some of our friends have asked if Roger was released from the hospital too soon.  That's a good point and having him at home presents some new challenges.  But, rest assured, they discharged him as soon as they safely could, not because they needed the hospital bed, but because it's so important for him to begin to feel normal again.  Too many nights of interrupted sleep and too many days of being immobile really begin to make a person feel like an invalid.  At some point, life in the hospital does more harm than good.  Here in our own apartment, Roger sleeps better, eats better, exercises more, and, believe it or not, he's less exposed to bacteria than he was in the hospital.  Other important factors are his state of mind and his level of contentment.  Yep, Roger is better off here now.

As for the challenges...switching his medications from IV to oral means having a boat load of pills to manage.  The schedule for pill taking is complicated and requires careful attention. He is still on one IV medication (magnesium) that runs over the course of 2 hours each evening.  That's been an education, but I think we've got it mastered.

Food remains a challenge, and it utterly defies logic.  He refuses foods you'd think would be comforting, but then at the next meal he'll eat something unimaginable.  He was hardly able to eat breakfast or lunch today, but then wolfed down chili for dinner.  I manage his food by offering lots of options and make sure he gets in enough calories, even if his overall diet is incomprehensible to me. He finds home cooked food more appealing and is able to eat more.

Roger is safe at home on this Christmas Eve Eve.  Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on him.