Let's All Make a Diet Coke Toast To Cathy's Health

Cathy could hardly wait to let me see her take a drink of a diet coke as I walked into her ICU room this afternoon. I don't know what choked me up more: seeing her take that drink or seeing the big green grin on her face afterwards (the dye they used for the swallowing test turned her lips and mouth a bright green).

Evidently Cathy also made it almost twelve hours on the trach collar today. From sometime around 4 am this morning until sometime before 4 pm this afternoon she was on the trach collar. Cathy was put into the chair before noon and the swallowing test was given around 2pm. She has been sipping diet coke since that time. Before being put in the chair the physical therapist came by and 'gave her a work-out'. She has earned that diet coke.

The next step is to work on having Cathy eat pureed foods. Until she can take in enough calories to support herself, they are going to leave the feeding tube in.

So, everyone pour themselves a tall-cold diet coke and (clink) here's to Cathy's health.

David