Tuesday, 11/24

For a guy in a coma, Dad's sure making progress.

He's breathing almost completely on his own. His heart rate is normal, except when he hears Mom reading to him, when it accelerates (read: he's in there). His circulation is still improving, and I can't wait to see him tomorrow.

I was called by Dr. Wagner today to grant consent for a small procedure. They've implanted an IVC in one of his veins. Because he's laying still and not moving around, he's at a higher risk for blood clots, specifically in his legs. Should one of those travel to his heart, it could get passed rather quickly to his lung, resulting in a pulmonary embolism. These are incredibly dangerous and could be fatal (I lost a singer friend of mine to one of those earlier this year). The IVC will act somewhat like a sieve, allowing blood but not clots to pass back up to his heart. I granted consent, and the procedure was completed seamlessly before 6 pm.

Tracy, his day nurse, gave him a great report, as did Kelly, a new evening nurse. Again, our outlook is positive. We must, because the alternative robs us of our sanity. We understand the length of this process, but we know the amount of fight he has in him. Besides, after surviving as much as he has, and defying countless predictions, how do you not have faith?