Healing is coming along about as well as can be expected -- Still have all the machines, although the air mister is making me quite chilly -- The suction machine is very useful! Hope I can get rid of this trach pretty soon -- Doc wants it in there in case anything goes wrong and I do see that the throat swelling is going down a lot slower than with the previous surgery, so I will continue to defer to his judgement -- Followup visit tomorrow.

Wow Pete being submissive there's one for the books. Just kidding I am glad you are listening to the doctors. I am also glad to hear you are doing ok...Getting better and stronger every day. I am just for the record proud of you. Keep up the good work and soon you will be sans trach and sans machines. You'll have to hum yourself to sleep. But this is a good thing..Take care

Must have caught him with just the right amount of meds Dianne.

Glad to hear that you are getting stronger Pete. Keep it up we really need your input here.

Patty

Nice to hear you are following doctors orders. Sounds like good progress is being made. Swelling after surgery can be expected. Unfortunately it never seems to go away as quickly as we would like. Be careful with the swelling, it can also be a signal for an infection. Glad you are seeing the doc tomorrow, they will check it out to make sure your doing ok. Hope you have a good check up.

Hows the critters? Did you replace the expired one yet?

The nurse took another six 60cc syringes of fluid out yesterday. We are watching carefully for infection, but no signs beyond the fluids.

The visiting nurse assigned to me is a good one.

I won't replace the expired critter -- Bringing a new one into the colony is really asking for new diseases and it's especially difficult when all are males -- That's why I wanted to start with four of them.

Pete

That is quite a bit of fluid! Happy to hear that you have a good visiting nurse and to know that someone is helping to look after you.

Are the critters in cages or do they have something more like a real rat home?? Just curious - I have never known anyone with rats before.

Have they said when you can get rid of the trach?

Patty

Wow 60cc....but glad to hear you seem to be doing well. Lots of people out here obviously care for you and wish you a speedy recovery! Get well
-Steve

Pete

Are you feeling ok? Good thing you like your nurse, that always makes things easier. Is that amount of fluid a normal amount?

Hope you feel better everyday.

I have no idea if it is normal, but as long as it's not infected I don't care much -- It was ten of those big syringes full so far!

Rats are in a nice, multi-level cage in my bedroom with ramps between levels,

http://www.martinscages.com/images/full/h-600hr.jpg

doing their rat stuf at all hours of day or night -- They have short sleep-awake cycles, unlike hamsters or G-pigs -- I try to keep a bunch of stuf in their cage to keep them busy, but sometimes have to weed out the noisy stuf if they start throwing it around -- It's amusing to watch them sorting out dominance difficulties -- The smallest, but most curious and pushy, rat has been licking the back of my hand which I take as a sign that it knows I am sick.

You are probably right Pete. Animals know when we are sick and they can read our emotions too. My dogs do some pretty strange stuff when I am feeling sad that makes me laugh and my female "tends" to me by licking my hands and following me everywhere when I don't feel well. The rat cage is pretty cool. I am assuming that they are not real big, only a couple of pounds each?? They must eat a lot if they are active most of the time. It would seem that they would burn a lot of calories. Do they play with special rat toys, those balls with bells made for cats or just anything??

I hope that the swelling in your leg is starting to go down and that it stays uninfected. Does your nurse come by daily? Keep resting and taking care of yourself and you will be back on your feet soon. Thinking of you.

Patty