Lots of Hard Work Today!

Dad has had a very hard day at "work" - therapy - but has done well. Very little nausea issues today. He told me at lunch time - "Lordy be - they are trying to kill me again." Of course he meant that rehab was so hard that it felt like they were killing him! Mom said he was sitting up so straight in his wheelchair today and looked very good and was in good spirits. I was so glad to hear this because I had received a call from him at 3:19 am - he said "I am thirsty and starving - and I am trapped in this place. Can you get me out of here?" Oh how tough it is to get that kind of call. Basically what is happening is, he wakes up in the middle of the night and is confused and scared - they called it "Sundowners Syndrome". . . and most neuroligical patients have it happen. So I just calmed him down and assured him he was not trapped and where he was. . . the nurses got him a drink and found him a snack. By morning when I spoke on the phone to him he sounded calm and good. Please pray for him in that area though - I worry that when he wakes up like that - it will cause his heart rate to go up and blood pressure to elevate.

If you are able to stop up and see him over the weekend - he would love it I am sure - he only has rehab a portion of the day Saturday and none on Sunday. Keep those prayers coming- every day we see a little progress - Shug is coming back to us!!!!

Rehab Continues

Hey everyone - here's the daily scoop. The nausea is still causing dad some problems - he got sick during morning therapy a little bit and some at lunch time. But his afternoon therapy was uneventful. Actually according to dad, they "worked him to death" in the afternoon session. He was worn out - he said it was really hard. . . but he said "I guess that's good." He was in good spirits tonight. We had to laugh at him - Tommy had given him some gum to chew and when he had chewed all the flavor out- he took it out of his mouth and threw it into his bathroom - and almost made it into the toilet where he was aiming for! Overall, he had a good day - the doctor said they will continue to help him work thru this nausea until he can have the gall bladder surgery after his time at the rehab center. We continue to believe he will make great strides in therapy - I know mom is ready for him to get better and come home - she says during the day time all dad talks about is "let's get out of here and go home." Amen dad.

Back at Rehab Again

Well dad made it back safe to Rehab today.  He is in Room 313 again.  He did well in therapy - only minor nausea after lunch.  He is happy to be back at "work".  Mom stayed the night with dad at the hospital last night and then rode in the van with him to Rehab this morning - she is his personal nurse and she is just amazing.  Her health is very good - in fact many of us think she has been looking better than ever (minus the days we spent in the ER- those days took a toll on all of us.)  I really feel like we are turning a corner this time - let's all believe that dad is going to do some amazing things this week and the coming weeks in rehab and make it home for Christmas! Oh yeah - dad says - "tell them they can come see me now."  

Back to Rehab on Wednesday

Well - dad didn't make it back to Rehab on Cork Street today afterall. Evidently there were 3 other new patients headed over there for his doctor and therefore they decided to take dad in the morning around 10am. So dad gets to spend another night at the hospital - which isn't all that bad because they have been doing therapy with him there and his room is nicer and bigger and mom has a couch to relax on next to him. He has had a good day - and evidently dad's internal medicine doctor who came by this afternoon said that dad does need to have his Gall Bladder removed because it is inactive and is one of the causes of his stomach pain and nausea episodes, but they feel it will be best to wait until after he completes rehab and gets back home. Evidently - if you have gall bladder disease, it can flare up and cause symptoms like dads been having, but it doesn't usually last more than a week. In addition, the doctors feel sure he has the Benign Positional Vertigo/or crystals in his inner ear causing the motion sickness/nausea. . . the therapists will try therapy to dislodge that as well. If you are thinking of visiting dad - tonight's a good night at the hospital Rm. 316. We'll keep you posted on the move tomorrow and how he does. Thanks for praying our family thru this minor setback. God is in control.

Good Test Results!

