Bens first days

Well, he is there. It hasn't been that great. He isn't sleeping, has a roommate that is totally different. He needs the heat and Ben needs the cold, so neither one isn't getting much rest. They only gave him one pain pill during the first night. The nurses didn't know that he had an order for his pain pump so it was not hooked up until noon the next day. He didn't get the IV's until late that night for his TPN (food) and fluids. He wouldn't let them do the dressing the next day until after the pump had been hooked up and had some pain medication because he was in such pain and it really hurts to take those things off as his skin is so irritated. They did a dressing and bag change yesterday and it took 5 hours start to finish. They started him out on the lowest dosage of medication thinking he didn't need it much. Finally about 2 am they had him up to what he was on at the other hospital and it was finally starting to work abit and take the edge off. They weren't going to hook the drains up to suction as they didn't have an order for it. I kept after them and they finally called the Dr. to get the order. They were also supposed to change the dressing on the pick line in his left arm but didn't. I finally told the nurses and the Dr. today that if they didn't get it changed today, then get me the things and I would do it. I guess I am making a name for myself there. When I first introduced myself to the Dr. today, he said "Oh Yes, I've heard about you". He didn't clarify anything else about that. Don't know if that is good or bad but I really hate to see things that aren't done or they say they are going to do something and don't. If you can't do it, give it to me and I will do it. Like today, PT wants him up and walking, Dr. want's his tubes on continous suction. PT said that they have a portable suction and that they would bring one so that Ben could get up and walk. Well, they only have 2 in the whole hospital so if Ben wants to walk then he would have to wait for it, conflicts with PT wanting him to walk as much as possible. So I had had enough of the stalling and run around, so I said heck with it, I would do the same thing they did at Mercy and just unhook the tube from the suction and put the end in a glove while he was walking. So I did. Got him up and we walked down the hall to the elevator, went to first floor and down a long hall thru the dining room to the courtyard. We stayed out there for about 30 minutes or so until Ben was ready to walk back to the room. Not 10 minutes after we got back PT came into to say they saw that Ben was up and moving and was really surprised to see that he had gone so far. They had read his chart and it says that he has COPD and Congestive Heart Failure so they were gearing their program around that. So we got the Dr. to clear that off his chart today as he has neither to our knowledge. Ben weighs 141 pounds now.

I stayed the night in the room with him as I had been kicked out of the Hospitality house when they found out that Ben had been released from he hospital. At least they gave me back the money I had given them. So I didn't sleep in the car. I was afraid that I might have to, but the hospital let me sleep in the room. They didn't say a word but gave me a Gerry chair to sleep in. They gave me my meals but I had to work for it. I had to do the jobs that the CNA was supposed to do (which was jobs that I did already) so mostly the only people we saw were the nurses and the head people (seemed like 50 million of them that kept coming in). They have him set up for Long Term Acute Care. Ben want's to come home after about 3 weeks but I don't think that is going to happen that soon. I think that it will be more like the 3 months that the Dr. is talking about because of the planned surgeries. When they go in to reconstruct things we also want them to take out the tumors there and take the stones out of the Gall Bladder too as they seem to be causing some of the possible problems and they are already in the general area so might as well do it all now and not later put him thru all this again.

To come home with all the contraptions they have hooked up to him we need home health care person licensed by this state to stop in and check the stuff at least once a day and be able to do the dressing changes. I could do all the stuff necessary but not set up the machines with the ordered dosages. I also don't know the dosage correlations of the medicines to input into the machines. I probably could if trained on them but those nurses at both places really make it hard for you to watch what they are doing with them. So I have to check around with the different nursing persons from this area that I know to see if they would be willing to stop in and do that and be paid by the hospital for that service.

Lili, I talked with Ben about the electric bed and stuff and he thought that would be great if you had all that stuff that would be needed. We don't know yet what all would be needed but some of it might be provided but we don't know just what or how they would go about it or when it would be needed.

So anyway will see what happens while I am gone. So I guess I am earning whatever name I am getting there.

We can't get on the internet there even tho we were told that we could if fwe had a laptop with wireless capability. The hospital is working on it for us and will pay for dialup connection thru Net Zero. Dick is helping us get the right connections for Ben's Mac so hopefully by next week he will be on so he can read and write on the Blog. He was really looking forward to reading what everyone had written and put stuff on himself. He is accepting this little set back gracefully.

So this should catch you up on what is happening to date. Will talk with everyone next week. I am back at the house. I am trying to get the trailer down on Tuesday. I won't sleep in that chair again if I can get that there. So you all have a good night and a great weekend. We love you all and thank you all very much for everything.

I forgot, Ben has a direct phone line into his room. It is 530-245-4265. When we get the comp hooked up it will be on a splitter. He won't be able to use the phone when online. So if you get a buzy signal after that, he will be on the computer. I don't think that the hospital receptionist is able to transfer calls. The address of the hospital is

Northern California Rehabilitaion Hospital
2801 Eureka Way (299 W)
Redding, Ca. 96001
530-2456-9000

It is directly across the street from the Seventh Day Adventist Church. We have told Dick that when he comes thru to visit there is lots of room for him to park his truck there in the church lot with easy access to the street.

Love Ben and Illa