Sleep, sleep and more sleep
Lidia needs her beauty sleep. Not really. She is beautiful already. She just needs the rest.
No oxycodone for over 12 hours
We’ve seen that when she received her dosage of oxycodone, she gets really, really tired. We have been experimenting today to see if we can reduce the dosage so that she can be more alert for physical therapy. So, 2am was her last dose of oxycodone. She’s handled things OK with just Tylenol today. The plan is to give her oxycodone as part of her evening meds to help her sleep throughout the night.
Physical Therapy
Every time the physical therapist comes we are hopeful. Sometimes we get disappointed. Today was a little of both. Reducing the amount of oxycodone didn’t really help with her alertness. What we saw today was her being assisted to sit up on the edge of the bed. She balanced herself but used her left hand and arm for support. So, instead of not using her hand and arm, they practiced her leaning down on her elbow and lifting herself up and balancing using her left arm. She successfully did that about three or four times. Unfortunately, she did it with her eyes closed. We want her to be alert for these kinds of things.
Visitors
Today, we had a few visits from friends. Let’s see, Dean Barnes, Bishop Hardy, our neighbors the Lakes, Mary and her family, my boss Brent Daines (thank you for the port barbacoa burrito), and of course Katherine and Zach.
I think Dean came because he had a special message of hope. He came to share that miracles do happen. I’m not sure if I’ll get the full story right, but his wife suffered from a traumatic brain accident as well. She was in a coma for, I think, 6 weeks and they said that if she woke up she would pretty much be a vegetable. (that sounds so politically incorrect, sorry). Anyway, she woke up. She started moving around. 18 months later she’s back to doing things that she loves to do. I think what Dean wanted me to know is that there is always hope. He advised me to have patience. What we have ahead of us is going to be long and hard.
Care Package
Mary Beltran and her daughter brought by a care package. Not for Lidia, but for me. I am touched that Lidia has such great friends. Items within the care package include the following.
| Teriyaki Jerky Mountain Dew PopTarts Water A really nice blanket LifeSavers Toothbrush and toothpaste Apples and Bananas Candy bars and other snacks |
I am grateful for the love and compassion Lidia’s friends have shown.
YouTube
There was a brief moment where Lidia opened her eyes. I took the opportunity to show Lidia her daughter’s latest installment of her YouTube channel. She stayed awake and payed attention for the whole 8 minutes. I count that as a win.
Missing Staple
During this recovery process, Lidia has rubbed her head. With her OCD, she noticed a staple that was a little out of place. It bugged her and she started picking at it. Every time she would move her hand across her head she would notice it. And again, she would pick. Eventually, she had picked half of it out. If you can imagine a staple, one side in her head, the other side sticking out. Anyway, last night she actually got one of her bandages on her wrist snagged on it. I had to hold her hand next to her head while I waited for the nurse’s assistant. She came in, assessed the situation, went back out to get a pair of scissors. We cut the bandage where it had snagged the staple so that her hand can be free. And so, there was this staple, sticking out of her head with a little bit of bandage sticking to it. I woke up this morning, and the staple was completely gone. I have no idea where it went. Lidia must have finished the job through the night.
Outpouring of Love and Kindness
It still amazes me the love and support Lidia is getting. This could be from mutual friends, strangers to me or strangers to the both of us. But because some of you have shared her story, your friends are picking up some of the slack. We all know that Lidia is a strong willed woman and that she would be bound and determined to handle this on her own, but I am very grateful for the support that Lidia has been shown by her friends and their families.