We received some good news - the endoscope and the gall bladder tests were negative for bleeding! His catscan of his brain looks great - his original bleed in his brain has resolved and there is no more signs of any more bleeding. If his vitals are good - blood pressure, heart rate and blood levels - they could send him back to rehab as soon as this afternoon. We are waiting on the internal medicine doc to give him the ok to be transported back to Cork Street. He looks great today - and funny! His voice is great and he is being pampered right now by mom who is feeding him a biscuit! He is laughing this morning and was cutting jokes with his neuro doc- he told her that they should make a movie about him - "Miracle on 34th Street". . . because she was saying how great he looked. He said - "I know how you doctors are - you didn't think I was going to turn out this good." God we are praising you and thanking you this morning for great news- we feel so good about the future. We believe you are going to do great things with him when he gets back to rehab and that he will be home with us for Christmas. Let's pray for no more interruptions in our rehabilitation so we can get our Shug back in the business of shaking hands!

Just Waiting

Not much to report. . . we have been waiting all day for them to do the tests on dad. Looks like he will be heading downstairs for the gall bladder test now. Not sure when they might do the endoscope to check for stomach ulcers. Anyway, he had a great day yesterday - looked so good! Today he is a little groggy, little hard to understand - then again, they have not allowed him to drink any liquids due to testing so he is very dry mouthed, which makes it hard to communicate. If we get any results from the testing today, we will give you another post - but if nothing new happens, we'll give an update in the morning. The way we understand, if the tests do not indicate any internal bleeding of any kind or problems, then he would get to go back to rehab Tuesday or Wednesday. His neuro doc wants one more CT scan of his head before he leaves. The doctor's collective thinking on him throwing up the blood & nausea issues is that- if his gall bladder and stomach are clear - they believe this is just a symptom of the stroke and some inner ear issues (benign positional vertigo). . . and this will be something we will just need to work thru in therapy to control it better. So let's pray that dad's tests are negative, and his CT scan shows nothing but improvement and that his heart rate and blood levels will be stable enough to get him back to "work" as he calls rehab now. Thanks for being along with us on this journey - we couldn't do it without all the love and support everyone is sending our way.

Testing Continues at Hospital

Around 5:30am, they got us into Room 316 (they 1st sent us to rm. 547 - only to be sent back down to the third floor where he needed to be - another 1/2 hour detour). So about 6am, dad and I fell asleep and snoozed comfortably (me on couch) for about 2 hours. Now they are getting ready to check his blood. They took him off the blood thinner last night because his INR was a little too high. Now they will need to monitor him closely and readjust the coumadin to get it back in the 2 to 3 range. The GI doc came in and said he doesn't think that the nausea is related to anything with the stomach or gall bladder, but will do an endoscope tomorrow to rule out any kind of ulcer in the stomach, as well as a nutrition panel thru his blood work. They are not as concerned about the gall bladder now. They also are having a neurologist consult with him to check if they have any other ways of treating the nausea if it is neuro related. His heart rate seems good now. Please pray for the doctors to figure this out - and be able to help him.

We Are Back at the ER

Please say a quick prayer for dad - they called us at about 10pm from Rehab and said they were transporting him to the ER. He is has been throwing up blood today and his heart rate from his Afib condition is over 125. . . they are testing him and treating him for both. We rushed up here to be with him and will let you know as soon as we hear something else.

Friday Eve Update

Dad had a good day at therapy.  He worked so hard.  But he is still having nausea issues. . . not at therapy but at lunch and dinner.  He got sick at lunch and at dinner had bad stomach pains. Doctor is going to work on that.  We took birthday cake up today to celebrate my daughter Lexy's 8th birthday with him today - dad never misses one of our birthdays - he is always there to call and sing to us and celebrate. . . so just like last week we celebrated Brady's birthday with him at the hospital, today we went and celebrated Lexy's at Rehab.  He loved it- he ate the cake and ice cream and sang happy birthday to Lexy by himself!  He was squeezing the boys hands with his left hand before we left and his therapist said he kicked up his left leg today!  So movement is continuing in small bursts - and his strength is coming back a little at a time.  He will only have therapy a half day tomorrow, so he can have visitors tomorrow afternoon and Sunday all day from noon on.  Thanks for your continued support, love and prayers for dad - he is fighting back I can tell you that. . . he is trying so hard.  He was still very soft with his voice today- but the doctors say that happens.  So we look forward to each day - to see his progress and get closer to the day we can bring him home with us.  

