Addendum: How to post

We have gotten a number of phone calls from friend eager to post on the blog but unsure as to how to go about it. Here is a quick primer, sorry to all that it took so long to think of this. It is easy once you know what you're looking for. You do not need to be a 'follower' or subscriber of the blog to post a comment, that just let's you know via email when a new post has been put up.

To post:

At the bottom of every blog post there is a 'comment' link that will most likely be blue and will have the number of comments attached to the post (i.e. 1, 2, 0 or 6 if Nancy's been there - keep it up Nancy, we love ya).

Click the link and it will take you to the page for that specific post. At the bottom of that page you will find a white box where you can type your comment. Beneath that, there is a 'Post Comment' button. Click that button and you're comment will be posted to the blog, Simple as that.

So post away.

Day 35

Today was a big day. At 11:30 in the morning Burt was taken for his second video swallow test and he partially passed. First reaction is, of course, what the hell does that mean? It means that while Burt has not been cleared for a cheeseburger, fries and a beer or even a glass of water on his own, he has been cleared to a have a drink under supervision. Tomorrow, as his speech therapist looks on and coaches him, he will have his first sips of water in five weeks. Drinking supervision will initially be in the hands of the speech therapist and then transfer to the nursing staff, as Burt gets more practiced and stronger. While a supervised drink sounds pretty odd, it’s better than no drink at all. Burt almost can’t comprehend it. Hopefully, apple juice will follow soon after with applesauce on its heels. For the moment, the feeding tube will remain in place. It will take some time for Burt to be able to take in enough nutrition by mouth to sustain himself. Everyone lift a glass to our friend the swallow function, you’re a little late to the party but we’re glad you’re here, so hang up your coat and stay awhile.

Later in the day, during his second set of therapy sessions, Burt broke his walking record twice, back to back. He and his team walked across the therapy gym and most of the length. The video of Burt standing shows how much stronger he is getting. After the walking, Randy took Burt to the bathroom to begin to show him how to navigate it safely and independently. Randy had him standing at the sink and was happily surprised by how well it went. As he said, “I didn’t think we’d do half that well.”

Afterward, Burt went back to his room to discuss plans for some changes to his bathroom with Randy and David. Burt wrote a list of the materials he will need from home to begin his preliminary designs. His distinctive block architectural handwriting in is unchanged, a welcome sight.

Then, it was back to Pati for some more standing and walking excercises before Burt was finally done for the afternoon. Burt reflected, “Here I am, at sixty-seven, learning to walk again, who would have thunk it.” As Pati tucked him back into bed, she said to him, “you’re the kind of patient we all get into this to work with.”

Burt was asked and agreed to let his physical therapists Annie and Kelly present him as a case in a symposium on physical therapy with stroke survivors because he has made such strides. The only downside for him is that they don’t need him in attendance, he was hoping for the field trip.

By the time Burt was back in bed and getting ready for his well-earned nap (lousy weather kept him from a roll outside) it was time for Leslie hit the open road. As she gave Burt a hug and kiss goodbye, Burt made sure she knew where she was going and how fast she needed to go to get there unhindered. After she left, Burt made a few phone calls to his brother Harry and his son Gregory, then took a nap for a couple of hours.

The day finished off with a little more Big Lebowski and some range of motion exercises before Burt slipped off to sleep and David headed home.

Day 34

looking smashing in Connie's sunnies

Today was a slow energy day for Burt. He didn’t get a great night’s sleep last night. Hours after being given some milk of magnesia, his stomach decided that the middle of the night was an optimal time to announce itself. He found it a little hard to get back to sleep after that. Though tired, Burt gave it his all in his therapy sessions as always, walking, stretching, and balancing. Afterwards, he crashed for a few hours.

At 5:30, Lonny came by to work with Burt. As Lonny checked his pulses and put needles in the relevant spots, he said he could feel Burt responding. Again, Lonny concentrated on general flow, the left arm and, of course, the all-important swallow. Burt had asked that his swallow test be put off for a few days so that he might have a bit more time to practice. Cross your fingers out there.

After Lonny left, Burt napped for a few hours and the Sterns decided to go get some dinner. They returned to find Burt breathing from his nebulizer and listening to Nero Wolfe. After a brief visit, Connie and Leslie headed back to home to feed the dogs while David and Burt watched a bit of the Big Lebowski in Burt’s room on his new DVD player. Burt made it through about thirty minutes before his sleeping aid was administered and he slipped off to Dreamland.

At Lonny’s suggestion, Burt is going to start a steady diet of comedy, as laughter is still often the best medicine, so suggestions are welcome. He will also be adding in favs from other genres along the way. He will be starting Arrested Development in the next few days, a bit of brilliance that he has never seen. He has also requested Dirty Harry - he calls it a comedy that didn’t intend to be.

After seeing a trailer for the new Fincher/Sorkin film The Social Network about the founding of Facebook, Burt expressed a wish to through his hat into the world of social networking with Assbook – “the place for all the assholes you don’t want to be friends with on Facebook.” Watch out Mark Zuckerberg.

As a closing note, some may have noticed that we have missed a day or two between posts in the last few days. Hopefully, this has not alarmed anyone. The reason is twofold; Burt’s bloggers want to keep the posts informative, entertaining and new. Sometimes, the days can seem a bit redundant. As Burt says, “it’s like Ground Hog Day [the movie] around here.” We don’t want to lose anyone’s interest. Also, in an effort to keep up to date with other responsibilities, the faithful bloggers have also found the need to occasionally take a night off. That being said, dear friends and readers, we will always report the best of Burt, his wisdom, bravery, determination and wit as he marches bravely down this very difficult path. So, stay with us and keep the comments and messages of love and encouragement coming.

Day 32

Burt’s bloggers apologize to all for going dark last night but exhaustion hit a peak. We’re back up and running and with a new feature… Video!

Yesterday started for Burt with his early PT and OT sessions. He had his initial class at Commode University and made sure the family knew they didn’t need to show up too early for a front row seat. Afterward Burt had his session with Mike and his magic e-stim machine. The electronic stimulator fires the muscles in Burt’s forearm in hopes of reconnecting it to his brain.

Cousin Leslie, who had flown in from San Francisco, was heading up from New York in a rental car. Like her sister Wendy, Leslie received another shitty GPS system. The Stern girls don’t have good luck with them apparently. Ms. GPS was firm in her wish for Leslie to take I-90 up to the Berkshires. Leslie, who had spent some formative years in New Jersey, was not ready to go back yet, even to pick up the interstate.  She insisted on continuing up the West Side Highway towards the Taconic. Leslie’s GPS finally got its revenge by directly her on a tour of Harlem. Connie and David received a call mid-morning from Leslie, new speeding ticket in hand (no points), letting them know that she would get there at some point but was going to be a little more assiduous about following those pesky little signs.

