Sharon's health (Stan's Facebook updates)

[Steve Hubbell]

11 minutes ago
Sharon was able to sit up at the edge of her bed for 15 minutes today, with the help of physical therapists who helped her balance but did not support. She also stood up for a minute, again with the help of PTs. I got to give her a hug when she was standing. The first time in more than 3 weeks.

7 minutes ago
I also penciled an entire page this morning.

[plasticplayhouse]

thanks for the updates steve! its good to hear that sharon is doing a little better. i wish i could have met stan while he was in boston, but i had to attend a family event in NJ. oh well...one of these days.

[Steve Hubbell]

7 hours ago
Sharon is improving nicely, and her doctor feels she will be able to move out of the Intensive Care ward soon and into a regular room. Sharon sat up on the edge of the bed for 7 minutes, though it really tired her out.

[Steve Hubbell]

51 minutes ago
Sharon was moved out of ICU last night, and is in a regular hospital room.

[Steve Hubbell]

7 hours ago
With the help of physical therapists, Sharon was able to stand, though a bit unsteadily. She was also able to shuffle a few steps with their help and a walker. Lying 26 days in a hospital bed has really atrophied her muscles. Sharon took a few swallow tests, where she would swallow some blue dye so they can see if any goes in her lungs. Unfortunately, some did go in, meaning she is not ready for solid food. She has been practicing swallowing all day.
Good news is that she is breathing on her own during the days.



Here is the view from her new room.

More good news!

[Steve Hubbell]

Sunday
Sharon's numbers are fine, but that spark was missing today. She just seemed listless, and not herself. When the nurse asked if she wanted to be repositioned on the bed, Sharon made an expressions and gesture that indicated, "It doesn't matter." When asked, "Are you feeling good today?" Same expression/gesture. We alerted the nurse and head nurse about this. I hope Sharon is over it soon. Today marks 4 weeks since she was admitted into the hospital.

Sunday at 9:32pm
Thank you, everybody. Sharon's sister, Lorraine, went back to Hawaii this evening. She was up here for 3 weeks, and was a tremendous help and support. I don't think it was a case of Sharon missing her, though. I took Lorraine to the airport directly after visiting Sharon.

Sunday at 11:13pm
We were supposed to have left on our 18 day European vacation today. Of course, I cancelled it soon after she was admitted into ICU.

Monday at 12:56pm
She is out of ICU, but she is still in isolation so cannot go out. Friends have to wear hospital gown and gloves when visiting. I can't draw with those gloves on because they really smear the pencils, otherwise I could work in her room. The results for the TB tests came out negative, as everybody knew they would, so at least we don't have to wear those masks anymore. She did have laughs yesterday--or rather smiles. She cannot laugh with a trach tube in her neck. I showed her some family movies on my iPad.

Monday
The occupational therapist worked on Sharon's arms this morning, having her stretch giant rubber bands. The physical therapist came by this afternoon, and had her sit on the side of the bed then stand with a walker. They will have her sit in a regular chair tomorrow.

The spark, she was lacking yesterday, is still not back. I'm hoping it's because she is just tired out.

Monday at 11:33pm
Rod--They do allow people to sleep over in the patient's room. There is a lounge chair that converts into a comfy bed, and nurses will bring blankets and a pillow. Hannah has slept over, and so has sister Lorraine, and friend Doreen.

Yesterday at 8:01am
She gets at least one visit from a church member each day. Yesterday it was an elder, the day before a former elder and a member. Our pastor and former pastor have visited many times.

14 hours ago
Sharon sat in a chair today--a regular chair, not a cardiac chair--for more than 2 hours. Her chest infection has cleared up, and her intestinal infection (caused by the antibiotics for the chest infection) seems to have cleared as well. They are going to release her to a convalescent facility soon. Not many places will accept a patient with a tracheotomy tube, so our choices are very limited. Going from a brightly lit private room with a great view to having two room mates and a view of the parking lot will be a definite step down. She will have to have one more procedure. We don't yet know if this will be before or after her discharge from the hospital.

