Can Do Dean

The morning was a drowsy one. Dean is trying to get his days & nights figured out. He claims he isn't sleeping at all. I'm sure there is a lot of beeping, nurses checking in, etc during the night. So, this morning he snoozed more.

His Doc came in to assess. They had done a bunch of medical tests on him yesterday and he was sharing results. Nothing too serious going on, but he is still getting treated medically due to his breathing tube, trach, swollen body, distended belly & occassional high temps. Everyone assures me that most patients due come in still on medical care. But that doesn't mean he isn't getting the rehab therapy.

Today was a crazy day once he returned from Swedish Hospital for scans & xrays. Before I even got there, and before the scans, RT had him completely off the vent. Like completely. She kept him there for 15 min. After he returned from the scans, she took him off again. He was completely off the vent for 4hrs & 45 min.!!! During that time, they also added a cap for his trach so he could talk. Such a happy moment for him & for me!!! Hearing himself speak, and being able to speak, was the best feeling. I may never tell Dean Vetter to "stop talking" ever again, friends. :) It was so nice to have his voice back so he could communicate, and communicate he did.

Dean was set up with wheels today. They fit him into a wheelchair and gave him an adaptive feature that allows him to reposition the chair forward and back (tilting) so he doesn't stay in the same position for hours. He sat in the chair (no driving today) for 2 hours, and learned how to use the feature.

They also brought him a shower chair and he cannot wait to use it. 2 weeks, today, without a shower. It's like his Canada fishing trips.

He was pooped by 4pm, and they put him back in bed to rest. I commented to Dean what a HUGE day he had; with so many WINS! He responded with, "I actually thought we'd do more today, but I am very happy we didn't."

There's been a few hashtags out there for Dean, and we love them! We'd love to hear/see more.

#bringiton #candodean #deandoesit #teamvetter #vettergetbetter #vettertogether