But everyone was in attendance later in the day for the showstopper. Burt was up on his feet and, with help from his extraordinary PT team, was taking his first steps. That’s right folks… walking. He isn’t doing it on his own and it is an exhausting process for him, but it is an incredible beginning. As Burt said, “I take a step with my right, then they schlep the left.” With each step, he was getting better. His PT team supported him from the back and front while also facilitating movement of the left foot.

First, he circumambulated a table; his hip and right hand leaned against it for support. The Sterns cheered him on. He looked over and asked, “you want to see my clog dance?” Next, Burt walked along a wall in the rehab gym, his hip against a railing, his team moving with him every step of the way. As Burt stepped along the wall, an extraordinary thing happened, Burt’s left knee kicked in and he straightened it himself. His PT Pati said, “that's it!” And his other PT Bonny responded, "he did it didn't he?" This is a vital part of the return of the walking function. Unfortunately, right after this Pati lost her contact lens and the moment was overshadowed as attention shifted to locate it. Burt, ever the gentlemen, was careful not to take another step until it had been found, he was also glad for the rest. Afterward Burt and his team ventured off the walls and walked out into the middle of the room before Burt finally took his well-earned rest. As Burt rolled back to his room, he remarked, “I’ve had my head in enough middle-aged boobs to last a lifetime.”

Later in the afternoon, Burt’s friend Lonny came by to visit. Lonny is also a world-renowned acupuncturist who had been treating Burt for a while. The Stern’s had asked around within the hospital and none of the doctors had a problem with it but weren’t sure about the liability. Lonny told David that what he done in other cases was come in as a friend and just close the door for a private visit. Burt was understandably a little wary of any alternative technique not cleared by his doctors. But Connie got it cleared by Burt’s physiatrist. Everyone still kept it quiet, just in case. Lonny spent 45 minutes with Burt and focused on general flow points as well as the left arm and his neck (for the swallow). Connie, David and Leslie waited down the hall. Lonny said that Burt was very responsive which is a great sign and shows that acupuncture might help.

Later on, as Burt rested after the long day, he reflected, “I was worried that when you guys were down the hall, and Lonny was down the hall, that some nurse would come in and find me lying here with all these nails sticking out of me and all I’d be able to do is shrug like ‘I don’t know how this happened.’”

Day 30

As rehab continues, Burt’s energy seems to increase everyday. He is more focused, concentrated, stronger, and less fatigued. Even after the day’s therapy sessions had ended, Burt didn’t seem to need the post-therapy nap and instead went for a roll outside.

Burt had heard through the grapevine about another garden option on the hospital grounds, this one supposedly had a fountain. It was decided that this would be the destination for the afternoon. Nobody seemed to know exactly where this Shangri-La was located except that it was in the general vicinity of oncology – tread lightly in those parts.

Down a hallway and up a ramp, a left at radiology (which has the nicest waiting room in the whole place), the Sterns succeeded in finding the garden of a thousand stents. It turned out to be an offshoot of a parking lot, but you can’t be too picky.

The “fountain” was a rock with water flowing over it. It was quiet idyllic save the air-conditioning unit humming away right next to it and the roundabout drop-off zone right behind - a little slice of Zen. Burt looked around and said, “It’s lovely.” Even in his diminished condition, the sarcasm in his voice was audible.

To top it off, after their sojourn in parking lot B the Sterns found themselves locked out and had to roll to new entrance. Burt said he was learning firsthand why building codes stipulated no more then a half-inch lip on any wheelchair accessible ramp or threshold.

The Stern family made it back to the rehab unit and Burt was glad to get back in bed after a long day. He was looking forward to the Yankee game but unfortunately the broadcast schedule in western Massachusetts was not on his side, high school football instead. So, Burt settled in for a bit of a Nero Wolfe audiobook, some stretching and vocal exercises  before bed. For fans of Rex Stout’s famous fat man, Burt has just begun Black Orchids. 

Day 29

One night early on in this saga, back in the ICU days, Gregory asked Burt how he was sleeping.  Burt replied, “I would do better if I had my furry little friends.”  Well today, Burt got his wish and after weeks of Brownies and Apple Cider Doughnuts for the staff, Burt’s treats finally arrived.  That’s right… Macallan and Renny, the fifth and six members of the Stern Clan invaded the ward. 

Fresh from a full trim and clean, their newly white exterior matched their adorable Westie personalities and they charmed all of the nurses and therapists in the Rehab unit.  More importantly, they gave Burt a well-earned taste of home.  While he could not roll around and play with them as he would have liked, he did get a few choice pets in and even went outside with them for a bit of fun in the sun.

The visit was also meaningful to the dogs… or so we think.  They have not seen Burt since the beginning of this event and had no idea whether they would ever see him again.  When they saw him there wagging tails could not be contained and they scurried down the hallway to him.  They were not allowed to fully jump all over him for fear of messing with his G-Tube (the thing in his stomach), but David held them up so they could get a few key licks in.

The rest of the day was filled with electrical stimulation for the left hand and more pre-walking, but for Burt, today was all about the dogs.

Day 28

What Lao-tzu neglected to mention in his pithy proverb is that the second step in the journey of a thousand miles looks much the same as the first, and by the third the resonant footfall has regained the squeak of a rubber sneaker on well-worn linoleum.

Burt was back at it today, going hard. He had his early session of physical therapy this morning followed by work with the speech therapist, who is teaching Burt to project and has given him several exercises that will help him regain control of facial muscles as well as his swallow. He is still waiting for it to return from Capistrano.

By 11:30 he returned to bed for a little rest before it all started again. In the interim, his occupational therapist, Mike, hooked him up to an electronic stimulating device the sends electric impulses through his left hand to fire the muscles. Mike left it on for about twenty minutes as Burt tried to concentrate on opening and closing his hand as the machine fired. It is always about new pathways.

By 1:00, it was time for round 2. Randy, Burt’s benevolent drill instructor came to collect him for his second time through the obstacle course. It is a pretty indescribable thing to watch an eighty year-old grandmother with a hip replacement climb a twenty-foot wall by rope under live fire.

Randy had Burt working on arm exercises and showing him how to stretch it himself. Randy referred to Burt’s arm as it, Burt said “it’s my arm.” Randy asked, “are you from New York? Are you a Yankee fan? It’s an it.” They berated each other good-naturedly for a while and had everyone around in stitches. They have made plans for a trip to the city for proper pastrami as soon as Burt’s up to it.

