Friday

Dad was finishing up breakfast this morning when I got here. He even drank an Ensure shake without being asked, he said we would have to watch Mom because she might have a stroke. He was in vintage form.

He was sitting in the recliner and told me that he had somehow gotten sideways in the bed last night and the nurses had trouble extricating him from the bed. They finally got him to the recliner where he slept until this morning. He said that it was the best rest he has had since he got here.

After breakfast, Dad had a bath and told the aide that he wanted to wash his head. He said that it had been so long there might be something growing up there. I told him I had some Chia Pet seed I could sow up there. He wanted to shave, comb his hair and brush his teeth. He has come so far in just doing the small things for himself. He did great on his breathing this morning as well. He has been getting winded after doing these in the past, this morning he did not.

His mind is sharp and he continues to engage everyone who comes into the room. I came up the elevator with the Regency rep this morning and asked her if the bed was still open. She said that it was filled last night. She did say when I was leaving this morning that there were 2 scheduled to be discharged from the Fayetteville facility on Monday. If our cardiologist will agree to follow up on Dad at Fayetteville then we will be moving to Regency Fayetteville on Monday.

The cardiac surgeon has not been in yet this morning but the hospitalist said that the notes on the chart indicated that he didn’t think that there was much to worry about in the xray and that he doubted that he would tap the lung. The hospitalist agreed after looking at the picture. We will wait and see.

Dad asked the hospitalist if he had had a stroke while he was there. The doc opened his eyes real wide and asked why he asked. Dad said that his right hand didn't seem to have as much strength in it and he had trouble griping utensils with it. The doc had him push and pull and examined several flexibility parameters and said, " Good call Mr. Jones, but you didn't have a stroke, they probably stretched the nerve when they opened up your chest during surgery". He is going to ask the OT to work with Dad on this. (During the exam of Dad's hand, the doctor was amazed at Dad's upper body strength)

Ps.121
[1] I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
[2] My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
[3] He will not let your foot be moved,
he who keeps you will not slumber.
[4] Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
[5] The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade
on your right hand.
[6] The sun shall not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night.
[7] The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
[8] The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and for evermore.

God is good.