Post-Christmas update

The biggest news is that dad's doctors want to remove all sedation, as they are growing more concerned about dad's neuro status and these tremors he's been having (he'll shake his hand back and forth for a while, then his leg, then his other hand, etc.) The doctors stated that the nurses "won't like it" because dad will probably get really agitated, but they think it's necessary in order to properly assess his neurological condition and determine what's triggering the tremors. They gave him his last dose of sedative at noon today, and Kathy was surprised that dad didn't get as squirrely as she thought he might. He was opening his eyes a lot more throughout the day, but was otherwise unresponsive.

The respiratory therapist turned off dad's ventilator today for the first time and had him do 4 hours of breathing on his own. This is good! Kathy says that he seemed like he was gasping, but the therapist said the issue was that dad was only using his lungs, and neglecting his diaphragm and rib muscles. This is not so good, and is another reason why the doctors really want him off the sedative.

The anti-arrhythmia drugs are no longer being given to him via drip. His heart rhythm seems stable, so they are now only giving him those medications orally, on an as-needed basis.

The results from his ultrasound show that his liver is "fatty" and his gallbladder is "sludgy." I'm assuming this has something to do with the massive amount of meds that have been coursing through his system the last few weeks. The doctors don't seem overly concerned, and think it is likely to resolve itself over time.

Finally, dad had some stitches in his throat that were put in with the trach to hold everything in place. They were able to remove those today.

Jana, Brian, Gina and Ken all left yesterday. I'm so grateful that they were all there while I was. Someone once said, "Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way." While I think that's true to an extent, it makes a HUGE difference to know that there are people around who feel for you and with you, who empathize and understand you, and who can hold down the fort when you just can't deal with reality for that minute/hour/day/week. So - thanks you guys.

(By the way, I am no literary genius - I had to Google that quote to remember it exactly. It was Anne Morrow Lindbergh who said it. And she knew a little something about grief... and resilience.)

Vicki and Frank are now in Reno with Kathy, and I'll be going back on Monday.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!