Mom and I are back in Dad's room again, with the wheeze of the respirator as a gentle reminder he's still with us. It's wonderful.
It's not often that we're both back here- we've been living in the Family Waiting area at the front of the wing since we arrived. As far as hospitals go, it's pretty comfortable. There are reclining chairs that lay flat for sleeping, with mandatory quiet/dark hours from 10:30pm-6:00am. We've set up camp in 2 of the chairs, blankets and snacks in tow, and take turns answering phone calls, retuning missed ones, and going back to Dad's room to bug nurses and ask way too many questions.
Dad's holding steady. He had a bit of a temperature last night, but he had a long day. They administered Tylenol in a place I won't mention, and now he's back to normal.
Today's the day he'll begin to be fed through the stomach tube they added yesterday. Poor thing hasn't had anything nourishment since he's been here. I fully expect to see a little spring in his proverbial step once he gets some grub.
He also got another bath, so he's got that new dad smell. They've been able to prop him up a bit, and like magic the swelling in both eyes is reducing. He looks more like himself than he has all week. Even the nurses who treated him earlier this week mentioned the improvements.
Today's also a day of rest for him. We're watching his vitals like hawks, and still everything is either stable or with slight improvements. Never in my life did I think I'd do a happy dance for increased urine production, but here we are.
Every nurse we've had has been incredible, but today's assignment is one with whom we have a special connection. Mikal has literally been where we are: her former husband also had a motorcycle accident, complete with head trauma. She was actually on the scene before the EMTs. We've had a few great conversations about dad's progress (she's impressed), and she's sympathetic but gives us realistic expectations.
Once the feeding begins, I'm sure there will be more to report. For now he's rocking steady, and for that we're truly grateful.
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Adeline, I'm Ron Fox. I'm in the choir at St. Helena's in Burr Ridge, Illinois and have sung with Ashlee there a number of times. We consider her part of the parish, which given our small size means we consider her part of our family. I've been worried about Tim ever since Bob (our pastor) posted about this on Facebook. We're all praying for Tim and for you and Ashlee.
ReplyDeleteAshlee this blog is great! I hope you will see some improvement since he has the feeding tube, I know I couldn't make it without some kind of nourishment. My voice sounds kinda bad today so I will probaly just call you Sunday. I hollered too much last nigh at the game but it didn't help they lost.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the updates.
Tamara
They can't put hamburger and fries in that tube can they. The blog is an excellent idea. Tell tim I'm thinking about him and praying for him.Don't let your faith run out he's well worth it. If you need anything let me know.
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