May 8 is the Date

So the doctors reviewed Shirley's case today and observed the conditions of her wound during dressing change today.  They came to the conclusion that May 8 would be a good date to set for her discharge.  That will be the 60th day since her admittance for the infection and her 79th overall day in the hospital.

The date is far enough away for Shirley to process and plan for.  When it was suggested two days ago that she might be released today, I think that was too soon in many respects. Now we have time to plan how things will be in our interim situation at her brother's house.

Today we met with the Social Worker for the Rehab Unit.  She will make the arrangements for home health providers to come to the house for dressing changes for her wounds. We also learned that today is the last day for her IV antibiotics which means they will likely remove her PICC line before her release. 

Shirley continues to get stronger with her rehab.  She is climbing a couple flights of stairs; spends an hour a day in an exercise class doing resistance work with bands; and is up to 15 minutes of continuous motion on a machine that works both her legs and arms.

It's a beautiful day in Seattle and the weekend forecast is for sunny skies and temperatures near 80 degrees. I hope to get Shirley outside to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air in some of the gardens on the hospital grounds.