Nikki was discharged from the hospital yesterday.

She’s home. But it hasn’t been a pleasant experience. We still can’t get her comfortable. She finally found a chair that she liked at the hospital. There was a chair with no arms that was a little too small. The pleather chair they have for family members is supposed to be the comfy chair, but that was too big for her. This one was just right. The arm rest was at a good height so she could rest her immobile appendage without too much discomfort.

Goldilocks Chair

Please note that she was using the commode only as a stool. And check out that birds nest she’s got in those golden locks from being in bed for almost a week. I’m not the best brusher, but I try. Her bed at home is not too firm and not too soft. It’s just right. And she needs the sleep.

The last couple of days have continued to be a struggle. They haven’t been able to get her pain under control, but she realizes she’s just going to have to power through it. The other pain medications that they’ve tried after the transplant and the rib removal either didn’t work or had adverse side effects. With this pain medicine regimen, she’s able to reduce some of the pain and keep her nausea at a reasonable level.

Today she commented again that she feels worse than after her transplant. Now she’s in pain, but is unable to use her arm. It stinks to be immobile and home bound. She needs help getting out of bed. Mainly because she can’t put on her sling by herself. With only one hand, it’s difficult to open any pill bottles or packaging for her abundance of medications.

She’s made steady improvements over the last few days. She was able to take a walk each day.  Before Saturday’s double feature of a pudding cup and a few tablespoons of cottage cheese, her last meal was on Monday night. Today, she was even able to eat some cherry chicken pasta salad that our friend, Julz, brought over. The inflammation in her throat is still bothering her. Remember, she had the tube down her throat for about 6 hours and that really irritated it. This was after having the invasive tube down her esophagus for a few hours for the rib removal the week before. If I barely touch it while adjusting her sling, she blurts out a quick and loud, “OW!”

Her day has consisted of lying in bed and walking to the dining room table a few times. Once we get her positioned and her elbow propped up, I make her lunch or dinner. Fortunately for me, her menu of pudding and cottage cheese is still within my culinary capabilities. Today, after turning down my offer to make oatmeal (or porridge), she even declined home made fluffy pancakes. She’s just not ready for them yet.

We’ve got to have someone with her all the time for the next few weeks. I believe we’ve got the first week covered with volunteers to Nikki Sit.  There is a possibility we may need someone to come to the house on Tuesday morning from 7:30 AM until 11:00 AM. The work will likely be pretty easy, but it’s a great setting to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. Please send a message to nikkisnewlungs@gmail.com if you have some free time to lend a helping hand.

Or, let us know if you would like to stop out for a visit in the next few weeks.

Thank you again for all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers. They certainly help.