Quiet Thanksgiving

We had a quiet Thanksgiving day with dad. We brought dinner up to him in the afternoon and he enjoyed eating it with some of his family. It's hard for him to sit long in the wheel chair though, so he was ready to get back in bed after eating. It takes a lot of work to sit up in that chair with his left side not yet strong enough. He was experiencing a little more pain in his leg and also in his right shoulder - the doctor thinks its spasms in the leg and just muscle aches in the shoulder. He had such a strenuous workout the day before. He rested most of the day. . . with just a few visitors. He had a very quiet day - he was frustrated he couldn't get his voice to work very well. Overall though, we had a great day together - we got him to laugh a time or two and he of course loved his time with family. We hope he has another great day at therapy - we will report later.

Good Day @ Rehab Center

Dad had a good day today. He did suffer a little nausea at therapy, but his blood pressure is back to normal and he was able to participate in all of his therapy sessions. They had him on a machine today where he was using his legs to push back and forth and mom said he really did well with both legs. Dad actually was laughing tonight. He had a lot of visits from his family throughout the day and that is probably what put the sparkle in his smile tonight. He will not have therapy tomorrow, and we are planning to take up some home cooked food to him to celebrate Thanksgiving with him up there. After all, the Kisner family Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without dad - so we are taking a little bit to him. This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for all of you out there praying dad back to good health - our friends, family, and the many adoring fans that dad has made throughout his 71 years. While we would never have imagined that this Thanksgiving we'd be spending in a Rehab facility, we are thankful that we have our father and that he is getting better every day. God is good - and we thank Him for working so mightily in our father's life..

Day 2 - Back at Rehab

Well - we have some good and some frustrating news to report. The patch for motion sickness worked - dad did not get nauseous at therapy today! However, his blood pressure dropped very low and it caused them to stopped therapy and check his vitals - and do an ekg - to make sure everything was okay. He ended up coming back up from therapy at 11:30 on a bed and was under doctors orders to rest the remainder of the day. He did do a little bedside therapy in the afternoon, but he was pretty exhausted when I saw him this evening. He was having difficulty getting any volume in his voice tonight - he was a little frustrated that we couldn't understand much of what he was trying to share with us when he was awake. Otherwise, good news in the eating skills area - he is back to whole foods and doing well with them. He is still getting feeling and having movement on left side - minor, but progress. Just hoping he can gain enough strength to soon be able to at least readjust himself in bed - he gets so sore laying in one position and doesn't have the ability or strength to move to his side alone. The doctor felt like his low BP was just a medication issue - so he has ordered a new dosage to help with that- let's pray that we get that at the right level in order to pickup with therapy again tomorrow. This will be dad's first night alone - we have been taking turns staying with him since he had been back at the hospital because he was waking up at night and having so much confusion and anxiety - but tonight we felt like he was ready to try to get thru the night without one of us at his side. Pray for a peaceful and safe night for him and good day back at therapy. Thanks for being an army of prayer warriors lifting Dad's needs to heaven. . . one day he will be able to thank you himself, but until then, our family thanks you!

Back at Rehab

We made it back to Rehab today! Praise God! His catscan looked good and his blood levels (INR) were at 2.2 when he left the hospital and that is right where they want them. Dad got to the Cork Street Rehab facility early in the afternoon. He went down for afternoon therapy and all the therapists were happy to see him again. They were impressed with his progress since he was last here. He is still having some problems with nausea when moved around a lot and got sick several times while there - so they may try to use a patch tomorrow to help with motion-sickness. His rehab doctor came to see him this evening and was very impressed with the improvement on how he is moving his left side - he made him do it twice just because he was so thrilled. I am here visiting him now - he got lucky - so to speak because he was supposed to have a room mate but that person had to be taken back to the hospital - so we have a room to ourselves afterall. Dad is laying here in his blue PJs watching tv and he looks so comfy and so much like himself. I can just see so much improvement of his overall demeanor. He is definitely up for visitors again - he's missing his company of friends! We are looking forward to seeing dad's progress - if he can get this motion sickness contained - he will really be ready to work hard downstairs. Thanks so much for praying us thru that "scary week" at the hospital with the pulmonary embolisms and bladder infection - it was just like I told dad in the ER that day he arrived back there - "we were just there because God had to show those doctors what else was wrong with him". God did that and they fixed it and now- we are back where we were 11 days ago. . . only this time we are in a better mental state, stronger physically and ready to start getting down to business.

