10/16 Fri update

[Joe Haldeman]

 Mike Glicksohn came in for a visit, from Toronto.  Joe was delighted to see him.  As we arrived, the OT lady was having Joe put on his own pants and he succeeded.  Then she got him on his feet long enough to transfer to a tall wheelchair, where he sat up for over an hour.  The pulmonary doc started him on the protocol to get off the trach tube.  First, they cap it for four hours, to see if he breathes okay without any help.  He's doing fine.  Tomorrow, it's 8 hours; then 12.  If all goes well, they'll pull the tube on Tuesday or Wednesday.  He fell sound asleep after all the activity, so we went to Guy and Becca's for a quick visit.  Then came back to find him wide-awake and alert.  He'd received an Edible Arrangements bouquet that smelled wonderful, full of different kinds of fruit.  I had to get permission to give him any, but we were finally able to cut it up small & let him have some.  Strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, oh my.  He ate until he didn't want any more.  Just then his dinner arrived; he ate most of it, for the first time.  I think the fruit was an appetite stimulant.

I forgot to mention yesterday:  One doctor came in and asked who Rusty was.  Joe said he didn't know; that guy was here when he arrived.  Today the nurses thought Joe, Mike and Rusty were all related.  I think it had something to do with the gray beards.