Regions Hospital

This will be short. It is being done on my phone. This entry comes from a bed in Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, though as I publish it, I have arrived home and shared a chicken pot pie Thanksgiving Dinner with Charlene.

Charlene and I were self-quarantined because we had spent a few minutes with a woman who later was diagnosed with COVID. Tuesday morning, I came down with several symptoms that could have been COVID, so Charlene called the Care Line. They said I should go to the Emergency Room. The ER very efficiently did a COVID test, a CAT scan, a chest Xray, an EKG and several other tests to conclude that I am COVID free and that I have diverticulitis. The turnaround on the COVID scan was less than two hours! The new diagnosis led to my admission and to two overnights. They wanted me to have IV antibiotics and to watch me for 24 hours after they switched to pills. That was this morning.

All that was to say that we both love Regions Hospital. I have been in hospitals in Port au Prince, Haiti; Miami, FL; Lagos, Nigeria and St Paul MN. Regions is by far the absolute best. Everyone here is very patient, very friendly, and very competent. (Though the one in Lagos did save my life.) Do not ask about the famed Jackson Memorial in Miami. Ugh! 

Charlene worked at Regions for awhile before it was bought by Health Partners. At the time it was a county hospital named Ramsey, named for the county. She worked as the unit clerk (read: the communications hub) of the X-Ray department while #2 son, Mark, ran all over the building(s) working as the local expert on their current computer system. 

We all have fond memories of Regions, formerly known as Ramsey.

 

Magalie, Day 17 Since Surgery

We are still in the hospital. Charlene was here with Magalie Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She is home now, will put Ricky on nthe plane for south Florida this afternnon then head down here. I'll go home to be with Alex tonight.

The one remaining issue here is drainage from the former lumbar drain site (in her lower back). The doc found where it was leaking this morning and put another stitch in it. She is resting now, but took three walks this morning on her own two feet. We laughed and shared sugar coated corn flakes. She waved at a nurse - a first since surgery.

These pictures are of her discovering her new face for the first time (Saturday), and her playing with her "Princess" baloon." I often introduce her as "Princess Magalie Toussaint."

Magalie, Day 13 Post Surgery, Christmas Eve

Sorry for the gap in reports. We divided our efforts in order to cover two fronts. Charlene came home for two nights to get ready for Christmas; I stayed in Rochester with Magalie. Now she is at Mayo and I am home. Matt, Alex and Ricky are playing Monopoly. We are planning dinner here tomorrow for the whole group, minus most of the kids.

Magalie's lumbar drain has been taken out and the brace is off her face. She just moved from ICU to a regular room. Progress! She seems to feel better, too. I won't have pictures until I get back to Rochester on the 26th. Sorry. She still has to stay in the hospital until the infectious disease doc takes her off the IV antibiotics. No date set yet.

Magaile Day Five

One major pre-release goal is for Magalie to eat, and we have passed that mark. The first food since Thursday. She had a softened popsicle, and some baby food bananas. She is scheduled for a CT scan and then we plan to get her into a wagon or stroller for a ride. One other concern is some clearish drainage from her nose. They are testing that now to be sure it is just nasal fluid. Nothing further on release date, except that they went from saying "Thursday or Friday" to saying "Friday or Saturday." I title this photo, "How many women does it take to feed a three year old?"

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Magalie Day Four

It has been a layed back, slow day. She is still in pain when they let the morphine expire. The morphine makes her sleepy, and she is still not eating or drinking anything. She throws up ocassionally from the drainage from her head collecting in her stomach. So the recovery is going slowly.

The good news is the swelling is going down. They are taking tape off and tubes out. She has been in Charene's lap most of the afternoon.

The docs are still unsure when she will get out of the hospital. Two things are required: that she be off the pain meds and starts eating and drinking.