Dad Update XIV

So...Duane and I flew down to Des Moines today to see dad.  I hadn't planned on going, but Duane convinced me to go, and I'm glad that we did...if we hadn't, it would have been CHRISTMAS before I was able to get back down there again.

We got there around 11:30, and talked briefly with Robin, who has been there since Thursday.  She's spending large portions of each week down there to be with dad, so that mom doesn't have to keep driving back and forth from Tingley (90 minutes each way, and a trip she's been making almost every day since October 28th...). 

Robin called yesterday to "vent" because dad wasn't getting the care that we thought he should be getting, now that he's in the vent unit.  A couple of things happened last week that "the family" wasn't notified about (including a night where his blood pressure went "whanky", and they couldn't get him stabilized).  Robin had a "come to Jesus" chat with the people at the nurse's station, and was able to talk to doctors, therapists (respiratory, physical, etc.), and we are fairly certain that things are where they should be now, care-wise, and that they will stay that way.

When we got there, dad was sitting up in his chair, and they've now got him on a vent collar, so he can rasp out words (no more miserable attempts at reading lips).  It was good to see him more coherent, and he seemed GREATLY improved from even last weekend when I was there.  I even got a couple of unsolicited winks, and an "I love you" (with some prompting).

His weekend nurse is Laura, a very competent, forceful (but in a nice way), caring person, who we met last weekend.  She's been very reassuring to dad, and has continued to remind him how far he's come (while NOT letting him forget that he needs to work REALLY hard to continue to improve).  She doesn't take his crap, and he knows he can't "smooth talk" his way out of doing what he's supposed to do.

He's still not able to walk, talk much, or do much, and he's doing A LOT of worrying as he's lying there thinking about mom, and insurance, and his job, and fearing that he's going to be an invalid, (and a million other things), but he IS improving.  He's more attentive when being spoken to, and actually DID the exercises that we were instructed to do with him THREE TIMES before we left (thanks to Duane's insistance). 

We DID get a reality check though, as they were struggling to get him from the chair back in to bed.  I realized that we still have a REALLY long road ahead.  At LEAST two more weeks in the transitional vent unit, then a month or more in transitional care at the hospital in Mt. Ayr.

There were also a couple of things that he said, which remind me that he's still not completely back to normal (asking me to open the door to the room...which was already open, and asking how many customers were in the vent unit...even after I asked "do you mean patients?", and still insisting that he meant customers...), but it's a DEFINITE improvement over ANY time during the last 36 days!

One good thing today:  he asked where we ate lunch, and when I said "McDonalds", wrinkled up his nose in a disgusted way...perhaps his diet will take a turn for the BETTER after this is all behind us??!!

Keep praying/sending good thoughts/offering things up to the universe.  It's working!!!