So much has happened since my last post.

Within one week of being in the rehab facility Dan had pneumonia in both lungs, sepsis, and he was so dehydrated that his kidneys had started to fail. Thank God they got him to the hospital and ICU quick enough that his kidneys did not fail. He's stronger and eating again.

Here's the short story of what happened. The doctor ordered a picc line on Friday because Dan's BP was 70 and he was very lethargic. I was assured that he would be getting fluids in 4 hours. When I called four hours later I was told that he was getting fluids. When the call came Saturday morning that Dan was non-responsive I asked about the fluids. I was told he never got any because they were waiting for the x-ray team to check the line for placement. He was rushed to the hospital and the rest is history.

I had a meeting last week with Executive Director and the Director of Nursing at the rehab facility and told them how serious Dan's health was. They were very apologetic, blah, blah, blah. They assured me that they would investigate. I got a call from the Director of Nursing the next day and she said, and I quote her, that "...it was just one big screw up". Ends up that the line that was inserted was not a picc line it was a mid line and they don't need an x-ray for placement. She further told me that the x-ray team was in the building at 6:00am that Saturday. She also said that Dan's BP was so low that he should have been sent to ER Friday afternoon. I don't blame them for the pneumonia or the sepsis, but it his dehydration was definitely their fault. So, my rehab of choice has now been reported to the State of Indiana Board of Health. It will take 4 to 6 weeks, possibly more, to get the results of the investigation.

Now all we can do is move forward, one day at a time. Dan's ileostomy (removal of entire colon) is scheduled for this Tuesday, March 22. He's so frail that there's great concern that he will survive the surgery. We're both very scared. He's very scared, but he's finally accepting that the surgery is necessary. I keep telling him that it's going to go well, he has a great surgeon. We had a conversation with the Resident surgeon yesterday. The Resident and I both got a chuckle because one of Dan's big concerns was what kind of music will be playing when he goes into surgery. He doesn't want to hear any Kenny G music. He still makes me laugh.

I'm so exhausted and I know the next few weeks will be very stressful and tiring. I took a day today for myself. I met a friend for lunch and I plan on a very restful evening. I even decided that I would stay home tomorrow. Maybe I'll go to a movie tomorrow afternoon. I don't know what I'm doing, but it is my day and I'm going to enjoy it.