Day 7 in the Hospital Part 1

Today the Dawg had a CAT scan which took about 30 minutes. This wasn't until late afternoon, so we won't know the results until sometime tomorrow probably. A bronchoscopy might be done on Friday.

Carroll has still been somewhat nauseated today. He's still doing the breathing treatments, getting three antibiotics through IV and taking other medicines.

But, he seems to be feeling better today than he did yesterday - and a lot better than he did on Monday. Whether this is because of time and medication or because the Braves won last night is anyone's guess!

And, then again, it might be because Mary Meynardie from St. Luke's came in earlier and had devotions with him.

Day 4 with The Dawg

Well, there was a minor problem today, or perhaps it was major, depending on one's perspective. The Atlanta Braves' games don't always come on the same channel. Up until today, their games had been on channels that we couldn't get in the hospital room. Finally - today - the game between Atlanta and Arizona was scheduled on a channel available at Summerville Medical Center.

There was a rain delay. Actually, it was delayed so long that it was finally postponed! No Braves game today.

Most of Sunday, The Dawg was tired, sleepy and not feeling well, although he was breathing a bit better. By the evening, he had improved a little.

For a while his arm was hurting a lot where the IV entered his right arm. The nurse said he probably bent the tube a little and it was likely pressing against a vein or something. It hurt, but he also didn't want it taken out, having to reinsert it. Laura said she had to take it out. After it was done, Carroll was glad it had been done.


In this picture, he and Sonia are both smiling. I guess she hadn't stuck him with a needle or done anything to bother him at that point! The truth is that she never did anything to bother him. I'm not so sure how she got that big smile out of him, though.



Sandra is another of the Summerville Medical Center personnel taking care of him today. Like Sonia and all of the others, Sandra is very nice.



Here's Betty, so friendly and so polite -- and always smiling.


The Dawg had several visitors today. Before I got to the hospital, Edie, Jeffrey and Laura came to visit. Jeffrey and Laura are busy planning a wedding, but they were nice enough to take time to come by. Edie made some boiled peanuts for Carroll. He LOVES boiled peanuts!!


Sunday afternoon, "the twins" - Mary and Helen - came to visit. They are always lots of fun.

John and Deb came by for a while and brought a book for Carroll to read. Wasn't that nice? John is one of Carroll's best friends.

Another of Carroll's closest friends is Chuck. You should have seen the umbrella he was carrying! Carroll and I play a card game called "Fan Tan" with Chuck and his wife, their son and daughter-in-law. We also play Fan Tan with other folks from time to time, especially Mom.

Pastor Sue Briner from St. Luke's took time out of her very busy schedule to come by, chat and have a prayer with us. She's getting ready to go to a "Preaching Festival" in Atlanta for five days. She's looking forward to it, but it doesn't sound like much fun to me. However, Desmond Tutu is the opening speaker for the festival, so it must be a pretty big deal.

Sunday night Lisa came by with Jake, Ben and Kelly. Those boys are growing!

Carroll got a call from his son, Vic, tonight and he was glad to hear from him. Loads of people have called or e-mailed. Some of their messages are in the comments below this post and also below previous posts. He even received a call from Hazel in Scotland.

Mandy and Lorri called to check on Carroll; Wendy and Susan sent messages.

Day Three

Well, Day Three wasn't so good, but that's primarily because the Braves didn't win tonight. In fact, they didn't win by a whole lot.

The Dawg was still tired today, wheezing and short of breath, but he's certainly better than he was on Thursday.

Now, let's talk about the personnel at Summerville Medical Center. Have you ever seen people who seem so delighted to bring the needles to stick the patients?

Laura, Jenny, Lori, Bobbie and Pam certainly seem to enjoy their jobs! They've been wonderful!

In fact, I almost hate to leave at night. They seem to enjoy The Dawg too much!






Here, I think Bobbie is having the same problem with Carroll that Mindy had yesterday. He's not supposed to talk when he's taking the breathing treatment (i.e. "smoking the peace pipe.")

He had some nice visitors today, including Vic & Edie, Lisa, Pete & Mary, and Pastor Holley from St. Luke's. Pastor Holley, who had just arrived (two hours earlier) back in the area from his daughter's graduation in Chicago, had devotions with Carroll.