Doug was in good spirits this morning; he had a better night. He still tires easily and is sleepy (latter due to meds) but he is getting more walks in and the numbers on the spirometer continue to improve. His oxygen is back up to normal but the red cells are still a bit low so he’ll get a script for iron for about a month.
The pharmacist dropped by to discuss the meds Doug’s been on and the side effects etc.
The cardio rehab nurse met with us and she said Doug is doing great on the walking, including resting when needed and she took him to the stairs to work on that. We discussed getting in and out of the RV and Fran will get some of our leveling blocks to make a lower step to assist with getting both in the truck and into the coach.
Dr. Dewan’s nurse came by and told us Doug could be discharged today and the papers would be prepared. Turns out that can take around two hours!
Doug’s nurse that day was Brooke, and she came by with all the complete paperwork, went through the medications and their dosages and while Fran went to get the rig, Doug was walked downstairs and met me in front.
We had been invited to stay with a coworker of Doug’s who had recently moved to Austin but it turned out there was nowhere for us to park, even within a wider radius so we had to pass on that option and went to a hotel. We’ll do hotels for several days until we feel the RV will work for us. Doug does not find it difficult to get in and out right now but it will be more comfortable during the day and more spacious for a little while.
Thanks everyone for your ongoing support, thoughts and prayers. We both appreciated knowing you were all out there thinking of us.
After meeting with the cardiologist and the surgeon next month (April 7 and 20th), we’ll have a better idea of when we can get moving again. We will be putting off heading south of the border until the fall for now. We are hoping to fly to BC in late June and Toronto in July to see our families (somewhere we need to fit in Serena too – she’s off to Alaska again in May). So assuming we can hit the road by end of April, we plan to visit four of the six remaining states we have not been to (and a park or two of course!). They are Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.
We will continue to post here but no longer on a daily basis, just as things/changes happen.
Thanks again, everyone.