“They say” third time is the charm, and although I’m prone to believe that the first or second time is every bit as fabulous, at this point, all my eggs are in this third basket.
It’s been a long haul, and both Rick and I are weary of the whole hospital scene; Rick certainly much more than me. Since August 12, 153 days ago, he’s spent most of 112 days as a 24/7 inpatient. In December he was transferred to a physical rehab center on a Tuesday, spent one full day there, and landed back in the hospital ICU the next day, which happened to be Christmas.
We were both hoping in September that by Christmas things would be vastly different, but you play the cards you’re dealt.
Rick tried to do the physical therapy at home, but was less than successful, and it resulted in a fall that landed him back inside OHSU after 40 days at home. He wasn’t at the rehab center long enough to do even one repetition of the exercises they planned for him.
So today at 11:30 a.m., Rick is being transferred back to the rehab center to work on his PT. His heart pump is doing very well, and he just needs to strengthen his legs so he can function at home alone, self-sufficient and ready to take on the world. (Note: I used the word “just” on purpose!)
That’s the plan, and by gosh and golly, this time we’re sticking to it!