Good Weekend

Dad has had a very good weekend. His blood levels are just about where they want them, and if his catscan of his head is cleared by the neurologist in the morning - then they anticipate by morning he will be ready to be transported back to rehab after 10 days here at Winchester Medical. If all looks good after doctors rounds tomorrow morning, dad will probably get to rehab and hopefully get a partial day of therapy in over there on Cork Street. We don't know what his room number will be yet - apparently the private room he had before being rushed to the ER, is now occupied and we have to share a room until another private room becomes available - we are crossing our fingers on this because it was not an ideal situation for us the first time when we went to rehab and had to share a room. Dad looks the best he has looked since October 16th when this journey began. He is feeling good, eating well, understanding pretty much everything and he has a stronger will to get better than he has ever had! He wants to work hard at rehab and see what this new movement on his left side can accomplish when the therapists see it and can really put it to use. He actually said to the doctor on Saturday that "I know I am getting better, I just get frustrated when sometimes the doctors ask me to move something and I can't for them, yet I sit here all the time and can feel movement in my left side."

Our prayers are for a good report from the catscan in the morning, safe transport to rehab, manageable living arrangements on Cork Street and great success in rehab. And of course, we pray that Dad will not have any reoccuring blood issues or bladder issues. We will update you tomorrow after we see what's in store for us!

Staying for the Weekend

The doctor came to see dad this morning and she told him he would be staying at the hospital for the weekend. His blood levels are still not therapeutic in order to leave and go to rehab yet, so they will continue to work on that and monitor his levels throughout the weekend with the goal of getting him to rehab on Monday. They need to rescan his brain before leaving to make sure the blood thinners are not affecting anything there, as well. He is feeling good though and his bladder infection is now gone and his gout was caught early enough and now gone, he is having a little problem with nausea but mostly when they are moving him around. Since its the weekend, I am sure he would enjoy some short visits from family & friends - he will only have limited therapy on Saturday and Sunday. So we are praying for the continued safe administering of the blood thinners as they increase the levels some- we need it just right. . . and then we can pick up where we left off at Rehab and hopefully get our Shug home for Christmas!

Morning Report from Dad

Well I know dad is having a good day because he had mom call me to tell me the latest news on him so I could post it on the blog! I spoke with him also and his voice sounded better as well. Mom said he looked so handsome - he had just shaved himself and did a very nice job. They gave him a pill for the gout in his foot last night and already his foot is feeling better. He is in the middle of therapy now - mom said he almost got sick during it but probably just from all the moving around they were doing with him. The doctors have decided to keep dad in the hospital thru the weekend to monitor his blood levels before sending him back to rehab - the levels are almost where they want them - but they will not take any chances on discharging him to rehab until they are sure. So actually - I think dad is relieved. He is still a little worried about all that happened to him this week (no wonder!) and the few extra days in the hospital will boost his confidence and prepare him better to begin the hard work next week back on Cork Street. Last night he was pretty fixated on the move and who was taking him and all the hard work ahead and was he really ready - and what about the gout - and so on. Now mom said he just wants to know who is coming to see him tonight! I'll post later if there is more news...thanks for checking in today!

Keeping Watch

It's kinda like a watchpost around dad's room. Between mom during the day, and the siblings at night and the 3 different types of doctors and a handful of nurses . . . we are all just keeping watch over dad to make sure he stays in a positive frame of mind and that he remains stable. Tonight he seemed to be very quiet, yet full of thoughts. Mom said his therapy went well today and he continues to have 2 IVs going for his meds. He was having some tender pain in his left foot tonight and it appears more swollen- we are having it checked out because dad is concerned about it because he has a tendency to get gout bad. Anyway, the doctors feel he may be ready by the week's end to return to Rehab if his blood tests show a therapuetic level of blood thinner present. We'll let you know as soon as we get word that he will return. But for now, it's just a matter of keeping dad company and making him comfortable as he weathers this extra storm that came in our path last Friday. Thanks for praying - the power of prayer can not be underestimated - it really is the answer.