Next came Pati, Burt’s physical therapist, who had him up standing again, stepping again, stretching again. Even though Burt can’t see the improvements, they can. He was standing straighter, stronger, and more balanced. Bonnie, his therapist from the day before, watched for a bit, remarking that he wasn’t wavering, as he had the day before. Sometimes, you just have to trust the pros.

After the therapy was finished and a brief trip into the sunshine, Burt returned to bed and was asleep before his g-tube hit the pillow. He woke up three hours later unsure if it was morning or night and ready for a few more hours. He said a sleepy farewell to Connie and David and snored back off to ready himself for another big day tomorrow.

Day 27

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tsu

With the last of his belongings shipped to Los Angeles, Gregory’s packed his bags in the car for his flight to LA tomorrow. He had to make a 4:45 train to New York and wanted to spend as much time as he could with Burt before he left. The Stern family arrived at the hospital at about noon to find Burt waiting for his next physical and occupational therapy sessions.

The sessions are always amazing to watch. As terrifying as it is to see how quickly we can be stripped of our physical power and trapped within our own body as if it were a completely foreign entity, it is equally inspiring to see the individual spirit fight to regain control and to witness the endless skirmishes on multiple fronts that must be fought at every step of the process.

Today, Burt took his first tentative steps. He stood, hands on a table for support, bucked up by his physical therapist Bonnie. He used his left leg to carry his weight as he placed his right out in front of him and then to the side. The professionals call the exercise pre-walking, however to the newly initiated each hesitant footfall has an undeniable sound, like the resonant peal of some massive bell rippling outward. With each small movement forward and back, as confidence grows and the uncertain shuffle becomes the decisive step, hope becomes conviction in a moment of instant spiritual alchemy.

Though completely exhausted, Burt pressed on through an hour and a half of therapy that is more grueling than most us can really comprehend. When your equilibrium has deserted you and half the muscles in your body struggle to receive the messages of your brain, the simplest action becomes Herculean effort. Burt never wavered once, his voice small with fatigue, he was always ready for one more try. His eyes clear with determination, he watched himself in a full-length mirror trying to find his center since his innate sense of it has to be re-learned. He watched his left arm and his left leg being manipulated and moved, concentrating hard, trying to think the connections from the brain back into existence. For Burt, the brain we all take for granted has become a quixotic and mercurial entity, in some ways dependable, in others uncooperative or totally absent. But, always, he is looking to forge ahead, mentally hacking his way through the impenetrable grey matter undergrowth in search of new pathways.

To watch him is to be in awe of his quiet and simple determination. There is nothing brash or showy in it, but there is not an ounce of defeat either. He takes it as it comes and looks at each day and obstacle unflinchingly, ready to fight for every inch. As he said today, “this is only the beginning.” We have never been prouder of him.

Day 26

Sunday was a day of rest for Burt and so it is for his bloggers.  Burt is well and enjoyed the day chatting with his family, free from rehab or illness.  He asked us to read any blog responses he may have missed.  The more aware he is getting, the more he appreciates them.  So if you have a bit of time, please post a quick note to him.

Just to add one amusing moment before signing off — Burt had been dressed in his new, appropriately sized sweat pants when the Stern family arrived.  A few hours later, after they returned back from lunch they found him in his hospital garb again and asked why.  He replied, “They got me all dressed up for dancing … but it’s Sunday and there’s no dance today.”

Tomorrow the dance begins again.

Day 25

In keeping with the post from Day 23, this post has been guest written.  Today Burt was joined by one of his favorite adopted sons, Benjamin Posner. Ben greeted Burt with song in their classic in-joke greeting. Burt sung across the room in kind. In case any of you are worried, rest assured that Burt remembers and can recite every nickname, in-joke and old story that are cherished parts of your friendship... even the ones you wish he would have forgotten.

As you may or may not know today is Yom Kippur but instead of fasting and atoning for our sins the Sterns decided to celebrate life. They spent the afternoon with Burt and accompanied him to his physically therapy session where he repeatedly stood (with assistance) and sat down again, much like you would if you spent the day in synagogue. He was tremendous and it was very encouraging to see his progress.

After therapy the Stern gang et al took Burt outside to the courtyard for a breath of fresh air. This is the first time Burt has been outside since the stretcher wheeled him into the Berkshire Medical Center three and a half weeks ago. The day welcomed Burt with warm weather, a blue sky, and plenty of much needed sunlight. Burt quickly complained about the abundant sun and the gang moved to the shade where they could sit and chat comfortably with considerably less squinting. They talked, they laughed and there were even some family photos.

When the Sterns had their fill of the picturesque hospital courtyard and when his tailbone had enough punishment, Burt ventured back to his room. With some help from the staff Burt returned to bed for some well deserved rest. He seemed to fall into a very deep sleep and as everyone agreed, in hushed tones, how well he was doing, Burt piped in "I'm still here." More laughter, then Burt announced that he was now going to shut his eyes and rest, for real this time. Translation, "stop talking behind my back." With that, the next hour or so was spent pinning up some pictures and prints around the room so that our man would have something beautiful to see when he woke. The pictures were pasted to his left so that he could continue to focus on engaging that side of his body.

The Sterns left Burt sound asleep and immediately wished he was riding home with them.

Tomorrow the Sterns will join him again for some more therapy and laughter. They will also be bringing him better fitting sweatpants. The ones he has are "too big" and even in a hospital Burt likes to look his best.

That's all for now. Goodnight and good yontif.

Day 24

David and Gregory walked into the gym today in the early afternoon to find Burt sitting up straight with very little assistance from his drill instructor Randy. He has lost a lot of weight and wears the ordeal that his body has just experienced, but seeing him sitting straight and proud he was a portrait of perseverance and dignity. As a short man, Burt has always had perfect posture so that he could steal every last inch. In the meantime, as he works to regain his lost inches, he is making a few up, adding one or two every time someone asks his height.

While he was sitting, Burt's hand was also scotch taped to a board to keep it flat. He suggested to Randy that they look into better tape that did not tear off all of the hair on his hand. He then took a look at his son's hands and said, "don't ever go to the hospital, you won't have any fur left."

The rehab team has put a lot of energy into trying to keep his hand and arm in good condition and with as little tone as possible. The amount of tone in Burt's arm forces it into a bent position, so the more they can loosen it up, the straighter it will hang. As the rehab progresses, one of the trickiest aspects is Burt's shoulder. Because he does not have control of his left shoulder muscles, his arm hangs away from his body. This is causing sublmexation, which is a separation between his shoulder socket and muscle, which gives him some pain.

Burt said to Randy that his 'bad' shoulder hurt. Randy corrected him and said, "it's not your 'bad' side, it did not do anything to you. It is your affected side." This semantic difference seemed to resonate and for the first time Burt started to freely move his left arm with his right. It showed the glimmer of a man who will one day be able to function on his own.

