Day 2: Cowboy Waking Up!

I'm sitting right beside Mister Rhinestone Cowboy in his teeny hospital room right now! John Paul is here, too, and our Wild Bill is doing pretty well, considering!

He is wide awake, although talking a little slowly. He still has his Demerol button and is trying not to push it, because he wants to keep his, um....digestive system...moving along.

But the result of not pushing the button is that he has to yell from pain, every so often, because he is having cramps. He told the nurse that his pain level is between 6 and 7, and they told him he wasn't pushing his button enough.

He seems satisfied with not pushing the button, though. No accounting for taste.

They moved him from his bed into a lazy-boy type recliner. Then they told him he should try to walk a few steps.

So he got very VERY bold, and decided to walk in the hall, and he went 300 feet! No one expected it, and he wore himself out, but is back in bed recovering from the walk, and the pain it stirred up.

You canNOT tell this patient what to do. He gets these ideas, and that's it!

But of course, it's amazing that he was walking when barely 24 hours ago, he was becoming chopped liver.

While I was writing this, he yelled again, and I turned around and said, "SQUEEZE YOUR PAIN BUTTON!"

He replied, "Oh, yeah."

Ummmm, I think the pain medicine is making him forget to take the pain medicine. haha

About mid-afternoon, JP and I will head back to Blowing Rock. Right now, Bill just said he wants to take a nap and that we should go down to the cafeteria. So WE know when we're being kicked out! :)

I'll post again this evening, once we get home.

In general, he looks great, his color is perfect, he's still on oxygen, but even in the time it took to type this, he's had several major pain cramps. Well, that's how it is!

Love and gratitude to every person following this and caring for my darling Bill.

Love,
Beth