I haven't updated the blog for a couple of days, so this is a little longer than usual...
Glen has been home for two days now. It is always an adjustment transitioning from the hospital to home after such a major surgery. However, it is nice just to be at this next stage of the recovery. We thank God he actually has reached this phase!
Starting early Monday morning, the poking & prodding; the waiting & preparing to be discharged in the afternoon; the drive from Nashville to McMinnville; the unloading and transitioning into the house; the delivery of equipment and supplies; and later the two hour home health visit to establish Glen's baseline and make sure Peggy [and Jennifer] know how to properly care for Glen; Glen was once again VERY TIRED and UNCOMFORTABLE. We had hoped he would sleep well the first night at home. He gets a special formula through his feeding tube for 14 hours continuously at night [approx 6 pm - 8 am] and he has to maintain at least a 30 degree upright position throughout the process. So the first night, he chose to sleep in the living room in a recliner. Unfortunately, he was never able to get comfortable and had to make frequent visits to the bath room. As a result, he was even more tired by Tuesday morning.
During the day on Tuesday, he never got any quality rest. He tried a bed with a pillow wedge, but that was even more uncomfortable. However, on a positive note, he drank some liquids and nervously swallowed some medicine in pill form [the first time with a spoonful of applesauce and subsequently with just water...which was a big deal since he hadn't swallowed anything thicker than water since the surgery]. He was also able to step outside for a few minutes and breathe some fresh spring air. But for Glen, probably the best thing was that he finally got a BANANA flavored popsicle.
By Tuesday evening he was EXHAUSTED. His calves and feet were swelling and his breathing was more labored more frequently.
Thankfully, Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, he finally got some much needed rest. Jennifer said he even slept continuously for 4 hours at one point and got quality sleep in shorter intervals for the rest of the night. With the much needed rest, his Wednesday was much better.
I drove to McMinnville this morning after taking Courtney to school to help Jennifer pickup a hospital bed and set it up in the living room. Our hope is that this will provide more quality resting periods. While I was there, Glen was able to go for a walk in his driveway and yard and sat outside in a lawn chair while we rearranged furniture.
Glen alternated between the recliner and the bed throughout the afternoon. They are still trying to address the swelling in his calves and feet. Jennifer said Glen is sleeping well now and hopes that he will have a good night.
This will be the 4th night in a row that Jennifer has stayed in the room with Glen during the night. She has also helped Peggy and Glen during the days and ran errands for them. She will be there through Thursday afternoon, but will be returning to Hermitage in the evening [looking forward to hugs from Courtney & Kelsey]. However, this means that it will be just Peggy and Glen by themselves for the first time since the surgery [at least for Thursday night]. It is their choice. It is our prayer that they feel God with them, to provide them rest, remove as many obstacles during the recovery as possible and know they have a strong support system ready whenever needed.
Thank you so very much for continued prayer support. We definitely have felt it throughout the last few weeks.
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