Calling a Code on Mom

Derek is continuing to amaze his surgeons with the progress he is making with his hand.  We were told today that he is beating the odds.  We already knew that.  He was given less than a 50% chance of living when he went septic, and it was lower when he was first injured, and he's still here!

He is now wearing regular shorts, instead of his adaptive shorts, or "stripper" shorts as he called them.  There are non-profits who take shorts, pants and shirts and adapt them so that our wounded have an easier time wearing clothing.  With IVs, injured limbs, x-fixes, etc. they cannot get on regular clothing.  These organizations cut along the seam and insert velcro so that they are easier to get on and off.  Until yesterday, Derek was only wearing adaptive shorts.  He is so pleased with himself.

Derek returned to the Matc today for the first time after his arm surgery.  He cannot weight bear on the right arm for another 2.5 weeks, but he can do range of motion and stretching in his fingers, and he can weight bear on his elbow.  He was able to transfer using just his elbow.  Unfortunately, he got himself yelled at for not waiting for the nurse or corpsman when he returned.  He pulled his chair up to the bed and simply started to hop up.  He was told to always have someone standing there who can help him in case of a problem.  Does he listen?

But he listened to Dr. West!  He deserves a beating for telling Derek about the code they call for a combative or disruptive patient or family member.  I don't know if the colors they use are supposed to be made public; therefore, I will call this a "Code Periwinkle," so that I don't give out sensitive information.   Derek yelled it all night.  Thank God the nurses like me and know Derek.  If not, I think I would have been carted out last night.  And all I did was sit in my chair in the corner.

Last night, Derek was on a roll.  Krystina was rubbing cocoa butter into his scars in an attempt to soften them.  When she got to his lower back near his shorts, she snapped his shorts, and he yelled out, "Help!  Rape!  I need an adult!"  Of course, this just made her do it more and more.  Then to annoy me, he started yelling, "Code Periwinkle!  Help!  No, Mom!  No!  Don't rape me!  I don't want to ride the pony!"  Before anyone gets upset, he is not making light of real issues.  He is just having fun with us and doing his best to embarass me and get attention.  One of the nurses walked in and asked him if he was really calling a Code Periwinkle on his mother, and when he nodded, she laughed and walked out!

The best was today.  Corey the Corpsman left stuff on the bed, after I spent hours organizing and cleaning that room out.  I "yelled" at him for it, and his response, "Wow.  I'm going to go draft the commitment papers now for your nice little room on the 7th floor (inpatient psyche), and then I'm going to get a nurse to sign off on it."

Two minutes later, one of the nurses walked in with two syringes.  She asked, "Which one is giving you trouble?"

Derek replied, "The top one," and pointed at me.

She turned to get gloves, and Krystina and I looked at each other like, "What the hell?!"  Krystina hid under her blanket.

She came in to put something in Derek's PICC line to get it moving again, but the set up was just too perfect given what Corey said.  Derek wasn't actually pointing at me, he was holding up his PICC line.  We had a good laugh about it.

Some people walk by the room and look at us strange because we are laughing and joking around.  I'm sorry if we bother you.  Not really, but I needed to say it.  We are dealing with this tragedy the best we know how.  It could have been a lot worse.  Derek said today that if he could go back and change what happened, he doesn't think that he would, because he thinks a lot of opportunities will open up for him.

Right now, he wants to open up an antique/pawn shop, be an extreme couponer, and stock pile for the zombie apocalypse.

And big thank you to one of the American Legion posts from Maryland.  They came in and donated $2,000.00 to Derek.  What a great group of guys!

So, that's all the news that's fit to print!

Saw this on facebook, and it fits Derek's journey right now. 
Keep climbing! Don't stop! Climb to glory!