Day 5 At The Hospital

Another day at Winchester Medical, day 5 since dad was brought here from Rehab on Friday morning to the ER. He is still under close watch by doctors and nurses on the Critical Care floor. . . trying to get his medications to a point where they feel his blood is safely, thinned to help against any future clotting and aide in the breaking down of those already in his lungs. He did well in therapy today - it's not easy he says, but he continues to make progress - some days he moves his leg, other days therapists or doctors may only feel the contraction of the muscles which are trying to make the movement. But either way, he is definitely continuing to show a bit of progress daily on the left side. One thing I can promise you that dad has not lost is his sense of humor - those nurses and doctors are amazed at how witty he is. . . he never misses a chance to make someone smile up there.

He is still on antibiotics for a bladder infection and at times has had to have BP meds thru his IV to keep that in a safe range. But overall - he is stable. His voice is very soft right now. I just spoke on the phone to him and he was whispering to me. Still no word on when he might return to rehab- they keep saying a couple more days - until they get his blood thinning medicine at the right dosage. So for now, we are just trying to stay at dad's bedside and keep him encouraged. Based on what the doctors are saying, we think that it would be best if visits be kept to a minimum while he is on the critical care unit at the hospital- because his doctors have really been stressing how much he needs rest. When he returns to rehab - that will probably be the best time to come see him. Or just give us a call ahead of time in his room at 540-536-1354 before coming and we'll let you know if he is up for visitors. Between mom and all five of us siblings, we are keeping watch and company with him around the clock until he is out of the woods with this latest scare. Thank you so much for keeping your prayers for dad going. There is not a quick fix - so we thank you for your faithfulness to pray us thru until dad comes home. And thank you for such encouraging posts on this site - we enjoy reading them so much!!!

One Day at a Time

Well as hard as it is for Dad and many of us - we just have to be patient and take things one day at a time. The doctors say he is doing well with the blood thinners, but needs to stay under the close watch of the neurosurgeon & neurologist and internal medicine specialist until they can safely regulate his blood thinner. He won't be able to leave here until that happens. His vitals have been good until this morning when his blood pressure jumped up a little but - we think that may have been due to how emotional he was this morning. Mom and I arrived at 8am and he was so upset. It was the first night that one of us did not stay here on the couch with him in case he needed something or just needed to see our face. . . and I really think that worried him. He is such a people person - and when his "circle of love" as he calls it- is not there - it can worry him so much. But since we have arrived, mom has pampered him and we have been able to encouarge him again. We are looking forward to the therapist coming again today to see what he can do today - he has continued to move his left fingers and toes. . . he even lifted his left leg up a little bit for his sister yesterday. If we have any more news to report after therapy - I'll post again. Thanks for your prayers and support - we love you guys!

In the midst of a storm-comes a ray of sunshine!

Phillipians 4: 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

God we are thanking you this morning for a good report. In the midst of our storm that began to fall Friday morning at Rehab, you gave us a ray of sunshine yesterday to let us know that your work with our dad is not done - in fact, it has just begun. Dad did not sleep the first 24hours of his re-entry to the hospital Friday, only a little bit. So yesterday he slept several hours during the day - when he awoke - he was a little disoriented and nervous. I have to admit - after having been here since friday at 11am, I was a bit nervous and tense too. So with the help of a friend, I began speaking the scripture above over and over and over. And then something amazing happened. . . read the next verse.

Phillipians 4:7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And that is what happened - we began to feel some peace come over all of us, including dad. His vitals became stable and he began to speak more confidently saying, "I think they might be able to fix me." Then his physical therapist came in to do some bedside therapy and the most encouraging ray of sunshine came into our day. Dad was able to lift his LEFT LEG up from the bed 4 times! Thank you Lord - because you hear our prayers and answer them in the darkest of hours and give us the encouragement we need to sustain us thru the storm.

We are not sure how many days they will keep dad here - but I am sure they want to keep him until they feel he is out of the woods with the pulmonary embolism condition (clots). Then hopefully we'll get back over to rehab and be able to continue our journey back to health there.

