Out of the ICU

Yesterday was a day of great progress. By noon Faina was sitting up, took a few steps, and moved to a regular room. She is still hitting the button to get a dose of the pain medication faster than the pump can give it, so her dose was upped from 22 to 30. She is dutiful about breathing exercises with the spirometer, lowering the risk of pneumonia. Her spirits are good, she made and took a few phone calls, and mostly bounced through short wake-sleep cycles. Hospital is far from restful as the day was punctuated by a steady stream of doctors and nurses checking on her progress.

Margo and Jamie are doing well. Margo is serving as an intern at a downtown Baltimore law firm, and made a bee line down Orleans Street after work to visit. Neighbor Amy stepped up to get Jamie to camp/class and back and Russell got her up to Baltimore later in the day.

I still hear Faina ask, "Am I in the ICU?" with hope that the answer is "Yes," meaning yes, they did the operation. It is an odd joy to have this milestone behind us. I look forward to a day of nurses coming in and out of the room, doctors with residents in-tow, family and friends, and Faina making further progress.