Update from the VA Hospital

Bonnie brought her laptop in, so I’m able to do some email and send this. I don’t have the time here to do the blog, and her computer programs are so updated I can’t find a lot of the features I use on Word 03 to do it, so there will be no political news blog until (hopefully) I get home. I’ll read personal messages, delete the political, jokes, cute kittens etc.

As some of you know from Bonnie, my oxygen de-saturated at the 4^th of July Parade in Columbus, going from 6 LPM to 15 LPM to stay above the 90% safe level. Been a rough week. I was on 2 LPM for activity before the bronchoscopy last Monday.

They did a chest x-ray and a CT scan and have not found the suspected infection of pneumonia that de-satted me the last three times I came in. They are running the three antibiotic IVs drips as a precaution anyway, so one or two are pretty much running at all times. They think it is the debris stirred up, the collapse and the mucus build-up in the lower lobe. Hard to say if this is good or bad, but hopefully means I won’t wind up on a breathing tube this time—we will see.

Didn’t sleep well last night. I have 9-10 wires and tubes tied to me, hospital personnel doing this and that, lots of bruises on my arms from blood draws, IVs, failed attempts, etc. and they take a toll. Plus my prostate was getting me up every 15 minutes to an hour. In the update I sent last time to my health list, I wrote I had “benign prostatitis.” Unfortunately, I misspelled it and the darn spell check changed it to “benign prostitutes.” Hope those who got it enjoyed the chuckle. With my blurry vision from the cataracts, I thought it was okay.

This is my fourth admission since March. I was in for a total of 31 days in four months. We will see this time.

Last Tuesday night, I was deeply asleep and dreaming. I guess I had to make a head call, sat up still asleep and pitched forward onto the floor. I was still dreaming when Bonnie picked me up. Thought the only damage was a bruise on my arm, but the RT last night said there is a note in my chest x-ray that I have a cracked rib. Last time that happened it was in a Karate Tournament when I was in the Senate.

I and everyone on my healthcare team are still determined to fight on. But we are aware that each time I go down I seem to go farther, and when I rally I don’t seem to come back as far. I have made worst-case plans with Bonnie so things are in order for her as best I can set them, but we are still working and fighting for the best case outcome. Your support, good wishes and prayers have sustained me so far. I think without them I’d have died on Memorial Day. And without the lung, I’d have been dead by April. So I’m playing with House Money. And I’m aware of the blessed life I have had compared to the vast majority of people in the world. There are so many people so much worse off than I am, that I have no right or inclination to complain.

And my sense of humor sustains me as well. Last night, Bonnie told the nurse, Janet, that her phone number was on the white board. “If you want to have some fun, Janet,” I said, “Call her later and when she answers, ask, ‘Is this Widow Hall?’” Neither of them thought it was that funny. Well, all my jokes can’t be winners.

Thanks for being there.

Semper Fidelis. ~Bob