Day #13

I went to the hospital today with Veronica and Cherish. We were all in there for rounds. The doctor had been called down to the E.R., but the head nurse and the nurse in charge of my dad were there to give us an update. My dad's nurse said that my dad had been much more responsive that morning. He was able to nod and shake his head in response to questions. He was also able to move all of his limbs when she asked him. They had weaned him completely off of the drug they were giving him to raise his blood pressure, and they were trying to minimize or eliminate some of the other drugs they were giving him. They were especially trying to minimize the quantity of painkillers they were giving him since these were preventing his lungs from healing more rapidly. They went from having him on a continuous drip to just administering painkillers every couple of hours if he says he needs it. That has to be difficult the day after they amputated his legs.

The nurse told us later that when she was testing his response earlier, he had made it very clear that his feet hurt. She said that these phantom pains were the most difficult to treat.

He is still on continuous dialysis, which is helping him tremendously, he still has the blood clots in his right arm, and he has a long road to recovery, but his spirits seemed fairly high today, and he definitely seemed more himself.

The nurse came in while my sister and I were in there. She asked him if he hurt and if he wanted any painkillers. He didn't respond. So she asked him if he was just tired and wanted to rest, and he very subtly nodded his head.

I had spent some time singing hymns softly to him before that and asked him to blink if he wanted me to continue. He blinked very clearly.

We spent a lot of time massaging and moving his arms and hands as the physical therapist had shown us to do, and I also spent a lot of time rubbing his head. Every time I would stop rubbing his head he would look up toward the top of his head as if saying, "You're not done yet." For all of you who know my dad well, you know that this is very much in character. He enjoys few things more than having his head rubbed.

So we have had a lot of good signs today. He looks great, considering what he has gone through, and he is making good progress. Our prayers are being answered, and we are extremely grateful for all of your thoughts, prayers, faith, and care. Please continue to pray for him as he goes down the long road of recovery.