Hanging Tough

Happy 9 months alive day to Chaz!  Team Derek loves Team Allen!  You are our inspiration.  Tomorrow is Derek's 3 months alive day, and he has come so far.  It has been a battle, and Team Derek is tired, but we are hanging tough.  With inspirational mentors like Jessica and Chaz and the many other wounded warriors and their families we have met, and with Derek's fighting spirit, we know we will make it.

Today was a sleepy day for Derek.  He just did not feel like himself.  Gee, I wonder if it was all the mucking about with his orders by doctors unfamiliar with him that did it?  Maybe not, but my suspicions are there.

A doctor finally making his way to our doorway, but it was someone I did not know, and most importantly, he did not know Derek.  I asked him if he was familiar with Derek, and he said he was not.  I asked him if he was familiar with the particular J/G tube that Derek had, and he said no.  I asked him if he knew why the orders for the medication was changed from IV to the J tube and why the order for water flushes was increased, and he said he did not.  I told him then there wasn't much he could help us with and thanked him for taking time to come up.  He said he would change the order back to what it was before the little intern mucked it up and allow us to wait for Derek's primary doctors to return.  As long as that will not cause him any harm, I am okay with that.

So the day progressed with relative peace and quiet.  Derek slept a lot, which is good for wound healing and overall body healing, but he should have gotten up into his chair and just did not have the energy.

We have a dream team tonight.  My favorite overnight person is in with him, Spratly, he has an awesome nurse, LT Michelle Bennett, and the fantabulous Dr. G is back on for the night!  Also, Dr. Randy Mielke is on duty for the night.  Now if only the potassium level would stay down and keep us out of the ICU for the night, all will be well in the land of Team Derek.  I hope the phone does not ring with the news that we are on the way back to the ICU.  Dr. G is giving meds to flush the banana blood out of his system, but there are certain meds that can only be given in the ICU.  Pray it will not come to that.

As for mom, I am tired.  It is exhausting waging this battle every day and being hypervigilant.  In talking to some of the other families, they trade off and have shifts.  Derek doesn't have another parent who can do this.  Krystina is awesome, but she is young, and the doctors tried to push me aside in the beginning... I am afraid they will completely bowl over her.  My sister helps when she can, but she is picking up the slack for me at home by caring for my other three kids.  So for now, I will wage this war on the homefront by watching the meds and orders and making sure that Derek gets the best care possible.  He deserves no less.

Good night, God bless.  Climb to glory.