Overall, Burt is learning to think about his condition and the road ahead in a very positive and realistic manner. He is taking stock of where he is and making new plans for the future. He even asked a friend to get him a 'sissy knob' which will enable him to drive a car with only one hand. It is a ways away, but at least he is thinking about it.

For those of you who are wondering, Burt debated for many hours and eventually decided to fast this Yom Kippur.

Day 23

Burt’s progress is being reported to you by a guest writer of Team Stern. He had a good day today – being evaluated by OT, PT and speech therapy. He has now been moved to a private room in the rehab unit as his visitors are not known for their ability to whisper.

Burt is speaking more clearly than he has in the past few days. The highlight of his day was learning a few exercises that will help him in his next swallow evaluation – which he is practicing diligently. The exercises produce a slow repetitive “GAH” sound that Team Stern will get used to in no time.

While he is still fairly tired, his spirits are high, and his sense of humor is more honed than ever. He was given a gift of a NY Yankees blanket that was going to be placed in his room, but being in Red Sox country, his response was, “don’t bring it… they’ll kill me.”

He is ever the gentle, kind patient, remembering every nurse’s/therapist’s name and always saying thank you after every swab and pillow fluff. He had a nice visit with an old friend, reminiscing about his 7th grade days as a trumpeter, and talking about the opera. If you have the time, drop by for a visit. Even though he usually asks everyone not to come, he is always happy when they do.

But now the strenuous work begins as he will be scheduled for physical therapy daily, and once again getting to work with his old pal Randy. His niece Wendy continued to patrol his room, raising an eyebrow to all who dared to enter, in the hopes that he could get more than 10 continuous minutes of sleep. He was especially concerned about being woken up by the “vampires” for blood draws, but said, “even vampires need a hobby.”

Day 22

After three days hanging with his homeys in the stroke unit Burt was released this afternoon and was rolled back down the hall to rehab.  He was greeted with the triumphant squeaks of old wheelchairs and thuds of clapping walkers.  Well, perhaps not, but the nurses were happy to see him and his wife that bakes and tricked out his bed just the way he likes.

The nurses put him back in his original bed next to his old roommate John.  They will probably move him to a different room tomorrow, but at least for tonight it was a nice homecoming.  Burt’s mood and energy were good today.  The much-needed pint of blood seems to have given him a boost and also his stomach feels a little better.

Connie and Wendy kept a close watch on Burt, as David and Gregory were gone for most of the day. David decided he wanted to really put in some karma man hours and spent the day wandering the countryside going to the hospital, then picking his brother up at the train station, taking him to his second driving test (he passed) and then back to hospital.

Meanwhile, Wendy spent the afternoon as the fierce protector of Burt’s sleep, keeping patrol outside of his room to stop and question everyone before they entered and disturbed him.  It is a bit absurd how many times a guy who can’t eat has been woken up by a woman with a cart asking if there are any empty food trays to be collected.

The Stern family left Burt asleep and relaxed, ready to go through the rehab evaluations tomorrow, again.  Between Burt and Gregory, it has been a full day of… seconds.

Day 21

Today was a bit of a slow news day, which is nice as often in this game little or no news is the best news of all. Burt spent another calm and rather uneventful day under observation in the Stroke Care Unit. If there is one thing Burt loves above all, it is being ‘monitored’, the closer the better.

David, Connie and Wendy arrived at the hospital mid-morning to find Burt in the middle of his physical therapy. They watched from the hall as Burt went through his assisted hokey-pokey. Though it will certainly be a long road, the experts say he is making improvements everyday. All the movement seems to helping Burt in all sorts of ways and his therapy session had to stop for a brief word from the sponsors as Burt was momentarily sidelined for a bedpan adventure.

The rest of the day was spent in rest and repose. At three o’clock, Joe the nurse extraordinaire came on shift and dropped by to let Burt know with mock solemnity that the Yankees had fallen out of first place. Burt was unfazed as the Red Sox still suck. Burt has recently received enough Yankee memorabilia from friends and relatives to look like a true ‘bleacher creature’ trapped behind enemy lines.  Cousin Leslie, who will be in residence next week, sent a blanket, a pillowcase, and a cup. Burt’s friend Christian brought the bathrobe. The employees of the local bank sent an embroidered patch. As Wendy said, “it’ll look like the Yankees threw up on him.” It would be great to surprise the die-hard Boston loyalist Joe with a fully Yanked-out Burt one of these days.

In addition, to gloating over the Bronx Bombers fall from grace, Joe brought in a picture of his two adorable toy poodles to show Burt and Connie. Connie whipped out a cell phone pic of her two westies, Macallan and Rennie. Wendy added a picture of her equally adorable dog Norton to the show and tell. “I love him to death but he has got to learn stop pooing in the house,” she said to which Burt replied, “so do I, it’s my new thing.”

The end of the day found Burt in need of a pint of blood. The hematoma in his abdomen had left his hematocrit level somewhat lowered, but nothing that a warm pint of B+ could fix. So, Burt fell asleep to the Yankees vs. the Rays as the blood and nutrition drink both dripped slowly into his system. If we could and the hot dog and beer line, he’d be all set – all of the indigestion and none of the taste.

Day 20

After waiting an extra twenty-four hours, Burt had the second CT scan of his abdomen this morning at 8:30 a.m. And there it sat, unread for hours, much to the consternation of all. Back home, the rest of Team Stern took a few hours to take care of a few necessary life details. Gregory, who could no longer deny that his move to LA was little more than a week, went into packing overdrive.

By 12:30, tired of waiting for the phone to ring, David tracked down the nurse with the details. For all those out there eagerly awaiting the results of Burt’s CT scan… drum roll please… the hematoma in Burt’s abdomen did not increase in size. This fact, coupled with the normal hemoglobin levels, indicates that the bleeding has stopped. Burt’s blood thinner regimen has remained in place. However, as we have learned, you can’t have it all even when you totally recalibrate how you define ‘all’. The pressure in the abdomen has contributed to a problem clearing his bladder. So, the Louisville Slugger catheter is back in residence for a few days. Hopefully, baseball season is almost over.

By 4:20 Gregory had to leave to catch a bus down to New York that he made with minutes to spare. David went back to hospital where he and Connie spent an hour or so watching Burt take his newly traditional post-physical therapy nap. By 6:30, it was time to go and meet the newest member of Team Stern, Cousin Wendy, who arrived from Colorado on the 5 pm flight.