2 hours ago
When I was going to high school in Honolulu I was a volunteer at the Hawaii School for Deaf and Blind near where I lived. Sharon joined me in college, so we both picked up some American Sign Language. We're not conversant in it and we hadn't used it in awhile, but we still know the alphabet and some short cuts if used slowly.

When Sharon was first admitted into Intensive Care--this was more t...han 4 weeks ago--she could not write or speak (she still can't talk)--so she used sign language. One of the toughest moments for me was when she signed, "I'm sorry." She blamed herself for being in the hospital, and felt so guilty about what everyone was being put through. I had to reassure her that it is not her fault. She never said it again, though.

[Steve Hubbell]

about an hour ago
Sharon was discharged from the hospital today, and is in a convalescent facility. She shares her room with two other women, but she has the window bed with a magnificent view of the the little driveway and the wall 15 feet away. We have no idea how long she will have to be there. She still has the trach tube in her throat. She also has to undergo a lot of physical and occupational therapy after lying in bed for more than 4 weeks.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind thoughts.

about an hour ago
I got to ride in the ambulance with Sharon to the convalescent facility. The downside was that I had to walk back to the hospital where I parked my car.

[Steve Hubbell]

Thursday
Her spark is back! Sharon had a pretty good day. Her smile is back, and so is the twinkle in her eye. However, she did slide downhill towards late afternoon with the direct sunlight hitting the window even with the blinds closed. They upped the air conditioner for her and gave her some ice.


I did get some work done when she slept.

15 hours ago
Sharon had a pretty good day in the convalescent facility. She took a nap in the afternoon, and when he woke up she said she dreamed she was cooking Spam. If that's not improvement I don't know what is.

15 hours ago
Sharon still cannot eat food through her mouth. She is unable to swallow.

Here a page I pencilled while she slept.

59 minutes ago
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I did some marketing this morning, and fresh corn is on sale at Sprouts. I made 6 quarts of the best corn chowder ever. Okay, I used non-fat milk instead of cream, but I did use more than a half pound of bacon and 8 ears of corn. Still, 6 quarts is going to last me a long time.

[plasticplayhouse]

its refreshing to hear that she has gotten her spark back! love seeing the usagi sketches too.

[Amy]

Hello! I'm just terrible with these forums; I couldn't find the right place to post Birthday wishes all. Still, I saw some mention of it here, and wanted to express my happiness at hearing Sharon is doing so well in her recovery too!

I'd also like to hear more about the birthday watermelon!

But who am I to make demands? Best wishes for you both, birthday and always^_^ God bless you!

[Thomas Froehling]

Hello again,
I've been off the forum for a while; just wanted to say happy birthday to Sensei, when I found this thread....

I've got to say, I was a bit shocked to hear about Sharon's crisis, but I'm glad to hear her condition improves.

My best wishes for both of you; hoping to hear more good news in the future.

Sincerely,

Thomas

[Steve Hubbell]

Saturday

Sharon had a pretty good day. She had physical therapy in the morning, and occupational therapy in the afternoon. They will increase it as she gets stronger. As it is,her blood pressure rose dramatically during the afternoon session.

I did not get a birthday cake for myself, but I did buy a birthday watermelon this morning. My niece is staying a few days and i made salmon with rosemary and crispy skin for dinner.

Sunday

Blueberries are on sale at Smart & Final--$4 for a pound--so I made blueberry muffins this morning for my niece and me. I put a ridiculous amount of berries in it, but it sure is good.

Sunday at 12:10pm

I thought of Casino when I was making them. Mine don't all have the same amount of blueberries in each one, but still there's a lot.

Sunday at 12:22pm

I used to make a blueberry sour cream ice cream that was delicious. I also made it with fresh peaches, that was even better.

