February 2

The first day in the SMU was a success.   The staff is amazing as their pre billing.  Judy found out her nurse's mother went to school with Judy's mother.  I found out one of Judy's doctors was raised in Wadena.  Kelvington is to Wadena as Dog River is to Wollerton, but I'm too big a man to carry on the fued. The approach in the SMU is somewhat different than what Judy has experienced in the last 17 weeks.  The staff do not routinely check vitals or blood tests.  There is no IV pole.  Medicines are injected through the PICC line or administered orally rather than IV bags. If she has pain, she gets pain killers.  If she is nauseous she get anti-nausea drugs.  If Judy is hungry, she eats; if she is thirsty, she has some water, ginger ale, or tea.  Starbucks must be imported.  Timmy's is right downstairs. Judy is developing a callous on her thumb from using her remote control to change channels on her flat screen TV. Judy's first impression of the room was positive because the baseboards were monochromatic.  I don't know what that means, but I think it is good. Trust Judy to notice the color of the baseboards.  By the way, she used monochromatic to describe the clothes I wore to church on Sunday.  Judy does love the big words.  Her all time favorite is still "ethereal", but "monochromatic" seems to be a strong second.