Jumping fearlessly into the fray, Wendy picked up her rental car and tore off in the direction of Pittsfield without getting her lesson on GPS. She drove boldly onto I-87 while it directed her to make left turns off bridges. When she could stand the blandly insistent voice no more, she decided to turn off the unit and navigate by the Force. When next she was heard from, she was in Woodstock, halfway to New York City. Yoda would be proud. Two hours later, after an anxiety-riddled nighttime tour of the Hudson Valley, David met Wendy at a nearby truck stop and led her home. She got into the house, popped a Xanax, gave Connie a big hug and asked, “What can I do to help?” Week Four begins.

Day 19

The unfortunate rule of thumb with strokes is that for every two steps forward that a patient takes, they often take one step back. Burt is no exception. Last night David and Gregory started making Molotov cocktails with bottles of hand sanitizer demanding that the doctor's figure out what was causing Burt so much pain.  At 5 am the new CAT scan results came in and a phone call from a doctor with a very thick accent gave them their answer in morsels of broken English.

It turns out that Burt's stomach pain was not caused by constipation after all, but rather a hematoma in his stomach. This pocket of internal bleeding has come from a broken blood vessel and is contained within the muscles of Burt's abdomen. We thought it was because of the nurse that made him cough for an hour, but the doctors believe it was caused by one of the injections into his stomach.  Either way, if it wasn't one prick, it was another.

The normal course of action with this type of hematoma would be to take Burt off blood thinners, but as his thick blood caused the stroke in the first place — they are slightly between a clot and a hard place.  They are monitoring his blood levels for the red cell count, as it is an indicator of internal bleeding.  So far the numbers have leveled out so that is a good sign.

Tomorrow morning they will perform another CAT scan to check on the size of the hematoma and hopefully it will be unchanged.  If so, they can confirm that the bleeding has subsided and the hematoma will disappear, as the blood will gradually be reabsorbed.  If not, they will switch to a different blood thinner which has a slightly higher chance of helping his blood clot.  The doctor's told Burt that with any luck he will be back in rehab tomorrow.  He replied, "I'll believe it when I see it."

By the way for those of you who are curious, Burt's aggressive bowel regime has landed and we have achieved blast off.  As Burt said, "I hit the crash pad."

Day 18

It was a slow moving day, both digestively and otherwise.  In spite of it being beautiful out, the flight surgeon at Mission control noticed some irregularities in our astronaut’s bowels. Burt was grounded and his planned activities, both his therapy and his tour outside, were overtaken by events.  Turns out his stomach pains were not because of the pincushion effect, but a bit too much of the feed tube. 

The nurse said we would have to play the day by ear, to which Burt corrected, "Wrong end, we will have to play it by bowel." Seconding Burt’s opinion, his former roommate John commiserated, “The worst part of this process, for a man, is the bedpan.  Some young kid, wiping your fanny… leave it for the birds.”

Between eating some of his wife’s delicious oatmeal, chocolate and raisin cookies, Burt’s doctors spent the day ruling out possible causes for his stomach discomfort.  Their hunch is that Burt is simply backed up and they are using several methods to resolve this problem.  When they asked for his opinion, he replied, "you don't need my input, you need my output." 

Day 17

Harry had to fly back to Chicago this afternoon, so he spent most of the day with Burt.  This was handy since David had to take Gregory for his second driving exam.  Gregory passed his first driving exam six years ago but let his license lapse while he was in Australia.  Round two was a bit of a non-starter as Gregory did not realize he had to bring his pre-licensing certificate.  We can think of no bloggable words for the woman administering the test, but if we have to cobble together a description, she was a heartless bureaucrat who had replaced compassion with Twinkies long ago.

The Brother's Stern arrived very late in the afternoon to spend an hour keeping their dad awake and getting the recap of the day.  Burt had three one-hour sessions of rehab with a variety of the PT and OT staff.  For those not in the 'know,' PT stands for physical therapy and OT is occupational therapy.  The third kind of therapy he is receiving is speech therapy.

Burt is apparently getting slightly stronger everyday.  He cannot tell that he is, but the PT and OT folks swear it.  Burt's stomach muscles were sore today which the doctor's think is because of all the injections he has been receiving in the area.  As Burt says, "my stomach feels like a pin cushion."  To help with the muscular discomfort, the nurses gave him a device called an Atomizer, which allowed Burt to spray a mist of Tylenol into his mouth.

Burt had a mild fever today and his oxygen level was a bit low.  The doctor's gave him a chest cat scan, which ruled out most of their worries but revealed that he had atelectasis.  This is basically where parts of lungs shrink because of underuse.  This can happen when someone has been lying in bed for prolonged periods.  To help the condition, they gave Burt one of those nifty contraptions where you must inhale through a tube and try and keep a little ball up.  Burt was not doing well at first, but he is almost at level 2, he just has to defeat the big boss.

The weekend is a bit lighter rehab wise, so hopefully he will have some more energy to enjoy his family's company.  If the weather is nice, Burt will be packed up in a wheelchair and the Stern Family, in its entirety, will go for a little stroll in the courtyard to give the man his first breath of fresh air in 16 days.

Day 16

Let's start out with a little roommate bulletin.  Burt's first roommate Don checked out of rehab today.  He is walking much better and has regained most of his physical capabilities.  He either forgot to say goodbye or forgot who we were... Via Con Dios, Don. 

Burt was also moved out of his room so that he could have more space on his left for the family to visit.  This will force him to look left and not neglect that side of his body.  His roommate John was very sad to see him go and even offered to switch sides with him so he could stay.  Burt is now alone in a new room and still does not have the window spot.  He did not really notice as he was happy just to be asleep.  

In other news, Wolf-man Jack moved on to the floor today.  He is a man with no name, but even at a slow shuffle his grizzled appearance and large scar make him stand in stark contrast to the anti-septic surroundings. The Stern family is hoping that this gentleman does not become Burt's new roommate.

As for Burt, the physical therapists tried some interesting new techniques.  To keep the muscles in his left hand functional, they put a glove full of electrodes on Burt.  Once the electricity flowed his fingers began to work.  While this does not mean there is a neural connection, it does keep the possibility of one open. 

They also tried an exercise where Burt was sat in front of a mirror and had to use the image of himself to correct his posture and adjust his balance.  Simply sitting up for Burt is an immense workout and after a session, he is completely spent. 

To deal with the riggers of rehab, Burt is trying out a new method of scheduling his day.  This entails, 3 hours of rehab, 1 hour of bedpan, half an hour of vitals and the rest is spent sleeping.  Today he was pushed harder than he has been so far.   He had three one hour sessions of rehab, with sleeps between and a chest X Ray just for fun. 

