Last night went better than our first night here. She is on more meds for pain as well as muscle relaxers, and they only had to come check her every four hours instead of every hour. The vitals machine did wake her with its beeping at 2:30 and 3:30 am, and both times she said she wanted to try to use the commode, screamed cried as we moved her on it, and then didn’t go. By 3:45, having been awake for over an hour, I was feeling pretty exasperated, but we both finally managed to fall back asleep on and off for another 3-4 hours, so we’re both feeling much less tired today. We also got her a sponge bath and a new gown this morning, so she’s feeling fresher. Dr Scoville, the neurosurgery fellow, checked in on her again this morning and doesn’t think her complaints about legs hurting are a sign of hyperesthesia because she only complains about them sometimes and tolerates blankets and some pressure on them. This is an area where her intellectual disabilities make it difficult to figure out exactly what she means by “hurting”–are her legs sore from being still, sensitive from the nerve stimulation, still feeling heavy because the anesthesia is still working its way out of her system? We will continue to monitor this, and while I’m looking forward to getting out of here and over to Shirley Ryan, I don’t want to leave before we have a handle on her pain.
She sat up to eat breakfast, rested, then sat up to watch our church service with me, rested, and sat up for lunch. The food here is pretty mediocre, but we’ve established that she likes the mac and cheese. I also found a Keurig on our floor, so I was able to heat up some water in it for slightly coffee-flavored tea.
Her buddy from horseback riding therapy gave her a care package for the hospital stay, so we pulled out some toys and played for a few minutes before she asked to lie down again and take another nap.
She wants her siblings to see that she’s going to take her afternoon nap on her tummy today! So far, it’s just been on her back and side, but I figured her incision site needed a break.
Looking great!! Praying for continued pain management and good sleep for you both!!
She certainly looks more cheerful!