Day 16

Hello there,


Barry was transported to the Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital today and has settled in nicely. His roommate is a 30-40 something male, who cries out throughout the day, cannot get out of bed, has to be fed, and changed. I was saddened by this sight and count my blessings that Barry has made it this far.


He actually took an 1 1/2 hour nap today, which is the longest period that he has slept thus far. He still is suffering from sleep deprivation and the nurses assured me that they intended to move him to another room tomorrow; that this was the only bed available at this time. I am praying that he gets some sleep tonight as he continues to have transient thoughts and is seeing things which they believe is caused by the sleep deprivation.


He still does not have an appetite which they say is normal. It has been difficult to bring him his favorite foods as he has to remain on a very strict diet of low sodium, low fat, and low cholesteral, for the remainder of his life. For now, these restrictions also include caffeine and chocolate. For those of you wishing to bring him food, please keep this in mind and we ask that you honor our wishes as his diet is a critical component of his recovery. Also, they do not have the capacity to store patient's food, so whatever is brought in must be consumed of disposed of.


We rec'd the results of the PET/CT Scan today. The descending aorta dissection extends into his pelvis however it has not had an impact on any of his organs. Yesterday's CT Scan will serve as a baseline for them to monitor the dissection in the future. Barry will have to have CT Scans every 3 months. They will be monitoring him to see if the dissection gets larger. If it does, he will require another surgery to repair the descending aorta. For now, they feel it can be controlled by medication, diet, and exercise. Their biggest concern is keeping his blood pressure under control.


On a brighter note, he starts his physical therapy and occupational therapy tomorrow. For the next three days, they will basically be analyzing his capabilities. On Monday, his therapists will meet with his case worker to detemine their course of action. They will then contact me with further info.


The Braintree Rehab is located on Pond Street in Braintree. Visiting hours are from 12:00 -1:00, and 4:00-8:00. Barry is quite lucid however he may throw you a curve ball or two. As Brian stated in his post, "He was so good, it took me awhile to realize he wasn’t entirely with me at times." Barry's "stories" have provided us with quite a few yucks over the past few days. Be sure to ask him about Lexus of Norwood, The Birdcage, and Dr. Frank and the Asian Prostitutes!! He is now cognizant that these were in fact fabricated under sedation; however they remain very real in his mind. He, though still exhausted, remains positive and continues to amaze us every day. The road to recovery will be a long and difficult one, but we, too, remain optimistic. Until tomorrow....

Lisa and Marissa