Friday, January 24
Today's the third day in a row that I’ve visited with Billy. Friday was a busy day. at “Billy’s Place” (Ferncrest) There was a lot of action that day. Wound Care came to check Billy’s wound on his sacrum. Abby, Billy’s Wound Care Nurse, Addy, is always so excited to show me the improvements. He has a heathy ring of new skin about 1/2 inch wide and it continues to heal toward the center of the wound.
Nurses were in and out taking vitals and changing, bedding. I was there much earlier than usual and this action is probably normal for him.
Saturday, January 25
Yesterday I visited with his Billy early again. His eyes were open for most of my visit. I changed his music up a bit. I don’t think the radio has been on since his roommate, Brian, joined him. So I took my cell phone out of my pocket and randomly chose My❤️ Radio who just happened to be playing of music from the ’80s. It seemed to me that his ears perked and he slightly turned his head to get a better listen. I might have even seen a hint. of a smile
Sunday, January 26
Today started the same way, his eyes were wide opened and focused on “something on the ceiling.He looks like he could be having a conversation with an angel. We’ve seen him do that before, so I didn’t think anything about it. He seemed to be having a good day. His face was showing a variety of emotions and I mentioned that to him. I was still at his beside when looked over my head again. His face changed in seconds. His eyes and mouth were the widest I’ve ever seen and his emotion was of absolute fear. Then he moved as far as he could, across his pillow, turned his face away from the terror and his head began to convulse.
I ran down the hall to get a pulmonary therapist .I jammed the office door open. Sheila was closest to the door but she couldn’t get a word out before I yelled “I think Billy is having a stroke . Please help me!”
In seconds all 3 therapists were in Billy’s room. The nurses followed and after vitals were taken and tests were done it I was told that Billy had was seizure.
"X" amount of days later we received news that Miracle Hill was ready to receive him. We finally allowed ourselves to count the days till we could pack up the camper and move back to Panama City, Florida.
Monday, February 3
Billy was discharged to Miracle Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation facility on January 31, 2025. On the Thursday prior Dave and I packed up the camper and said Good Bye to New Orlean. We had a few days at home and had enough time to unpack, do laundry and then back another overnight bag to meet Billy when he arrives as Miracle Hill. He arrived around 5PM and it looked like he really enjoyed the ride. He was alert and almost sitting up on the gurney when we saw him. We followed the Acadian transport staff to his room, exchanged a few words with the nurses and then they were gone. I expected a crew of nurses to rush over to him, re-dress him in a clean gown the way the hospital staff did but the floor was very chaotic. In addition to having a new arrival, there was also a shift change and dinner going on - or at least it looked that way to us. We stayed until he was cleaned up, and hooked up to his feeding tube, then went to our hotel.
Things were much quieter. We got to see the morning routine, met a bunch of the staff and once again, when we were satisfied that he had everything he needed we set back for home. The almost 2 hour ride felt like a hop, skip, and jump compared to the 5 hour drive from New Orleans.
I drove back today to attend a Meet & Greet with the staff at 11am. I got there a little early and while I was waiting the “Chief of Staff” and his Administer came to introduce themselves to me. Nice touch.
The meeting was attended by 7 department heads. They introduced themselves and gave a brief overview of their job responsibilities. Then there was a Q&A session. It was a very positive experience. You might think this would be protocol for anyone being admitted to a facility such as a nursing home, but though Ferncrest kept putting it off, it never happened there.
All in all, Miracle Hill has a different vibe. We knew it would be a step up from Ferncrest and we are looking forward to the beginning of rehab, however slow it comes to be.
