January 22

Barbara and I have had a renaissance of sorts concerning our opinions of Select Special Hospital where we currently live. Today I spent considerable time in conversation with both the woman who oversees the staff and operations, and the CEO himself. I laid all my concerns out for them, including reports I'd heard from many of you. I have been impressed by the fact that they are willing to act decisively on all of our concerns. On top of that, the woman who oversees the operation took the time not only to rectify our problems, but proceeded to do an impromptu exam of Barbara's neck and collar after some concerns I expressed about the lack of care she was receiving in that area. Turns out the lady was a former nuero-surgical nurse. What she discovered horrified us completely. It seems that Barbara has a pressure sore on the back of her head the size of a fifty cent piece. Due to its nature, it could be determined that it pre-dated her arrival at Select. I could gross you out with details, but suffice it to say, we were very angry about it. It also hurts me to know that this wound goes back to nurses who in other ways gave such superior care. So, to make a long story longer, she will need a surgical procedure to remove damaged tissue and clean the wound. It won't be major surgery, but it will mean Barbara will once again have to be sedated. So, a cardiologist will visit to clear her heart for another challenge. Originally the procedure was to be done on Tuesday, but it looks like we're talking Wednesday or later now. The good part is, this type of problem supposedly heals quickly, and it is good that it was discovered before getting even worse.

Otherwise, Barbara continues to make good progress. Her therapy people have been excellent. She had had some very good nurses and aids. She even ate "solid" food today.

Please pray for the impending surgical procedure,

Pray that her stomach and digestive system will begin to behave,

Pray that she is able to eat the amount of nutrition she needs without need for more of that nasty liquid stuff to be pumped into her stomach,

Pray that ol' Greg here will have the patience to feed her over the course of the 2 hours it presently takes her to eat her small amount of food!

As you can tell, dear ol' Greg is getting testier by the day. While it is impossible for Barbara to understand this, and despite the fact that I want to be with her, the demands of spending all this time with her are wearing me to a frazzle. I feel like I haven't had a day off in months. Here's something else that has revealed itself to me. Remember how in earlier updates I'd mentioned that I now better understand the concept of being one flesh? Well, I have been amazed at how ignorant both health care professionals and other well-meaning people can be to all the ramifications of this. You see - while Barbara definitely has the worst end of the deal, I am right there with her on the worst end! I say this not to invite you all to a pity party, but rather, to help us all better understand the role of someone who comes along beside a loved one who is hurting. I can't tell you how many people have chided me for expressing my own frustrations. They say things like, "Well, at least you don't have to put up with what she is going through." That is a very untrue and uninformed way of thinking. Those of you who have been in my shoes know exactly what I'm saying. Can I get an amen?!?! I will elaborate more on this subject in the future; perhaps I'll write a book on it. I'm not kidding about that - I truly intend to write this stuff down. It's too important to allow it to turn to vapor.

PS - In case you need further clarification, Barbara is currently at Select Specialty Hospital which is located inside St. Margaret's Hospital in Hammond.