I once again went to work this morning, but as Heather was going to the gym for some rehab in order to try and get her to stand and walk again, I asked my boss if I could leave after a meeting I had this morning.
At 10:50am, Heather’s parents arrived and Heather was almost immediately taken to the gym for her rehab. Damn!! They started before I could get there.
I managed to arrive at 11:45am and found a parking space in the busy car park. When I got up to the ward, Heather was back from the gym and sitting in her large blue chair. She told us that she had tried walking and had managed to walk for a short distance unaided. Again, great news. She was looking a little tired and kept leaning forward in the chair (much to her Dad’s disdain and kept reminding her to sit up straight).
Her parents left about 12:30pm as lunch arrived. It was a rather unappealing pork crumble but Heather managed it along with dessert. After she had lunch, I took a lunch break too, while Heather read the paper.
In the afternoon, we were visited by a student dietician who told us that Heather wasn’t eating enough and was there anything they could do to help her eat more. I found the list of Heather’s likes and dislikes and gave it to the dietician. After she had established that Heather would prefer scrambled eggs for breakfast and something other than sandwiches for supper, the dietician made arrangements for the breakfast to get sorted out and for Heather to have something like a muffin in the afternoon. At the moment, it doesn’t matter what she eats. They just want to get calories into her.
Just after the dietician left, the tea trolley came round. Heather had her usual lemon tea (which as usual she left until it got cold and she never did drink it).
By mid-afternoon, Heather was getting very tired and wanted to get back into bed. During the transfer process, her catheter came out and it was decided to remove it for good. This means that for the first time in weeks, Heather is no longer connected to anything. She then slept for the next two hours. As I had an early start this morning and it was a warm, sunny afternoon, I dropped off for a little while as well.
Supper came about 5:30pm, but Heather was still in the land of nod. Her friend from work, Sam, visited at 5:50pm bringing with her “DD” (Donkey Dragon from Shrek – must be a work thing), but Heather was pleased to see her. She stayed and chatted about various subjects (not restricted to work) over the course of an hour and a half. Her main concern was to get Heather better again. I managed to enlist her into my “Get Heather to Eat” campaign and we did get Heather to eat some ice cream as least. The rather unappealing ham sandwiches went untouched. Somehow, I think some trips to the League of Friends Shop for muffins and carrot cake may be needed this weekend.
As Heather was completely worn out, Sam and I wished her a goodnight and left. As I did with Chippy and Sam yesterday, we discussed Heather’s continuing improvements as we walked back to our cars. Sam has even offered to help clear up the house prior to Heather’s return, whenever it may be.
So many people have offered us help for when she comes back to reality. We are very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family and I thank them all for everything they’ve done over the past four weeks. I know it hasn’t been easy on any of us, but I’m glad you’ve all been here for Heather and for me as well. Believe me, I’ve had a difficult time (as we all have) over the past few weeks, but my sanity and general health has been kept in check by everyone around me. I can’t thank you all enough for your help, generosity and love. Once Heather is strong enough, we’ll have a big party, not just as a welcome home for Heather, but also as a thank you for everyone’s kindness.
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