Good Momentum Forward

I left Kathy today in the chair and out of the bed. The chair is like a big lazy boy but with a decidedly medical look to it. Just before I left the respiratory people were there to do a vital capacity test. This shows how much lung capacity Kathy has. She scored a 1.5 on this. For comparison sake, I was told that someone built like me and in decent condition should score a 4.0. The 1.5 that Kathy scored is much better than the last number she score before going on the ventilator. Also, the ventilator was rolled out of the room today and that was a really good feeling.

After the respiratory therapist came the speech therapist came back and did a swallow test. This also went well, but there was some concern about this since Kathy has a bad cough from the pneumonia. There was some confusion as to whether the cough was just from pneumonia or the swallowing contributed. For now there will be no solid foods or drinks. This should change tomorrow. I know Kathy was dissappointed about this since she asked for a warm tea or ginger ale. Instead of tea or ginger ale the ice chips were a huge thing all day long.

At 1:00 pm Colleen (Kathy's sister) and I traveled to West Orange to tour the Kessler Rehab Hospital. This was the second facility I have toured in the past week. The first facility was good, but seemed much more geared toward the rehab of broken hibs and mobility type problems. I did not feel that they were truly equipped for the challenge of returning someone like Kathy to her previous physical capabilities. I learned that Kessler has been exclusively rehabing spinal injuries for a very long time and GBS is one of their specialities. I had discussed Kessler with Kathy a couple times over the past few days and she was very receptive to the idea. I have also received many very thoughtful emails prompting me to make absolutely certain that Kathy is getting the best care, best rehab, and that we are both 100% comfortable with the facility that we choose. This has been weighing on me very heavily for the past week.

During our visit to Kessler, it did not take long for me to realize that this is where Kathy needs to go next. The patient population is young, there is another GBS patient currently being admitted for treatment there and all of Kathy's rehab needs are met by a team that resides directly on her floor. She will have access to the entire team at almost any time she needs them. The team consists of a case manager, RN, PT, OT, Speech therapist, Psychology, Neurology, and her Physiatrist. The entire facility is well lit, clean and everyone (patients and staff) were moving with purpose (I like movement with purpose). Choosing Kessler became an easy decision and ultimately Kathy will be transported to this new facility either monday or tuesday of next week. Until then she will remain in Ocean Medical's CCU. Once at Kessler weekly goals will be set primarily by her therapy team and then re-evaluated and adjusted every week. Weekly goals are driven by the primary goal of leaving the facility as quickly as possible with the ability to resume a normal active life.

Seeing the facility helped put Kathy's illness into perspective for me. As of today Kathy is partially paralyzed. However, she is regaining strength and will continue to do so until she is fully recovered. I have the utmost confidence in her focus and motivation to do this. Reality is that she will need to take small steps to get there and getting there will likely take a long time. Kathy will need every tool possible to make that process smoother and faster. I am looking forward to supporting my partner through this next phase.