Vernon is still in the hospital, though I was told he would be transferred to a less acute unit sometime today.  When they are sure things are stable, he will return to Mesa Verde, either tomorrow or Wednesday. This particular  infection and the treatment to eliminate it has truly worn him out. A week in, and he can still barely open his eyes for long. He still seems more confused than he did two weeks ago, but I’m told that this too will pass.  Both kids were out of school all last week with the ridiculous flu/cold making the rounds, and they only didn’t want to open their eyes much either.  At least Vernon isn’t complaining…can’t say as much for our dramatic 4 year old.  My brother has 4 young kids and he says they have a 75% rule: that as long as 3/4 of the 4 are happy, its a good day.  We are slowly getting back to our own 75% balance as of today.  After this week, I pronounce a personal ban on sickness in the Adams family for the rest of the year!

There have been some important perks of being at the hospital, though. One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that Vernon was able to get a Swallow Study  (or Swallow Test) —which his new Speech Therapist at Mesa Verde had suggested I order even before Vernon was sent away for treatment. This is a test that can only be done in a hospital radiology centre. In this test, the patient is asked to eat or drink small amounts of various liquids (in diferent  consistencies ) or crackers, all mixed  with or coated with a barium powder that the x-ray machine will be able to track as he swallows. Speech therapy doesn’t only have to do with words and memory but also the function of the mouth and throat. Vernon is still fed by a g-tube, though he does try some lunchtime foods on a good day. His Speech Therapist believes that with this test, she will be able to more clearly help him improve, as she will have x-rays of his throat and his ability to swallow.  He is still unable to drink un-thickened liquids and breaks into extreme coughing fits if things don’t go down well (which is frequently the case.)

The problem has been that once the swallow study was ordered, Vernon was understandably anxious about the  unknown-to-him technicians trying to put strange food into his mouth. His eyes remained closed, which didn’t help matters, but he was sure they were up to no good, and batted them away, absolutely refusing to participate. They tried several days in a row until I suggested I be there for the procedure. Perhaps having a familiar voice nearby would help calm him down.

It wasn’t a perfect test, but I think they got 3 out of 5 consistencies down the hatch and gave them something to work with.  It was not unlike my experiences earlier this very week, trying to trick Justine into getting a bit of baby-tylenol into her fevered body. Could this extreme stubbornness be genetic? Only a longtime companion or a parent can get away shoving graham crackers into a loved one’s mouth. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, as there was also a lot of bribing and reassuring involved.  I was just glad I’m an experienced mother at this point in my life or I might not have had as many tricks up my sleeve. It was nice to feel I could finally be of some help this week, rather than just sitting nearby and answering questions about his history. I got to wear a fancy radiation vest, too! Check that off the Bucket List.