Now we can see that this trip back here was not a "setback" - but a step up. Yes, we did have a life-threatening experience, but our faith was increased as we believed in God to help dad thru this storm - and out of it we received even more evidence that God is right there beside of Dad. We are celebrating today that dad has had signficant movement on his left side. He was just showing off for us. He's been asking for his Jeannie since I arrived at 6am. When mom arrived at 7am, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. She held his left hand and massaged it a little and then said ok shug, let's see you move it. And right away, he wriggle his fingers. THANK YOU GOD. . . I'm so glad you are in control!

(Sorry for the chapter book here today - just so happy - and want to share our good news.)

24 Hours After ER

Well here we sit - back in the 3rd floor waiting room where our journey began 26 days ago on October 16th. They finally got dad in his room here around 11pm. . . and by 1:30am they began the Heparin drip of blood thinners. The 4-hour check of his blood has his blood thinned at where they need it to prevent future clotting issues and to also make the flow of blood thinner in his lungs where the clots exist. The body will need to absorb those clots over time, and until then the doctors are keeping close watch on dad to make sure that his blood does not thin too much and cause another major bleeding episode on his brain OR that one of the current clots does not break off and head to his heart. Now we have to just sit and pray and believe for God's mercy to remove all of the sickness and disease in his body and restore dad for the journey that still lies ahead. Our family made the decision last night to get a room nearby at the Marriott so that mom could sleep, but also be close by if an emergency arose. We all took shifts thru out the night - sleeping and staying with dad so that everyone could get a little rest. Right now dad is sleeping because he stayed up all night - we'll post later tonight and give everyone an update. Thank you for covering dad in prayer - we feel it, even though we are at least 30 minutes away from most of you!

Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
3 Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever."
4 Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."
5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

ANOTHER UPDATE • 9PM

Dad has had the procedure done to place the basket in the big vein that carries the blood up to the heart - which will protect against future clots. Thank you God for making that happening so quickly. We had to make a difficult decision tonight and that was whether to wait and let the clots clear on their own which would be a long and dangerous process - because they could break off and go to the heart, or cause distress to his heart because of how hard it will work and that could cause pulmonary hypertension - which is not good. OR we could allow them to begin giving him a low dose of blood thinners to help dissolve the clots. The big concern there is that due to his previous bleed on the brain - they are concerned the bleed could happen again and cause further brain damage, or worse. The neurologists saw him today and felt it was safe to take this approach due to how much his previous bleed had healed and that it had been almost 3 weeks since the stroke. The latter is the quickest way to get dad out of immediate danger, but comes with many risks too. Whew - what a decision. But Dad comfortably lifted his hand to the doctor and said - "doc, I'm in your hands. . . I trust you guys - you are the specialists." So, as I write this, dad is in the process of getting into a room, and having the IV drip of blood thinners begin. They will monitor his blood every 4 hours to make sure the blood is not thinning too much - and be able to react if needed. Friends and family - we just have to let God step in here as we trust these physicians to make the necessary steps to do what Dad needs. Only God knows what the outcome is, but we trust Him and ask Him to carry us thru. We will keep vigil until we can feel Dad is out of the woods. Prayers for mom are appreciated, this has been a very hard day on her.

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS MORE THAN EVER

Ok - this is our time of deepest need. We have received some difficult news. They have found a large area of clots in dads lungs. Because of his bleed on the brain from the stroke, they can not give him the blood thinning medicine to dissolve them, so we need God to quickly dissolve these things and save our dad. They are going to do a procedure tonight - an interventional radiologist is coming to put a "basket" in to filter the blood and keep from any more that may form. . . and the rest is up to our Lord and Saviour. Right now dad is resting in the ER -- mom is by his side holding his hand. Dad also has a bladder infection which they are treating him for with antibiotics. We are waiting to get a room - we don't know when that will happen - we are waiting to see whether the procedure comes first or the room. God - pour out your mercy on us tonight - keep my mom strong in her time of weakness - we trust you for a new day and a new report and the miracle that we have been believing for. . .

