WE BE SLEEPY - GOSH, I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY

Wednesday was one of those weird, kind of crazy but I can't explain why kind of days. I usually work on Wednesdays. We didn't have a day nurse, which meant I went into work at 6P once the night nurse got here. I've been making phone calls to try to finally get Colby's new CoughAssist machine. Ordered it through a company here in town. Very nice people, the kind of business where a real person still answers the phone. They have the machine, we're just waiting on the battery. We've been waiting and waiting on the stupid, crappin' battery. Apparently it's on backorder from the manufacturer. Well dammit. I want that new machine for Colby so bad I can't stand it. But here we sit, waiting, waiting and waiting some more. Oh don't worry, I'll be calling again Tuesday or Wednesday next week to check the status. Hoping my squeaky wheel gets oiled. Hosparus called and wanted to know if they could do a home visit, that same day. Oh sure. I can take care of Colby by myself, get ready for work, pack for a Cincinnati trip and do a home nursing visit all at the same time. No freakin' problem.

Up at 5:30 Thursday morning to get us ready to go to Cincinnati. Colby was scheduled to have his 3rd infusion to help correct his low bone density. They told us to be there between 10 and 11, which is exactly what we did. Rolled into Admissions at precisely 10:50. Then we waited. And waited some more to find out whether or not Colby's room was ready in the TCC. Actually overall the time in Cincy went well. Colby got his infusion and did well with it. The first 2 infusions he received earlier this year were pamidronate. This drug is typically given 4 times a year. This time they gave him zoledronic acid, which is only given twice a year. We'll have to keep a close eye on Colby for a couple of days for flu-like side effects, but so far he's done fine. There are some really great people who work on that unit. A couple of real ding-dings, too, but overall we dealt with more winners than losers this visit. I just did a lot of Colby's care myself. It's easier that way instead of explaining it to someone else, watching them to make sure they do it right, etc. Around 3:30 this morning Colby woke up needing a cough treatment. I did the whole thing, IPV, CoughAssist and tons and tons of suctioning. I thought oh great, here we go, he's getting sick. But now I'm thinking it was a freak thing. Could also be that I discontinued his Robinol a couple days ago due to Colby having thick trach secretions. He had a DEXA scan this morning. Then we got a consult from wound care regarding the never-ending, never completely healed sore on Colby's left ear. They gave us a couple of options to try. We were out the door at 1:00 and home by 3:00. No traffic, no choking incidents in the van. All in all, I would call this particular Cincinnati adventure a success.

But boy are we butt-dragging tired. Up at 5:00 one morning and at 3:30 the next morning is just not our cup of tea. Not to mention the stress of the whole going to Cincinnati thing. Colby took an hour nap, but I worked on unpacking and catching up around here until the night nurse arrived. She's back there getting him ready for bed. We're hitting the sack early tonight for sure. Still looks like a pigsty around here, but ask me if I care. I'll work on it some more tomorrow. That's the scoop for us the last couple of days. We really know how to have fun around here, huh?