reaching goals

Jellycat has an important job. He holds the pain button 
for the morphine so we don't lose it in the bed.

The goal for Kate is to be able to sit in a chair for 45 minutes.  Yesterday she could only make about 60 seconds on the side of her bed but today at her last therapy visit she pushed herself and made it for 35 so we are getting close.  Once she can do that she gets to try to take a few steps.

She is eating a tiny bit more.  I wasn't very successful in getting food in her last night.  Each time she'd say "I'll have some next time I wake up".  Today Damon took over for a couple hours between therapy sessions.    I went home to shower and change my clothes (I'm sure the staff here is grateful for that - 3 days and 2 nights in the same clothes can't be good) and when I got back he had convinced her to have some cheez its and teddy grahams so he gets the MVP award today for getting some calories in her.  A little food made a big difference.  

Kate's long thick hair had become a matted mess from all the lying down and shifting her around and now that she is feeling better she was starting to feel pretty gross.  We washed her hair in a special bowl  that is used just for people in her situation then combed out all the tangles.  We cleaned up the tape residue off her arms, changed all her bandages and tidied up the sticky tape that holds down her iv's.  She is feeling a little more human now.  She'd love to lose the hospital gown and put on real clothes but she still has an epidural plus several other tubes and wires so she's stuck with it for a few more days 

So far tonight is going well.  Her fever is down considerably and she is tolerating the pain well.  I've learned just how to position her pillows to support her back on her side but avoid putting any pressure on the part that hurts the most.  We are starting to get this thing figured out.