Wednesday, May 29, 2013

ROUNDING THIRD BASE TO HOME
Colleen's hospitals have an undeniable thing in common--they are reluctant to let her go. Time and again, just when she thinks she's out, "they pull me back in." Johns Hopkins, where she's practically got a time-share, invariably says, "One more day, Colleen, just one more day" or "Maybe tomorrow, Colleen, maybe tomorrow." Somers Point, her local hospital, kept her an extra night in early April. Inspira, the Vineland, New Jersey hospital where she just spent the past weekend, also kept Colleen for a second night. And now, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Vineland, is vacillating about whether to release Colleen tomorrow or Friday. The MD's get nervous. 

Hopkins doctors are simply working within their hospital's code to release no one until the patient is as strong as she can be. Hopkins will stop at nothing to ensure that. 


The other hospital doctors Colleen has encountered over time, however, drop their medical jaws when she appears on their watch. Not exactly the effect one wants to inspire in a physician on-call. In short, the exquisite and diabolical intricacy of Colleen's scleroderma blows them away. With each new non-Hopkins  doctor, Colleen must give him or her the lay of the land, so to speak. Inside, she might roll her eyes, but outwardly models patience as she educates them about her disease.


All of this is to say, again, that Colleen is on standby for the rehab's decision to release her either late tomorrow afternoon or early Friday. Stay tuned. She's been away from home for three weeks, ever since we left together for Baltimore on May 9.



Voici le maison de Colleen:




10 Village Drive









          
          Colleen's backyard
          deck, source of
          many happy hours





               

 Photographs by Leslie
                Birdfeeder, behind & to the left of
                of the white rattan chair, filled
                by Camille for Colleen's homecomin


1 comment:

  1. Camille filled the birdfeeder I just provided the flowers :)

    ReplyDelete