Erica had to head back to Texas today and I had to head home to go back to work. But before we left, we got to see them remove Pauls trach!!! They also removed the other line that I mentioned last night and they are hoping they can take him off the insulin drip and just give him a daily shot, which is what he takes at home anyway. Then if he can also get off the Heparin drip that keeps his blood thin, the only other thing hell have to do is pass a swallow test so he can start eating normally again and get the feeding tube out of his stomach. From there, he can concentrate solely on physical and occupational rehab. And that should be a piece of cake after everything else hes been through! His doctors are already impressed at how well hes been able to move around given the fact that he did nothing but lie in a bed for nearly 6 weeks. He will probably be going back to VA in the next day or so, which is good news because it means he no longer requires the specialized services at U of I. The plan is still to get him to the point where he can be sent to Des Moines for rehab, but they tell us there is usually at least a 2 week waiting list to get in out there, so our hope is that he does well enough with rehab at the Iowa City facility while he waits to be transferred that they will decide he either doesnt need to go to Des Moines or his stay there will be a short one. There still seems to be some confusion as to whether or not he should be putting weight on his right hip, so they tell him to put as little pressure on it as possible when hes getting in and out of bed or going for a walk. Im hoping to get him a new cell phone tomorrow and take it out to him on Thursday, but my suggestion to everyone is to let HIM call YOU because you never know when hell be sleeping or doing rehab or have doctors or nurses in his room. Maybe send him a text that says Call me, no hurry. That way hell know you want to hear from him and he can call you back when its convenient. Also keep in mind that although the trach was removed today, he still has a hole in his neck that he has to cover when he talks, so his voice is kinda raspy and he has to coordinate his speaking and breathing, so dont expect to hear the old Pauly right away when you talk to him. That will take a few days yet. Other than that, he asked me to let you all know how much he appreciates your thoughts and prayers. He knows he wouldnt be where he is today without them. Thanks from the kids and I, too, - we feel the same way!
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:57:20 +0000
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