Wednesday

I am playing catchup from last night.

The transition to the new room and change in staff was rough on Dad. Between OT,PT,RT, antibiotics for urinary track infection, and Dr.s giving updates he was exhausted and a little grumpy. He was sitting in a chair after PT had assisted him in taking a few steps, he told the nurse that he wanted to get back into bed. She told him that they were about to bring him his meal. He said, "I'm not going to eat anything." Nancy and her daughter Madeline and John Tyson came in about the time the meal came and despite his earlier protest, Madeline got him to eat the majority of his food plus some ice cream that John had brought. No matter what his appetite is like, whenever John brings ice cream Dad seems to be able to eat a good helping of it.

Charlotte and I visited Dad about 8;30 PM, we met Steve Sheely (our pastor at RHBC) at the elevator. He had just come from Dad's room and found him sleeping. Charlotte and I went up and Dad was awake and had told us we just missed Steve. I ask him if he talked to him and he said that he thought he had called him Wayne. He was tired but we had a good visit. He reached out to both of us and took our hands. We had prayer together and we went home.


I spent most of the morning with Mom and Dad. He is fighting disappointment and the slow pace of progress. Mom and I are keeping him focused on short term goals and reminding him of the progress he has made. I reminded him of how we used to go turkey hunting down in a steep valley in the Boston Mts. We would start climbing out and get winded and have to stop. We would pick out a rock or tree several yards up the trail and set out for that goal before we rested again. I told him that is what we need to do with his rehab. He smiled and we started on the first leg of the day.

He did really well after we got going. He is doing his deep breathing therapy and is attempting to do the OT exercises on his own. He read some cards and letters and did his best to entertain a few visitors.

He continues to engage Dr.s, nurses, and other medical staff that come in and out. A new cardiologist came in and checked Dad out and as he was leaving Dad asked him where he was from. The Dr. said that he was from India. Dad asked him if he knew Raj Kolombi (forgive me Dr. Kolombi if I am misspelling your name), and of course he knew them and had worked with their son who is a urologist at WRMC now. Dad's nurse this morning is very professional and is vigilant in her duties and came across as kind of aloof. By the time she left the room she was smiling and had become warm and "winsome".

Medically, all of Dad's vitals are strong. The battle still remains with the edema and the infection. His temperature has come down and he got another dose of Lasex this morning. His hands are much better but he still has very swollen ankles and a crackle in his left lung. We hope that PT will help with getting the fluid to go where it needs to go. They plan to remove the catheter this afternoon after the Lasex has run it's course. We will see how that goes.

They say that for everyday you lie on your back in bed it takes 3 days of activity to get back your strength, so we are going to encourage the PT as often as possible. He was able to stand by the bed for about 20 seconds on his own and was able to take some very short steps assisted to get into the chair.

Pray for him as he presses toward his goals and for his spirit to remain high and hopeful.

God is good!