Saturday, March 20

My house before concrete as being poured.

Saturday, March 20

Hello everyone, I greatly appreciate everyone who's visited, and those who have worked on my house. I am off of quarantine and welcome any more visitors. They're going to try and wean me from the vent again. Hopefully no pneumonia will happen this time. I'm waiting on my wheelchair to arrive later this week and finally get outside in some of this good weather. I'll try to update the blog more often.

Tuesday, March 16

Hello everyone, I'm here at the arbors and doing well. I've got some bug so they have me on quarantine. That doesn't mean you can come visit, I welcome all visitors. They are planning to start that waning soon. They tried but there are some complications. Half of my diaphragm is paralyzed, which means I'm running on one lung, this doesn't mean I can be weaned from the vent. It will just take some time.

Monday, March 15

I suspect that most of you reading this blog have already had a chance to get in and see Bill, but for those of you farther afield I wanted to share a brief update.

Bill is at the Arbors, a nursing home in Marietta.  He will be there for a few months while his home is renovated as well as while he gets a bit stronger and more medically stable.  It's taking some adjustment but I know that he loves being close to all of his friends and your visits mean a great deal to him.

He has been diagnosed with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) which is a bacterial infection that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics.  There is a course of treatment for MRSA and it has been started on Bill.  From what I understand, people who spend a lot of time in hospitals inevitably catch this bug.  It can be dangerous but it can also be managed and treated.  It means that he is in isolation at the Arbors; he can have visitors but they need to wear a gown, mask, and gloves.  I spoke to him briefly this afternoon and he sounded a bit worn-down and disappointed.  Who can blame him?

We also learned last week that the left side of Bill's diaphragm is paralyzed and probably has been all along.  The diaphragm is enervated at C3, 4, and 5.  The initial MRI he had showed damage to his spinal cord all the way up to C2 and I guess this is evidence of that.  His pulmonary specialist at the Shepherd Center recommended that he wait a year to see if any of that nerve function returns.  If it does not and he's still on a ventilator, he can get what is called a diaphragmatic pacemaker.  This explains a lot of his respiratory troubles: he's only running on one lung.  He can still get off the ventilator this way, but it's going to take some very hard work on his part.

Back in Marietta!

I just spoke with Dad and Bill is settled into his room at The Arbors in Marietta.  His is on the 2nd floor in room D4 and it sounds like he is ready for visitors.

Saturday, March 6

Hello everyone this is Bill. Finishing up here at Shepherd Center. I should be returning to the arbors of Marietta on Wednesday the 10th. Looking forward to being back and Marietta. I look forward to seeing my friends and family more often. I had a great visit with my cat and hoped to do it again. I will let you know what room and visiting hours are. So keep checking the blogfor another update.