Friday, 1:30 PM

Hello, all. To tell you the truth, yesterday was really a rough day. They really weren't able to get control of Catherine's pain all day. So she was pretty miserable. Finally, by the evening, they figured out a "cocktail" of various painkillers that started to really take effect last night after I left. They have a special "pain management team" here, who come in regularly and check on her....

Anyway, today Catherine's pain is much better (down to what she has been describing as between 3 and 4.5 on a scale of 10), however, she is much more groggy because of it. It is hard for her to stay awake even to eat her breakfast or lunch....

I want to answer some individual phone calls I have received on both my phone and hers, but, you wouldn't think this was true, but it is such a hectic schedule here! And everything takes time and energy...the chaplain visited this AM, her breakfast came, physical therapy came, they wanted to take Catherine for an x ray today, but that didn't end up happening, because they wanted a standing x ray, and she really isn't up to that yet....although she did stand up for a moment this morning! with the physical therapist....oh, they came in to take out her drains in her wound...I saw her incision a bit as they changed it and it looks fantastic (I remember the last time-Catherine's first surgery, I mean-- it kind of made me queasy to look at it, but this time it looks much better) Anyway, so they are not going to do an x-ray. But that is only a fraction of the things they come in to do! Take her vitals, roll her over, take blood, you name it, someone is here for it!! Today they brought her a menu that she can start making her own choices for meals!! So she chose manicotti for dinner...the first REAL food...
Anyway, to finish my first sentence...I'm not really able to call a lot of people during the day, because she is still pretty "needy" and I like to be by her side when people come in to poke and prod her, rather than be outside in the lounge on the phone....but please don't worry about her....even though she's having a bit of ups and downs, I think things are going ok all in all.
I think she is going to stand once more this afternoon if she's up to it. That is the big excitement for today! I am "getting down there" on clean clothes, so I am going to have to go to the laundromat. I just don't know when to do it....Last night, as it was getting time for visiting hours to be over, Catherine all of a sudden started to have more pain and issues (I think some of it is nerves because she is so far from home, etc.) Anyway, I didn't want to leave last night because she was rating her pain as a 7 out of 10, and, since yesterday morning when I came in, she was crying, I didn't want her to have another upsetting night, so, anyway, they let me stay till the pain subsided and she drifted off to sleep (about 9:30 PM) I left her cell phone with her last night in case she got scared in the night, but she didn't need to call me....Cousin Helen had to leave early this morning, so I got here at 7:15 AM, just to make sure that she wasn't upset this AM....even tho visiting doesn't start till 10:30, they let me right in, and Catherine was sleeping when I got here, so that's how I know they got her pain under control at some point last night...
OK, hope this is coherent...people are in and out....they just rolled her, and she is asking for me to come and hold her hand, so I need to get off. keep commenting here...this is the best way for me to deliver your messages to her.....it is too hard for me to use her cell, my cell, her Blackberry, etc.

-Cindy