Sunday Morning

The past two hours have been very optimistic!

Von stopped by on his way to the airport. And I cannot explain how grateful I am that he did. My dad had been off of the sedation for almost an hour by the time Von got here and at that point he was really started to respond by squeezing our hands. Von got the "conversation" started and asked him question after question. I was really surprised to find out how much he was aware of and how much he knew about the situation he is in. I guess I didn't realize that he was listening to everyone talk, even while sedated. LOL!

My dad was able to "tell" me that he was too hot, so I turned down the covers and turned on a fan. That helped him get more comfortable. He "told" me that the intubation was the most uncomfortable part by far. Such a blessing and relief to be able to communicate with him. He is opening his left eye a little and making eye contact from time to time. All good things.

The doctor stopped in with the residents to do rounds, and they were surprised to see how well he responded to the commands. He is squeezing much better on his right hand now and is wiggling his fingers and giving a thumbs up on his left hand. They are currently working on lowering the oxygen output in his tube to see if he will breathe on his own. If he continues to do well with this, he may have it taken out this afternoon. That would be SUCH a relief (for him and us!) On a sidenote, they also added asthma medicine to his tube. I think that helped to make him feel more comfortable.

Its been a long night for everyone. But this morning, I am feeling very hopeful and encouraged that he is making some significant progress. We are still worried and not quite out of the woods yet. But we are feeling much more optimistic. He is obviously working hard to progress. And he is very touched by all of the prayers and support. Keep them coming!

I will probably update once more before I am "relieved" at noon. Hopefully my siblings will continue to update this for everyone!