During one of his naps, his sleep was disturbed by a volunteer who came in to the unit to play some new age guitar for the patients.  Burt did not realize it was live music and asked his brother Harry to please turn off the radio.  Harry informed him that it was a live performer, to which Burt replied, "If his name isn't Segovia... Tell him to get lost." 

Day 15

Burt has just completed two weeks in the hospital and day two of rehab boot camp. His brother Harry, the early riser, showed up for the morning session and the rest of the Stern clan moseyed in for the afternoon one.

That said, it was a pretty eventful hour. Whereas every session until now has been in bed, this was the first time Burt went to the rehab gym. He entered the colosseum of recovery, where fifty to eighty gladiators did battle with their new hips and old knees. The nurses even dressed him for the big event, but unfortunately the Stern family neglected to bring in his clothes so he was stuck in less than styling hospital duds.

Burt was rolled in front of a hydraulic table that was raised to the perfect height for him to rest his weight while upright. They stood him up and gave him the basic support required to stand. The main area they had to assist in was keeping his left leg straight. When they asked him how he felt, he said, "vertical."

The full audience watched with smiles as he worked up a sweat standing up and gave him a round of applause when he sat down. They checked his blood pressure and vitals and when he was cleared they had him stand twice more. During the session Burt had to learn a variety of highly technical terms such as scooch and shimmy.

The nice victory was tarnished a few minutes later back in his room. Before Burt could have a celebratory nap, which is customary after these sessions, Burt's nurse decided it was time for his Nilstat. This is an anti-fungal gel for his thrush that has a similar consistency to liquid Vaseline. Burt has hated this stuff since the first time he had to use it. When they explained to him that he was supposed to swish it around in his mouth and then spit it out, he said, "it's disgusting, why would I ever want to swallow that stuff?"

Unfortunately, he inadvertently got his opportunity today. Either in an attempt to retake the swallow test or negligence on the hands of his male nurse, a bit of the Nilstat went down Burt's throat and he coughed violently for about an hour. Amidst his coughs, Burt's nurse, who looked like he belonged in an afternoon soap opera and not a real hospital said, "it's OK as long as they make noise... it is when they are silent that you have to worry."

This was not the Stern family's favorite nurse. When the ordeal was over Burt was left sweaty, tired and without too much of a voice. A young female nurse came and gave the gladiator a sponge bath which handled the sweaty part, but he was still pretty horse the rest of the day. Burt eventually relaxed and got some rest so he can be ready for more rehab tomorrow.

Day 14

The 'holiday' is over and Burt began his first real day of rehab today.  The physical therapists did two and a half hours of training with him in several shifts.  In the morning they sat him up, and then actually stood him up, well... kind of.  The physical therapists took all of the weight and essentially held him, but he said it felt good to finally stand tall.  This will be the first and only time the word 'tall' is applied to Burt.

The entire Stern Family — Connie, Gregory, and David came in with a dozen and a half donuts for each of the three nurse shifts.  Burt's cheering squad was extended today as his brother Harry arrived to complete Team Stern. It was the first anniversary of their mother's passing, but they were not allowed to light a yahrzeit because of possible bedpan ignition.

Sadly, the video swallow test was not successful.  Burt was rolled down to the radiology center where the speech therapist fed him different substances of the consistency of pudding and tomato juice.  Burt swallowed twelve times, but it was not powerful enough to actually clear the fluid.  The X-Ray showed the area that it was wedged in his throat. Burt looked at the image, let the disappointment pass and then told the speech therapist that he would cancel his order for a beer that afternoon. Burt will continue to swallow hard in practice and dream of a sip of apple juice someday soon.

To lighten the blow David and Gregory gave Burt his first post stroke shave as he was complaining that he was starting to feel like "Wolfman."  They were not allowed to use a razor because of Burt's blood thinners. Burt said to ask his drill sergeant Randy, "Who shaves with a bayonet."  Here is the first photograph of Burt on the blog, mid-shave.

The line of the day occurred doing a homespun afternoon physical therapy session as David ran Burt through his stretches and Connie asked him for the lotion to massage into his legs.  Lying from the bed, Burt said, "Don't call it lotion, it's marinade. My leg feels like a pot roast."

Day 13

With all the little twitches and movements that have signified the return of functions, today felt like the first concrete step down a new road. Eight a.m. the phone rang, it was a call from Burt. His transfer had come through and he was off on his way to rehab, pillow in tow. This was the end of a long and unsure wait for the Sterns. The doctors had been aggravatingly cryptic and non-committal all week on the possibility of the move - getting into rehab started to seem as difficult as getting into college.

The move was set for mid-afternoon and the Stern clan was excited. Connie, still recovering from her rib injury, had to be almost physically restrained from going to the hospital. However, David's presence seemed to be enough of a deterrent. Gregory, who had woken up with a sore throat, decided to stay home too - fever had kept Burt from transferring earlier and no one was taking any chances. The Brothers had been wearing face masks all week to make sure an errant germ didn't get in the way of the program.

About two hours later the call came in from the nurses station, the timetable had shifted and the move was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. David set off for the hospital solo, suddenly late. There wasn't even time buy the opening donut salvo - as there are now a whole new team of nurses and therapists to win over.

While others were enjoying labor day barbecues, Burt was engaged in his all-time favorite activity - waiting. As a general rule, when you deal with doctors, expect a wait, in a hospital it goes up by an order of magnitude. David arrived at the hospital at 11:15, to find Burt was unhooked, packed, and so sick of the delay that he was ready to pull himself across the building one handed. By 12:30, all the papers signed and requisitions approved, the rehab train pulled out of the station. Everyone said their farewells and promises were made to come back and visit. And so the journey began... and end 4 minutes later down the hall to the left at the Berkshire Medical Center House of Pain.

The Center for Rehabilitation is a cheery enough place for a hospital. Patient rooms have the same understated banality across the globe - there is no flair in healthcare. The showpiece is the workout room - it is a big room full of mats, inflatable balls and parallel bars. It looks like a gymnasium in slow motion and no one in it looks like they should be working out. This where the patients learn to regain what they have lost. There are mock bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. It may not look like much but every one seems to be sweating it out. This is where the road starts to incline more steeply. This is where the gains are made and hopefully life begins to return to normal. As Burt said, this is where you first see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Burt got situated in the new room. There's more space but he lost the window. His new roommate John is 87 years and in rehab to recover from a fall. He welcomed Burt with a friendly wink that Burt didn't see from his bed. It turns out that both he and Burt are also hard of hearing, so their conversations are not the most scintillating but they'll soon be shouting at each other, much to the nurses' dismay. The only downside to John is that he is on solid food. At this point, even the aromas of hospital cooking are getting overpowering for Burt. 

