Hospital Stay - Day 30 - More Small Steps

Jodi had a restful night's sleep and felt quite good this morning. While the headaches continue and she has to be careful not to try and do too much, she is trying to push the limits as best she can in hopes of accelerating her recovery. She has gotten up to go to the bathroom again. That's good.

She also took a bath for the first time in 30 days. Sherri had to help hold her head in the right place to keep the headache down, but Jodi loved being immersed in the warm water and really getting clean. The hardest part was actually the "ride" in a chair to and from the room where the bathtub was located. She was sitting up at an angle that spiked her headache, but as she layed back down it was tempered again. Of course, she is still on pain medication (Valium), but is taking it in pill form rather than through an IV. That's good too, because she'll need to be able to handle medications in a pill form when she returns home and it's important for her system to be able to handle it. Jodi has been off the IV completely since last night.

She's also testing the limits on what her stomach can handle without getting sick. She is still on the nausea medicine, but some things sit better on her stomach than other things. We've learned that Ensure works, as does Jamba Juice, grape juice and other juices. Solids are tougher for her to take. She's had small pieces of cheese, French bread, turkey, and mashed potatoes, but these can't be tolerated as well and so she'll take just a bite or two.

Oh, we forgot to tell you that she got her 2nd round of staples out yesterday afternoon. It only hurt when they took out the ones that had gone through her ear. Anyway, her double incision area is looking much better and isn't nearly as swollen as it once was. You can see a picture below.

Jodi enjoyed talking to her sister, Kristi, a few moments ago on the phone and wishing her a Happy Birthday. She's been enjoying the soft refrains of music in the background, complements of another angel who has reached out to her.

She's also looking forward to Tolan coming to the hospital. He had important meetings all day at O. C. Tanner and won't be able to be here until after 5:00 p.m. She's missed him. Everything is better when Tolan is here.

Right now she is resting...the jaunt to the bathroom and taking the bath tuckered her out. Maybe Tolan will be here when she awakens. That would be good too!

Jodi getting situated in a new kind of "wheel chair" that is actually one of the nurse's office chairs.

Wheeling into the bath/shower room...pretty fancy mode of transportation, don't you think?

The warm bath is awaiting, but it's quite the operation just to get there and back!

Jodi's newly washed hair and her double-cut, double-stapled incision...getting better!