Update from last post

We are actually not at ICU but in the ER at Winchester Medical. We were told by the ER nurse that dad had experience a dizzy spell & threw up at the Rehab center - when they realized his blood pressure was so low, the doctor said he needed to be transported here to have tests run and determine what was going on with him. They have done a catscan of his head, drawn blood, taken a urinalysis and are running tests to see what's up. He was "bone dry" as the nurse said when he arrived - so they have begun IV fluids to help correct the dehydration. I have seen him and he doesn't appear to have any setbacks in speech or mental capacity - he is just sorry for "causing everyone so much trouble." We are waiting on results and will let you know when we receive them. Our progress meeting for this afternoon is now postponed until we determine what is wrong and whether dad will need to be admitted here or be able to return to rehab. Thank you for covering him and us in prayer. I tried to encourage dad by saying that "maybe this is your body's and God's way of telling the doctors that they are overlooking something." And just maybe if we figure that out - then we can make even more progress when they get that all straightened out - we have made way too much progress this week in Rehab to have a setback now - let's all believe that this will turn out for the good.

Psalm 71:18 (New International Version)
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

NEED PRAYER FOR DAD

Dad's doctor just called my mom at home and told her that they are transporting dad back to Winchester Medical Center to the ICU - his blood pressure has dropped too low and they feel he needs critical care right away. I have no more details, but mom and I are on the way up there now. PLEASE SEND UP THE PRAYERS FOR DAD - I will post when I get more information!

This is Hard Work

Today we tried a new approach to help dad start his day off on a good note and without so much worry. We called up to his room around 6:30 this morning and his nurse helped him answer his phone. We talked about his night and my son Robby talked to him about the WVU football game tonight - he sounded in good spirits and was ready to eat breakfast. I told him I would be bringing mama up in a couple hours and for him to work hard and not worry about mom - she'd be there when he finished. So when we got there at lunch time, he was one tired puppy. He didn't even go down to the dining hall. The nurses said he had eaten a great breakfast and that he worked so hard in therapy that they felt he needed a nap before lunch. I got to talk with him before he nodded off - he told me how hard of work it was at therapy and then he asked for some "warmed up" blankets so he could take a nap! Mom said when he woke up he was feeling better and he ate a little lunch before going to afternoon therapy. Mom said the therapists are very proud of dad's progress this week. They put Dad's sneakers on him today for the first time and he said it felt so good. Then the therapists stood him to his feet and held him up and began teaching him balance and how to support himself with the good side. Of course for this first time, he was completely supported by the staff, but it was a great feeling for dad to actually stand to his feet for the first time in 23 days- even if he did have a therapist on both sides! We are really looking forward to our meeting with dads rehab team tomorrow afternoon - and we'll let you know how that goes. Thanks for all of your support and continued prayers - it is an unbelievable feeling to know so many people are lifting dad up in prayer. The cards and pictures and visits are really what dad looks forward to - so keep that coming - after all, dad's love language is people. When people are around him, it keeps him encouraged and keeps his mind off where he is.

A Good Report REVISED

Today was a great day. Now I will tell you that even in the midst of a very significant achievement - dad also had a very emotional day too. He is worried about mom- when we arrived around 12:45 and when he awoke for therapy about 1:45, he was upset and thought something had happened to mom - he thought that he had disappointed us because he got sick on Monday. He really thinks he had a setback with this stomach thing - I think he is just afraid of something else happening to him. He wants to get better so badly.

As he was sharing this with us, his therapists who were taking him back down for his afternoon work, encouraged him by telling us that his occupational therapist had notice some movement on his left side today - just a little bit in his wrist, but anything like this is a good sign. This was so exciting - that mom and I decided to sneak down and watch his therapy. And in fact, his occupational therapist was kind enough to let him "show off for us." She held his left arm and asked him if he could lift his wrist up from the dangling position it was in - and sure enough - he did - 2 times. And he even wiggled a few fingers. This was such a joyful moment for us. Hard to describe the feeling. Baby steps, yes - but in some ways - milestones!

Even though dad has not eaten today due to his stomach still feeling queazy, we are going to focus on the good report - no matter how small - and be grateful for that! Thank you to all of his friends, family and co-workers who are visiting him at the Rehab center - it is so encouraging to him . . . and us, especially mom!

Let's believe for more God moments this week!

