Derek's squad leader came into the room today and marched up to me, "WHAT did you do? WHO did you piss off THIS time? WHAT happened NOW?!" I stared at him dumbfounded. I had no idea WHAT he was talking about! He told me he had been summoned. He was told to be there at 14:00. Apparently, so had the liaisons from the 10th Mountain Division.
Our Congressman from 11th district in New Jersey, Rodney Frelinghuysen reads this blog. Apparently, he read something this weekend he did not like and decided to make an appearance today. Wow. I made waves. I love it.
He wanted to meet the fabulous Dr. Ben Bograd, but he was in surgery. :-( Dr. B came later and was disappointed he missed meeting the great congressman.
We had a great visit. Congressman Frelinghuysen talked to Derek at length about everything that has been happening and even discussed some personal things with me that have not made this blog. He will be assisting me with that, and some day I will address them here... maybe.
Making friends in high places. I never thought I would have ties to Capital Hill but here I am. They say when God closes one door, He opens another. This trip in the hallway is certainly no fun, but we have our faith and we have each other, and we will make it to the next door. I see it up ahead, and I know we will make it. I don't know what is through that door, but I have always landed on my feet.
Thank you, Congressman Frelinghuysen. I knew my vote for you was well placed! And thank you to Derek's Squad Leader for being a pain in my butt. I will get my hair cut tomorrow.... I hope.
The rest of the day went relatively uneventfully. Derek got into his wheelchair for a while and we had the revolving door of doctors, social workers, visitors, etc. His blood work is still coming back a little quirky, so on Wednesday, they are going to test his some hormone level by giving him an IV medcine. Due to the take down of the flap tomorrow, replacement of the supra pubic and restitching of the J/G tube (stitches came out), they are not doing it tomorrow. Dr. Cliffords hopes that it resolves itself on its own and they don't have to do the test, but if the potassium levels keep seesawing, and if the other labs keep going quirky on them, they will need to run the tests on Wednesday.
We are finally breaking in Dr. Cliffords! He is the intern who replaced our beloved Dr. Goodlett! He actually cracked a joke with us tonight. This test that they want to do involves a hormone that goes quirky when the body is under intense stress. He said to me, "Maybe we should test you." Love it! Then tonight he walked into our room, "How's my favorite patient?" He's learning! And his dimples are really cute. His wife is a lucky lady.
I was also hassled to take care of myself and get out of the room, par usual. People need to realize that I feel better when I am in that room. I am not there to socialize, find a date, flirt, get pampered, etc. I am there solely to make sure that Derek's needs are met. I am eating and I am sleeping just enough, most nights. I will catch up.
Right now, I am concentrating on doing what I need to do, making nice with whomever I need to, and getting whatever I need to make sure that Derek's care is the best. There are some of the best doctors in this hospital, but it is also a teaching hospital, which means interns who do not know what they are doing yet. Some of them are allowed unfettered access, and THAT I will not allow. They can say no harm will come, but I will make sure that they do not harm. I did speak with Dr. Perdue about what happened this weekend and he said he would check on it. He did follow up on the ICU decision from a couple of weeks ago, so I believe him.
In the meantime, there are other things on which I can concentrate. Like getting more comfortable chairs in the rooms, internet for the patients, increasing patient safety, a stocked pantry, etc. Family members sit on uncomfortable chairs that break our backs. New mothers have to rock their babies to sleep in hard chairs. There is no internet on the fourth floor. When they moved the guys downstairs from the fifth floor, they did not hook up the internet. The doors are so heavy that the guys in their wheelchairs cannot open them. A lot of the doors around the base are too heavy, and the ramps are too steep for the manual wheelchairs. The pantry on the fourth floor is always out of cups, plasticware and straws. Some of the guys are on their backs and need bendy straws, but the kitchen supplies straight straws that break. These are the things I am fighting for right now. It gives me purpose.
As for us, our humorous Derek is back. He has a little dance that he started. He shakes his hips and kicks out his leg. Considering the condition that he is in, it is amazing to see him move like that!
In a serious talk today, Derek said to Krystina, "When we get married, we are going to be extreme couponers like in the show and have a basement stocked up with food & weaponry...in case of a zombie apocalypse. Now let me have a sip of my tasty beverage." I blame the TBI. Krystina says he is just insane.
Derek asked me today if Derek Jeter makes my bottom gurgle! He told me he (Derek) makes Krystina's bottom gurgle! Considering the medicine that his nurse has been giving him, we told him Angela makes his bottom gurgle!!!
Derek also seranaded Krystina tonight with Aerosmith's "I Wouldn't Miss A Thing." Had the nurses in stitches at the nurses' station.
So that's all for tonight. Up extra early tomorrow for surgery day and I hope to get my hair cut. Sort of said I would, and since Dr. West and SSgt will be looking for the new haircut, unless I plan to cut it off myself, I better run off base and find somewhere to get it done! Oh, and Jones wants to me cover the gray. Nice guy.
God bless! Climb to glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment