Bill, Tuesday August 6

Good news: the trach was 'capped' today, and will probably be removed tomorrow.

Bad news: tomorrow's transfer to a rehab facility is not going to happen.

The rehab in North Portland looked at his file, and said with the number of acute clients they have currently, they can't take Bill's case right now. Their in-house doc would have taken him, so that was good news.

So lots of phone calls again this afternoon.  Have I mentioned it's a good thing I'm retired? But Bill's 'nurse-sister' Dianne is helping out with contacts in addition to working her full-time-plus job. Options 1 and 2: She is pursing two options, one near her work, and another to get a doctor to follow him at the previous facility that couldn't take him. Options 3 and 4: The North Portland facility that can't take him is talking with two related SNF's (Skilled Nursing Facility) in East Portland. Option 5 (fail): They gave me the name of another in southwest, but it doesn't have a contract with his insurance. Option 6 (fail): today's OT dropped a name, but it's another facility which doesn't have an in-house doctor (from their website: "...Directed by your physician, our team..."

I also have two outstanding messages to the hospital's 'rehab navigator' but I'm wondering if she's on vacation without any backup coverage.

Let me end with other good news, in addition to the trach-moving-to-removal.  Bill had speech. physical, and occupational therapies today. He's really trying to talk a lot. When PT was helping him back to bed, he was trying to tell them something. I leaned in and gradually picked up "bed ow" and "scratch" -- each time taking three attempts before I could understand -- and finally pointing and saying "back." They had laid him down on the bed controller (under a shoulder).  Yes, ow!

Although today was not the move forward we had hoped, there was still progress.

One Day At A Time.