The festival of bureaucracy began, fresh nurses, new admission forms, more computer questionnaires, evaluations, and thorough if redundant exams. Meanwhile, like a corner man making sure his fighter has everything he needs before the big bout, David surveyed the new facilities, finding the washcloth supplies, ice machines, and the all important mouth swabs. Burt took the nurses poking and prodding with a somewhat sleepy cheer - it isn't easy to get a good night's rest in a hospital. The upside is no one gets offended if you fall asleep mid-interview. With all the preliminaries out of the way, it was time to meet Randy.

Randy is his new occupational therapist and the official greeting committee. He has the no nonsense demeanor of a benevolent Marine Corps drill sergeant. In his late forties, standing at least six foot three, broad shouldered and solid, he cuts quite an imposing figure amongst a group of people who all worked better a few weeks or months ago. But when he towers above them, with his arms crossed and tells them that he's going to get them walking, standing or moving again, its hard not to swell a bit with optimism. If there is someone who can get you across that line, it isn't to believe that Randy might be that man. Randy looked down at Burt and told him the vacation was over. 

Burt looked back up at him and said, "some vacation... but I'm ready to get to work."

Day 12

Burt was fairly tired today, as he did not sleep well last night. He spent the day alternating between napping and practicing his new and improved smile.

David and Gregory came in a bit late, with a big box of apple cider donuts for the nurses and did their usual routine for Burt -- fresh extra-long suction tube, new pillowcase on his special pillow, ice-cold mouth swabs and a wet towel on his head.  Even in his diminished state, Burt is still a Miesian at heart and 'god is in the details.'

Burt was tired so the Brothers Stern went to lunch for mediocre Massachusetts Mexican and when they got back they found Burt had a new roommate.  They did not catch his name, but his personality was pretty lacking.  He is no Don, but at least he likes football.  This should go down well as this evening is Game Night.  Putting aside his Red Sox fervor, Joe the nurse will put the game on for Burt, so as he says, "at least one thing will go back to normal." Only time will tell how this uneasy truce lasts after Burt puts on his new Yankees bathrobe, which was bought for him yesterday.

There was no rehab today, so David ran Burt through a full routine of stretching and exercises.  The nurses offered him a job, only half kidding, but as Burt says, he is "my personal physical therapist." 

All in all it was a slow news day, but hopefully Burt gets moved to rehab tomorrow.  Let the stretching begin.

Day 11

Today began a bit earlier than usual... in the middle of the night in fact. Yesterday, the Brothers Stern set up Burt's mobile phone with their numbers on speed dial in case of emergencies. Good thing they did as Burt called up at 3 AM to let them know that he could not get a hold of the nurses when he needed them. David immediately called and unleashed his ribcage-breaking fury upon the nursing staff. His comments went all the way to the top and Burt was checked on assiduously today.

Regardless of the middle of the night debacle, Connie brought brownies en route to her second visit to the emergency room this week. Turns out that her ribs may be broken, but the doctor's can't tell for sure. They gave her lidocaine patches to wear on her torso to help dull the pain. Hopefully she takes it easy and settles into her new book. The girl with the lidocaine patch reads 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.'

Besides that, there is not too much to report today... no major developments, but also no major steps backwards. Burt was decently alert, but also a bit tired. He had his first few visitors today, which was exciting, but also exhausting, so he took a lot of naps. Right now he's not quite the social butterfly, he's still in the chrysalis stage.

While he wields his suction tube with great precision, Burt has his eyes firmly focused on the swallowing prize. After failing his first three preliminary swallow tests last week, Burt has been scheduled for a video swallow test on Tuesday. This is apparently the mother of all swallow tests. They will be able to monitor the path of a variety of substances like water, pudding and even a soft cookie. Perhaps they can do it in 3D.

He is training hard for the test, practicing thousands of swallows in his head each day. Think of them as oral push ups in a Rocky-style training montage. Not being able to swallow for eleven days does bizarre things to your mind and it is funny what you start to miss. Burt has oddly enough becoming increasingly obsessed with the goal of apple sauce and apple juice. So as soon as he passes his swallow test, team Stern will search for the ultimate apple sauce.

Most of the staff thought Burt was being moved to rehab today, so they did not bother with physical therapy. David stepped in and helped stretch him out, to make sure none of the muscles tightened. Thankfully, he was much gentler than he was with his mother. Burt likes these periods as it gives him a brief respite from his various foot contraptions. His first is a fur lined boot which he wears for two hour periods which keeps his foot flexed so it does not lose tone. It is almost like a stiff, therapeutic Ugg.

In addition to this, Burt also has vascular refill detection booties that he has been wearing since his arrival at the hospital. These are basically inflatable socks that wrap around his shins and intermittently expand and contract to prevent the creation of blood clots in his legs. As Burt said today, "I feel like I am in the clutches of some bizarre sea creature."

The night ended with a smile... literally. As he said goodnight Burt let off a smile and for the first time his left side shifted slightly to match the right. With twitch of a nerve and the subtlest curl of his lip, he reminded us that everyday new pathways form.

Day 10

Hello all, to start with a quick note on the blog, if there is anyone that we might have forgotten to send this to who would want to follow how Burt is doing please pass it along.  The messages have really helped Burt and he has started taking an active part in his blog, asking who is following and even doing a few choice mumble-outs... Suck Face II you better be reading.

Anyway, today was a great day by noon and it kept getting better.  Gregory and David showed up late and sans treats for the nurses, but Connie has baked brownies for tomorrow.  Connie spent the day at home and was convinced after much discussion to go the chiropractor.  Turns out in the process of saving her life David also managed to tear the cartilage across her rib cage.  She now has a brace and is beginning the slow road of recovery and thinking twice about coughing in David's presence again.

David and Gregory arrived at the hospital to find Burt alert and awake in a way they have not seen him yet throughout this process. Gregory was wearing an Isreali Coca Cola t-shirt that his brother picked up for him in Jerusalem.  Burt looked over and said he is not a sucker for advertising, but the shirt was making him thirsty.  Even though it was in Hebrew, the classic red and white symbol that he has seen his whole life immediately made him think of Coke.  Gregory promptly turned it inside out to eliminate the temptation.

Beyond being more alert, Burt also sounded markedly different after a session with the speech therapist this morning.  She taught him to project like he is speaking to the back of the room and isolate each word.  The difference was immediate and pronounced.  While he would slip back into mumbling from time to time he would snap out of his dysarthria when he was reminded to.

Burt used his newfound vocal ability to have some fun with his physical and occupational therapists.  As they sat him up he said, "Two beautiful young girls... this is a childhood fantasy.  I have a question... why do beautiful young girls, like yourselves, get tattoos. On their shoulders, their lower backs, and their arms... there terrible."  When they laughed and said they couldn't answer because they did not have them, he said, "of course you don't, you are smart and those tattoos are stupid... and ugly."  More sage wisdom from Burt.

