IT'S A NEW DAY ANOTHER DAY CLOSER TO COMPLETE RECOVERY!

Nancy was sitting in her chair when we arrived a short while ago, having had another sponge bath and another hair wash which she always appreciates so much.  We spent the first little while trying to arrange things in her "cozy" little room so there is a bit more room for us to move around without compromising all the medical tubes, etc. that cannot be disconnected by accident or otherwise.  

Earlier today the Nurse removed two of the 6 tubes from her chest cavity and she is already feeling some relief from the back pain as a result.  Hopefully it won't be long before they can remove the remaining 4!  

In addition to this, Nancy has been trying to dislodge the mucus and dead tissue from the regeneration process taking place at the graft site where the new lungs were attached.  Her old cough is gone, and she is having to learn how to cough again if you can imagine that!!  You know our Nancy, she has been determined to master this since it is important for her to get the mucus and scar tissue out of the passageway in order to get the most from each breath of air possible.  So, she was thrilled to report to us that this morning she was successful in getting a good amount of it up and out.  

Overall, she looks much better this morning and says she had a pretty good night last night in spite of the interruptions for treatments.  We are all going to settle into a regular routine as we walk through the regimen of treatments that will become routine throughout her stay here.  

Ann and I continue to be amazed by the progress Nancy continues to make.  With her determination and upbeat personality she is brings smiles to all the staff who are charged with taking care of her!  I forgot to mention that her nurse in ICU didn't want her to leave and that may have been what caused the long delay in getting her up here yesterday (I'm only kidding about the last part), but this, I have discovered over all the years she's been in and out of hospitals, is a common comment by staff on her departure.  That's our Nancy, always bringing smiles to everyone whose lives she touches.  

She's well on the road to going "home" to the apartment.  The first step in the long journey towards getting her home to Olean!!  As soon as her blurred vision clears up and her concentration is back to 100 %, I know she will be able to get back to blogging again.  So I'm with you till such time as I'm not.  I have really appreciated all your positive comments about my entries and I just hope Nancy will feel the same way when she is finally able to read all of this.  I have begun to read the latest ones to her along with your comments when she is feeling well enough to appreciate them, and there are no distractions...a rare occurrence during the day!

Nancy's Dad,

Vance