May 4, 2016
Den woke me up to help him get to the commode at 2AM. He is really moving better and better every day. He still has to be reminded not to use his arms, but I know it is just time and practice.
Den asked for scrambled eggs and yogurt for breakfast. He ate everything! WOW! His blood sugar is still a little wonky. This morning it was 185 and he was given 3 units of insulin. He also got his morning meds….Lexapro, Magnesium, Aspirin, Lisinopril, and his mouth washes.
Physical Therapy came to get Den moving early. He changed over to his batteries without incident. He walked, with assistance to the nurse’s station and back and did 10 sit/stands. His walking is greatly improved over the other day and he is standing more upright on his own without being reminded.
At 10:30AM, the doctors came in. They said that everything was going very well. And Den would be transferred to RIC as soon as a bed was available. (It was sooner that I thought it would happen.) Someone from the team would be in today to help adjust all of the equipment to fit Den’s body (all the straps and the vest).
Den’s blood sugar was still high at lunch…202. He asked if he could have scrambled eggs again with some chocolate milk. He ate it all. The nurse came in after Den finished eating and gave him 3 units of insulin. She also told us that transport to RIC had been scheduled for 2:30PM. So Den could put on his own clothes and relax until the transport arrived. I packed up everything and started moving boxes and bags to the car. I wanted to ride in the ambulance with Den, but then I would have to take a cab back to the hospital to get the car. So we decided that I would drive over and meet him in the lobby.
Transport arrived right on time….2:30PM! 
(To this day, Den hates this picture, but he is not writing this story. I am, so I get to add what I want.)
I left the hospital and headed for RIC as soon as Den and the paramedics were in the elevator. I parked at RIC and headed inside. The security guard told me that I had beat the ambulance there and showed me where to wait for them to arrive. It must have been 20 minutes before they arrived….it seemed like an eternity. The look on Den’s face when I saw him told me that the ride had not been fun. He can tell you that story himself, since I was not there!
(OK…this is Den….it’s my turn. Having been an EMT for the Fire department I was quite familiar with Ambulances. The day/hour for my move to the RIC had arrived. I was glad to be out of there. Even though they were my angels of help, I wanted out of the Hospital. Not angry with the service or help of all involved in my getting medical assistance but my eagerness to move was over bearing. From the moment of the ambulance crew arrival, I felt rescued. “Lets get the show on the road” were my thoughts. Getting on the gurney was my method of escape. Wrapped up in sheets like a papoose I was on my way. “YAHOO” but like the old saying goes,”careful what you wish for”, and boy was this accurate. The ambulance was a bare bones rig. The gurney was hooked in and at that moment i realized I was lying ‘over’ the center bar support in the gurney.”Oh this won’t bother me”. BULL —- One city block into my trip I was in agony. I tried to shift my body weight and the attendant stopped me, “don’t move around” was the comment. OK for that, but as the trip continued, we managed to hit ‘EVERY’ bump, crack and patch in the Outer Drive. It wasn’t the ambulance crew’s fault, but I will always vote for road taxes from now on. Well now I was at the RIC. “Thank the Lord” I was now in the capable hands of the RIC staff.)
We all went up to Den’s room…620. It was a corner room with a beautiful view of the Lake Michigan. It was a flurry of activity with check in. The nurses did all Den’s vitals and checked over his body for any open sores. Dr. Rydberg was Den’s primary physician for his stay. I liked her immediately. She went over what RIC was about with me while the nurses did their thing. Den would have therapy everyday for 3-4 hours. Therapy included, Speech, Physical and Occupational. Den asked about going to his granddaughter’s First Communion. Dr. Rydberg said it was not likely since it was in 2 weeks and the LVAD team would need to do education and training before Den could leave the facility for any length of time. Den signed a DNR order to be on file for his stay.
Before I left, Den asked me to bring him a few things when I came back in a few days. I was working the next 3 days and would not be back until Sunday. Besides, I knew that Den would be very busy with evaluations tomorrow and therapy after that.
Before I left, Den got dinner…I don’t remember what it was, but I know he ate most of it. He ordered scrambled eggs and juice for the next morning. I said good night to Den around 7PM. As I was leaving, I introduced myself to the night nurses and the floor secretaries. They are all very nice and answered any question that I asked.
Den's LVAD 