..begins with sitting up. Anne reached a new physically and emotionally significant level of physical activity – she sat up on the edge of the bed! This elevation change of 24 inches has numerous positive ramifications for Anne: it helped to relieve blood-pooling in her legs and hence avoid potential blood clots, strokes etc.; it stimulated her GI track, radically changed her perspective (looking out the window vs. the ceiling), helped her feel less constrained and helpless….. Not long after sitting up, her internal systems were stimulated enough that she was allowed, for the first time since Tues. morning, to have a sip of water (vs. sucking on a damp sponge). Later in the day Anne walked a short distance.
Her new kidney continues to work in a consistent, if not spectacular fashion. I (Mark) slept in the apartment last night and it was wonderful to sleep more than 50 consecutive minutes. Logistically, and emotionally important for me, there is a Starbucks en-route from the apartment to Swedish.
Looking forward:
- Bethany will be arriving today with one of our neighbors – it will be so good to have her with us.
- Pastor from church is coming down.
- Hope to get the O.K. from doctor for Anne to begin walking around, returning to our oh-so-familiar scenario of lapping the halls of the hospital with a rolling menagerie of machines, IV drips etc. on one side of Anne; me on the other.
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