As many of you have no doubt noticed (and some have commented on) the blogging has grown a bit lax of late. No more apologies, from now on the blog will be updated once a week, on Sundays, without fail. For those of you looking to keep up with the goings on for Burt, we will no longer disappoint. Though there may be the occasional mid-week update (Wednesday), the posts will be posted on Sunday — but they will be posted. No more 2 weeks breaks. No more other stuff getting in the way. And now, on to the important stuff.
A bit of email and football with the dogs
It has been a big week for Burt. Yesterday, Burt had yet another in his line of swallow tests (the next one’s free for a valued customer) and passed, provisionally of course. They don’t seem to give away that “good job here’s a lollipop thanks for playing” pass so easily. It’s all about the suspense. However, this means that Burt can transition back to all his favorite foods. He is already eating his three squares a day of soft-mechanical goodness. While soft-mechanical may sound somewhat off-putting, it is a damn sight better than pureed. It is also comforting the number of things that fit into that category. No matter though, he’s racing right through it. Tomorrow, he has his first lunch of regular food that someone hasn’t ground, diced or smashed and he is suitably excited. He is now cleared to take his pills by mouth, which is the last step before we jettison the feed tube. Hopefully in the next week or so Burt will pay a brief visit to his crack surgical team for a little plumbing removal.
First cold beer...
This past Saturday, Burt went to the MET HD broadcast of Don Pasquale for his first foray back into the outside world. Though he had to attend in a wheelchair, Burt loved every minute of it. Afterwards, he went to dinner with friends and had his first non-hospital food in quite a while — fish and chips, if you’re wondering. Washing it down with a Stella Artois and finishing the meal off with a cup of coffee, it was an evening of new firsts for Burt and probably had as much recuperative effect as any of the therapies.
...and coffee
In therapy news, Burt is getting stronger everyday. His walking is much improved. He can now get up and sit back in his wheelchair under his own power with assistance mainly for balance. On Monday of next week, he will be getting a special custom brace that will help give Burt the needed support so that he can continue his therapy and walk with greater confidence and autonomy.
Burt is also finally getting back online and will be beginning to read the blog and email. Feel free to comment here or write him an email, he’d love to hear from all of you. For those who want his phone number, drop David an email.
Until Sunday.
