Sorry friends....just playing with your heads yesterday.  All is well and progressing.  This morning was up at 5:30 AM.  Still cannot sleep in this place but at least I am not worried that the nurses are out to get me or that there are imposters on the unit stealing our drug supplies.  My room mate loves to run her TV all night, sound and all.  I'm just the opposite.  I like a silent, dark room. However she is a sweet woman and I could not ask for a better room mate.  It breaks my heart to see how slow her progress has been and when I get discouraged I think about Connie.  She and her husband own a ranch and he only gets to Calgary a couple of times a week.  She has been here since September 23.  That in itself keeps my whines in check.

Went downstairs for a chest xray then came back up for my delicious breakfast which I cannot even begin to get through.   Vegetable broth, green Jello (3rd time in a row for green) and tea.  Had a couple of sips of broth and about half my jello.  My surgeon tells me "tincture of time"  We need to take it slow if you're going to get to Mexico.  At least he hasn't forgotten that.  I've quit mentioning it so was surprised when he bought it up today. Came back and had my 2nd chest tube removed as well as some stitches and am now waiting to go for a second xray in a bit. Just like yesterday I am very wheezy from having these things removed but hopefully just like yesterday it will settle again by tomorrow.  Am going to have another swallow test with the speech team this afternoon.  My surgeon seems happy with things. After I had my tubes pulled my nurse Eileen released me from the prison pole to go for a walk outside with Kelli and Bill.  Not as warm as I hoped out there but lovely to be free and not tethered to the cumbersome apparatus.  It's amazing the things that make you feel good.  At home in my other life I wouldn't even notice the small pleasures I am finding here.  And the most exciting news of all is I get to have a shower in a couple of days!  I can hardly believe it's been 15 days since I've had a shower.  That should discourage any of you from wanting to visit!  Visiting is hard because I am still struggling with my voice.  It is definitely on the upswing too.  There will be no squashing these vocals!  I was telling Kelli today that every fall when I return to work I find my voice is faltering by the end of day one and two but by day three I'm back.  Obviously I'm not back by day three but I will return!