Sunday at 12:26pm

I used the old fashioned method of putting it in the freezer, and beating it up every so often. It did work pretty good in that it had a nice silky texture. It takes much longer than with an ice cream maker and you've got to remember to keep churning it with a beater so it doesn't get too solid.

Sunday at 1:00pm

Lemon zest is a great idea! And we even have a lemon tree.

Sunday at 1:13pm

Todd--The internet is a good place to start. I like sites like America's Test Kitchen, such as for yesterday's corn chowda recipe. I also get recipes from friends. Sharon used to collect cook books, so we get a lot of ideas from them as well.

Yesterday at 12:56am

Mmmmmmm... blueberry pancakes.

[Steve Hubbell]

14 hours ago

I went hiking up the Mt Wilson Trail, the first time since Sharon was hospitalized more than 5 weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly your body gets out of shape. I was about a mile and a half up, when I received a phone call from the convalescent facility. Sharon had complained about chest pains, and was rushed back to the hospital.



Please continue to keep her in your prayers and thoughts.

Thank you.

12 hours ago

Sharon is in emergency, under observation. The pains in her chest may have been caused by fluid in her chest.

7 hours ago

Sharon is back in telemetry, where she was last week. She is right next to her old room. We don't know how long she will be here. She liked her room and bed at the convalescent facility. I hope there is still space for her when she is released from the hospital.

about an hour ago

Things we did today.

I already posted my pic of hiking the Wilson Trail when I got the call from the convalescent facility that Sharon was rushed back to the hospital because of chest pains. The pains were probably caused by fluid in her chest.



Here's a pic of penciling page 21 in the ER. I'm used to drawing at all kinds of places--hotels, cons, planes, airports--but an Emergency Room is new.



Then there is an ultra sound machine. They brought it in to check out Sharon's lungs. They did not use this one, though. They brought in another one with a bigger screen, because bigger is better.



Here's also a view from Sharon's new hospital room in Telemetry. If you compare it to her view from last week, it's very similar because it's right next door.

[plasticplayhouse]

thanks again for providing the updates steve! i dont facebook so this is very helpful

[Steve Hubbell]

12 hours ago

It was a bit misty on the trail today. I actually like it because it makes things interesting, but not dangerous. The Mt Wilson Trail Run was this past Saturday, so the trail had been beautifully maintained. I've talked about some of the hiking regulars. I know some of their names, but, for the most part, I give them descriptive names--Aria Man, who sings as he walks downhill; Sombrero Man, who wears a big hat; Cute Asian Girl; Running Man; She Who Smiles; etc.

I usually see Pakistan Man as he's coming down, and I'm hiking up. He hardly ever acknowledges me, even though I always say, "Good morning." There was one time, though, when I was gone about 4 weeks on trip, that he said, "Long time." as he passed by. That made me smile all day. This morning he said, "Missed you." I said that my wife has been in the hospital for five weeks. He stopped in his tracks and asked about her. I told him the roller coaster we've been on--emergency rooms, intensive care, hospitalization, convalescent care, back to emergency and now hospitalization again. He shared that his brother has been in the hospital for awhile, and his mother has been in convalescent care for four months. He knew and approved of the hospital and convalescent facility that Sharon is in. He encouraged me to continue hiking, just for myself. "It's good therapy." Before we parted Pakistan Man, who never used to acknowledge me, gave me a hug and said he would pray for Sharon. His name is Arume (sp?).

12 hours ago
The trail had been nicely maintained for the Mt Wilson Run.

12 hours ago
This is about the 2 mile point. You can see parts of the trail below.

3 hours ago

Here's few pics from the hospital today.

3 hours ago
Sharon was taken down to get some chest x-rays, and I took this of some of the stuff in her room.

3 hours ago
I made myself a cozy little drawing nook in her room.

3 hours ago
This is as far as I got before running out of it. Usagi Yojimbo: Senso part 1 (of 5), page 2-3.