Today Redjeb said that he can feel himself getting stronger. He walked a lot today using the walker. He is still quite weak and has to watch is balance. The physical therapist wants him to start using a cane, but today was her last day so another PT will be there tomorrow for her input. Cross fingers his eating/swallowing is gradually improving. Maybe the muscles just needed some exercise, since he was fed by a tube for so long. Also they are doing therapy to help him.
He can't remember most of what he has gone through, which is just as well. Amazing what the mind does. But he asks me to tell him things. It must be hard for him to process that all this has happened to him. His one complaint is that this should have happened in the Fall or Winter, so he could have enjoyed the summer with his boats and all.
Friends visited Redjeb this morning and afternoon, which was nice. I was particularly glad someone came this morning and took him to the garden, as I had an appointment and didn't get there till after noon. I think the visits cheer him up, as it can get boring there. He has trouble focusing, so doesn't do much on the computer or Kindle and even reading is a struggle. But each day he tries new things.
Tonight he wanted to go the the little library where they have 2 computers. So we spent some time there. One of the computers was not working and try as I might I couldn't get it to work. A woman patient came down and she wanted to use it. She seemed pretty comfortable with computers but nada. Since it was not too late I phone my nephew Will in Maine. He makes his living re computers and walked me through step by step troubleshooting. Voila! A loose connection re the cable going into the back of the monitor.
Today I had a minor victory with the powers that be. In the afternoon as Redjeb was taken off to PT some workers arrived to glue a guard on the lower wall of his room to protect against scuff marks from wheelchairs. As I've mentioned before this unit is to become soon a cardiovascular unit under NYU auspices. They are decorating and do some crazy things. They wanted to glue this protector pad all along one wall in RJ's room. When I heard this I said no. (You can tell I am probably quite popular there.) The nurse said they were doing it in all the rooms and he said "they" said it had to be done. He said in an hour or two the smell would be gone. I made the argument that adhesives give off toxic irritating fumes, and an hour or two would not be enough for them to be gone-- and I did not think Redjeb should be exposed to this given his recent lung infection etc. I told the nurse I would like to talk to "they." Long story shorter, "they" and I came to a compromise: Redjeb for the night would move to another room, but unfortunately in this one he'd have to share with a new patient who was arriving in the late afternoon.
We moved some of R's stuff to that room and hung out there. Was not too bad till the new guy arrived. We felt our space violated. Redjeb had slept well last night; didn't even take the melatonin, but now I wondered how he'd do with the stranger behind the curtain. Finally Redjeb implored that he'd like to go back to his own room. He has become spoiled; it's like when you finally get to fly first class it is very difficult to go back to economy. So what we did was to air out his own room (for some dumb reason they had closed the door to that room) and hung out in the garden, the library, even the little dining room. Then about 9 o'clock I moved all R's stuff back to his room and hopefully most of the toxic stuff will leave with the ventilation. (He is lucky in that most of the rooms have sealed windows and patients have to use AC. However, his bathroom has a window that can open and creates cross ventilation.) So he was comfy in bed when I left.
One becomes a survivor in these situations. I have learned to hide things just in case (tea/coffee cups, spoons and knives, tea, food, etc.) I think of those in concentration camps who somehow managed to hide things so they could trade. Never felt I could have survived such a place, but maybe I have some of that needed entrepreneurial chutzpah.
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