Sunday, August 8, 2010 — Good talk with the cardiologist today.

Mike and I were lucky enough to be with Skip when the cardiologist was just finishing his rounds today. Nurse Harriet told him that we were eager to ask him some questions and he paid a second visit to Skip's room to help fill us in. We think we were able to get a pretty good outline of the way the hospital is persuing the questions that still linger regarding Skip's heart fibrillation. They are trying certain drugs to lower his heart rate and to eliminate or at least control the occrance of the fibrillating events. They are giving him a diuretic and doing more frequent dialysis to bring down the toxicity numbers and address the adema in his legs and ankles. We asked the doctor about our fear of having him sent back to Fort Bragg before all their questions are answered. He said he agreed and Skip was not going back to Fort Bragg soon. A kind of bad news — good news reversal. That statement definitely addresses our worry of sending him back too soon, but we know it is also a huge frustration for Skip. I'm so glad Mike was there with us so that we could minimize any misunderstanding we might have been suffering from. Tomorrow we will talk with the main hospitalist and try to get a clearer picture of where we are going from here. "Patience!" I keep saying to myself.

I left Skip mid-afternoon so he could take a good nap. When I returned in the evening his nurse, Michelle and dear Bill from ICU had jointly given him a shave and trim. He looked great and seemed to have regained some of his strength from the morning's loss during and after dialysis. Evidently while I was gone Skip had a visit from Susan E. So sorry I missed you, Susie. And thanks for the delicious scone. After I arrived we watched a great history film about an artist who loved to go on explorations to Greenland and other remote areas. Such fun for Skip because he had been there when when he was working for the Danish government. I could see memories flashing through his mind. It's great to see him taking interest in such things. And when I was about to leave for the night he asked me to put his Kindle near enough for him to reach. That's music to my ears.