The therapy session itself went well.  Burt sat up for nearly half an hour this time and was able to discern when he was leaning and when asked was able correct it.  They did all sorts of new exercises with him, like leaning him over to each side and swinging each leg.  The physical therapist even felt him pull back slightly with his left leg. He is unable to do this when lying down, but in a different body position he could faintly activate his knee.  One step closer to that cane.

After the session, Burt was totally spent and passed out, so David and Gregory ran some errands and had lunch.  While they were out, Burt's roommate Don was moved to rehab and Burt burned some donut mileage asking the nurses to rolled him into the prime window position.  When the Brothers Stern returned they adorned his room with large prints of Van Gogh, Dali and Doisneau to help him look around, orientate himself and practice focusing at different distances.  When they could not figure out how to hang the prints on the curtain with scotch tape, Burt suggested an old trick... paper clips.

The news of the day is that if Burt can go without running a temperature for 24 hours he will be moved to rehab.  Whether or not he would even be accepted into rehab has been a big unknown until now so this a massive development.  Hopefully he goes in tomorrow, but it could be as late as Monday.  The rehab digs are much snazzier than the current ones and comes complete with a gym and fake kitchen. 

As for the fever, they still do not know why he has been having them intermittently and have brought on an infectious disease specialist who had a cat-scan done of Burt's stomach.  About an hour before the scan the nurses pumped two bottles of contrasting liquid dye into the tube in his stomach.  The food chemists have been working over-time since your last scan achieving fantastic advances in contrast dye technology creating mouth-watering flavors like 'Tropical Fruit Breeze.'  Burt was unable to savor these exotic delights until a few minutes later when he belched and uttered, "I see the point of the flavor... You get another shot of tasting it when it comes up the other way." 

Even though today was a great day, the best so far, watching him struggle to relearn how to sit up straight and speak in a way that is understandable, you can’t help but think that a week and a half ago he was absolutely fine.  As Burt said today, “don’t put things off, because you never know what is around the corner.”

Day 9

After braving through yesterday with a bruised rib, Gregory and David forced Connie to stay home, lie down and enjoy some of those tasty Percocets she was given. It’s hard to keep a Jewish mother down, but Connie begrudgingly agreed to a day of muscle spasms and Harry Potter.

David and Gregory are a bit under the weather as well, but marched to the hospital regardless.  They wore facemasks so they did not infect Burt, and spent the day looking like SARS hypochondriacs.  Even with their colds, they still found the time to get some Apple Cider donuts for the 7 AM nurses shift.  The staff loved the treat, but the Brothers Stern are thinking of switching it up to cinnamon scrolls tomorrow to shake things up a bit, although they are a bit nervous about the combination of sticky fingers and Burt's four dangling IV’s.

To round out the day Burt's temperature went up to 102 so he was not feeling so fantastic.  The nurses gave him another quart of liquid Tylenol which looks disarmingly similar to watered-down summer camp Kool-Aid.  He did not really notice, as he was extremely fatigued today.

Given his temperature, rehab was a bit abbreviated.  The occupational therapist did not want him to burn energy by sitting up and instead just stretched him out.  They said he is a bit looser than yesterday, especially in his elbow.  The real news though is how much strength he has in his left hip.  He was able to move his left leg laterally with minimal assistance.  This is great to hear, because if he can get his knee to do a bit more, he is one step closer to walking with a cane someday.

Burt spent most of the day waiting for the bedpan gods to smile down upon him.  This gave Gregory and David a lot of time to kill, so in the middle of the day they decided to go pillow shopping for Burt.  They figured with all the time that he is spending on it, they should get him a good one. 

Off they went to ‘Bed, Bath and Beyond’ and set up a blind testing by emulating similar conditions that Burt is under.  They found that the most expensive one was only good if it was fluffed up now and then which is not the easiest thing for a guy with one arm.  After much trial and error they settled on the Allergy Free pillow.  Tonight they will wash an additional allergy case to go around it and label it Burt Stern's pillow, so his roommate Don doesn't get up in the middle of the night and steal it. He may have a gash in his skull, but it's the quiet ones you gotta watch. 

Day 8

Day eight has been a bit cruisier then day seven, We rolled in bright and early in the morning to find that Burt has lost his prime window position and has been moved to another room. He now has a roommate named Don. Don just had his skull opened up to get rid of a brain hemorrhage so he is not always the most vibrant roommate, but apparently they had a little chat earlier. Don's wife Dale is lovely and sometimes keeps Burt company when we are not there.

Today's bribe was a fresh batch of Apple Cider donuts. We brought them in the afternoon, for the 3:00 shift, having already won over the morning nurses. Now we have to find a way to get some treats for the night shift.

Burt had a so-so sleep last night, but that's better than he has had so far. He is a little disoriented on a few things, but for the most part he is definitely more alert. We asked him to try and look at us when we are speaking to him and he is doing much better at that. That said the expression can be a little creepy, almost like Marty Feldman from Young Frankenstein.

The food tube is pumping away with no complications so far. The mild fever is due to... you guessed it - a Urinary Tract infection!!! Now he is on antibiotics and liquid tylenol injected by the quart. Also, they are taking out the catheter. This is very exciting and will give Burt a lot of relief as he has referred to it as a baseball bat all week. When we tried to comfort him by telling him it was the size of a cocktail straw, he simply said, "uh-huh... baseball bat."

Speaking of baseball, Burt is surrounded by die-hard Red Sox fans. Not an ideal position for a bed-ridden Yankees stalwart, especially as the Red Sox continue to lose and the Yankees are in first place. They seem to be giving him a by and sticking the needles in gently.

The lack of the swallowing has given dad a bit of thrush, so he has been given another throughly unsatisfying substance to wash his mouth with. He is rightly obsessed with swallowing as he has not been able to drink anything all week. As he can't swallow he has to suck out all of his saliva with a tube. Just to keep going with the baseball theme, the line of the day was that Dad would like to go to the same spitting camp that baseball players go to. As he says, "they can spit through their teeth, out the side of the mouth, anywhere they want."

As for body movement, the physical and occupational therapists worked with him for an hour and this was by far the highlight of the day. Burt kept seated in an upright position for ten minutes with minimal assistance and was able to pull both his shoulders back. The therapists were really impressed with how much better he was today, especially since he did it with his eyes closed. As for us, we have never been more proud of him. He worked so hard and faced his new condition head on, with the utmost of courage and no self pity.

It was a sight to see and we look forward to tomorrow.