Day 18 ~ Room 125, 7pm

Most important: Bob got to have a shower today! After 17 days!

His arms are getting a little skinny,

but his hair's been washed and his body's been showered!

Successful Relocation

   Bob is now moved into the inpatient rehab hospital, Sea Pines. It was not a simple move to make thanks to the insurance red tape. Our insurance company gave me a list of several rehab facilities, and based on their infection rates and overall individual ratings, I narrowed it down to 8 that were a possibility, and then only 3 that I would consider after speaking to a few friends of mine who are health care professionals. But we hit a snag: the insurance company would only approve Bob to transfer to a "Skilled Nursing Facility", which provides a lower level of care versus an "Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital". Yet none of the insurance-approved facilities would accept Bob with his wound care requirement!

   I explained to our insurance that it didn't matter what facility they "approved" if none of them would accept Bob as a patient due to his needs. He had to go to an inpatient facility that was also an actual hospital, with a complete hospital staff. Sea Pines had already accepted him and was simply waiting for an authorization. The insurance company said if Sea Pines is what we "wanted", it would cost us between $2,000 - $2,500 a day out of pocket. I immediately began dealing with a supervisor and initiated an appeal process. It didn't take long for me to explain, very respectfully but firmly, that it was not a personal preference; if Bob didn't get the correct level of care at the correct facility because our insurance company would not provide proper placement, I assured them that any out-of-pocket expense on our part would eventually be repaid back to us by them, but more importantly, any risk to Bob's health from inadequate care he received would also be their responsibility. Once I was able to speak to someone who understood the above-normal level of care Bob needed, we were approved and he got transferred to Sea Pines Rehabilitation Hospital. It can take so much effort sometimes, but you have to advocate for what's right.

Bob's new home away from home for the next few weeks.

Holistic Team

   Bob now has a team of health care professionals that will provide him the opportunity to readjust his entire health back to 'normal'. He is currently in his 'recovery phase' and will transition to his 'therapy phase' the longer he stays. Today we met with the medical director, the hospitalist, the charge nurse, the pharmacist, the dietician, the respiratory therapist, the wound care specialist, and his floor nurse. We were advised that Bob won't be rushed out of there; the goal is for him to build up his endurance, balance and strength at a pace that is successful for him. It will be interesting to see what they think about Bob's 'pace' once he gets going. I told him no more over-doing it like last night. I'm still recovering from his other scares over the last 16 days. 

Visitors

   Bob can certainly have visitors now. He's at Sea Pines, in Room 125, bed B. Visitation ends at 8pm, and we ask that everyone keep his therapy schedule in mind if planning to stop by.

Therapy Schedule

Bob will receive therapy every day, adhering to a strict schedule. 

   9a - 10a: Occupational Therapy

   10a - 11a: Physical Therapy

   1p - 2p: Physical Therapy

This fixed schedule helps to set goals and measure progress. He'll be plenty tuckered out once his therapy sessions have been completed for the day.

Wound Care

   A quick note about Bob's midline abdominal wound: it's healing wonderfully already! They removed the vacuum dressing this morning at the hospital, packed him with a wet-to-dry dressing for the trip, then reapplied a new vacuum sponge when he got to Sea Pines. The vacuum pump is now portable and can move with Bob from his room, to the wheelchair, and to the therapy rooms. The wound nurse estimated it will be an 8 - 12 week recovery time for a complete closure. 

   Here's the latest measurements:

   *Dressing change #1 (11/29, Wed): 21cm(8.5") long x 7.9cm(3") wide x 4cm(1.5") deep 
   *Dressing change #2 (12/1, Fri): 20.5cm long x 7.6cm wide x 3.8cm deep

   *Dressing change #3 (12/4, Mon): 20.5cm long x 7.4cm wide x 2cm deep

   *Dressing change #4 (12/6, Wed): not measured

   *Dressing change #5 (12/7, Thur): 20.5cm long x 7.2cm wide x 1.7cm deep

The portable wound-vac negative-pressure pump.

Thank you - from Me 
   Tonight I realized I am utterly exhausted. I went home this afternoon to get Bob his clothes for therapy, his phone and headphone chargers, toiletries, etc, and on my way back up to Sea Pines, I realized I've been running on adrenaline for over two weeks straight. From home, I woke up twice each night (midnight and 4am) to call the hospital and check on him. I stayed with him until 9 each night (many times later) and was back with him again between 7-8 each morning. I was constantly watching, asking questions, intervening when necessary, assisting, helping, communicating, coordinating, researching, working with care plans and social workers and insurance reps. Blogging was a release for me, helping me to realize all that's happened and allowing me to share my worries and my celebrations. I'll keep blogging until Bob's back to a regular daily routine; until then, I'll continue to update his progress. It's good for him to see and it's good for me to know he just keeps moving forward.
   I need to thank everyone, for everything. For your prayers, good vibes, tribal dances and any other method of choice that you've used to ask the universe to bless us. For your support, words of encouragement, kind cards, thoughtful emails and text messages. For the wonderfully delicious meals that have given me the freedom to never worry about dinner each night or lunch the next day. For the flowers, balloons, gift certificates and chocolate covered fruit! For your help with our house, our yard, our pool, our pets and anything else anyone has done for us. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our lives that truly care about us and have supported us like this. Thank you!