REHAB Continues - week 2

When mom and I arrived today around 11:30am, dad was in therapy. He was learning to sit up on the side of the therapy table and balance his weight. He was also doing some range of motion exercises. While we have yet to see any indication of movement on the left side, the therapist did say his posture is improving when he sits up and he was much more receptive to the therapy today than last week. He is still a bit queezy - he ate just a small breakfast and lunch. The highlight of my day was when we were sitting at the lunch table talking and he reached over and put his right arm around me - I just leaned over and enjoyed that moment - definitely an unforgettable moment right there. After lunch, we went to his room where he rested for an hour before afternoon therapy. After dinner he got a bunch of vistors and mom said he did really well with everyone - he spoke with each visitor and truly enjoyed their company. Today the case worker scheduled a family meeting for us for Friday afternoon where the doctor and therapists will give us a progress report and also begin helping us put together a plan for his eventual discharge - there are a lot of things that we will need to do in order to prepare mom & dad's house (ramps, moving furniture, railings, possibly new hospital style furniture and redoing the bathroom as well) But for now, we will focus on the fact that today was a good day - and we PRAISE GOD from whom all good things come!

Rehab Week 2

Today has been a little bit of a difficult day for dad. He became sick to his stomach this morning and threw up. This scared him and also embarrassed him. He was afraid that he had another stroke or a seizure - I think because he got sick like this at work the day of his stroke. But it was nothing like that - he was looking pretty good by 1pm when Mom and I arrived. He said they are making him eat too much and he just got too full. So maybe that's it. He had a lot of vistors yesterday and everyone brought him something sweet - he couldn't resist tasting it all! Plus, mom said he ate all of his dinner last night - so maybe it was just too much. So, since it took them a while to get him all cleaned up again - he missed morning therapy. He wanted to skip afternoon therapy but mom and I convinced him to do the therapy in his room. He is resting now. He really wants to come home. That's all he talked to me about today was - he wanted to meet with the administrator of this place and get his transfer to home processed. I explained to him how important the therapy was to help him get stronger so that we can take care of him at home without being in danger of him falling and hurting himself even more. The therapists thought he did well with therapy in the room today compared to last week - so that is good.

Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Dad told me today he is praying everyday that God will help him get out of that bed - and that is our prayer as well.

A DAY OF REST

Hey everyone - first of all, thank you for all of the cards that you are flooding dad and mom with - she loves reading them to him in his room each day. He loves pictures too - so feel free to send him those too. On Sundays, dad does not have therapy-so today he got to enjoy all sorts of visitors. . . some as far away as Franklin, WV. Dad has touched so many peoples lives near and far, and in times like this, it touches his heart to hear from so many of you. He was somewhat tired and quiet today. He doesn't like to sit up in his wheelchair very long because he says it just hurts and it makes him cold. He still wants to be wrapped up in warm blankets. He ate a little at every meal and hopefully that will help his strength. Today he kept talking about going home - he wants to leave so bad and he just misses mom terribly when she is not there, which isn't much - just at night time. He called her at 5:30 this morning and needed her - she is holding up pretty well - the nurses are keeping an eye on mom too! We are trying to protect her from over extending herself. Would you guys join me now in a prayer for dad as you read this?

Heavenly Father, today I held your son Shug's hand as he told me how hard this stroke has been for him. He told me that he is praying to you every night to heal him and make him strong so he can come home to us soon. Father we join with Shug and ask also that you would answer His cry to you for healing and strength. God we believe our dad has so much more to do for you- but he is afraid he won't get the chance to unless he can pull thru this diffiicult season. Give us all the strength to continue our fight and the comfort of feeling you close - rise up our Shug - in your precious and holy name we pray - Jesus Christ - AMEN!

REHAB Day 6 PM Report

Good evening... we just got home from visiting dad. He is talking well still and seems to really understand where he is now and why he is there. . . I really believe next week we might get a real feel for if he can or will respond to therapy - he still has no movement on the left side. But his vitals are great, he is beginning to eat a little more at every meal and he thinks and talks about things coherently. The doctor really feels we will have better results with physical therapy now that he is medically more sound. This new room is the best. It is warmer, cozier and has a couch for our mom to rest on while caring for dad. Dad sad some really sweet things tonight - like "i hate to be selfish, but do you think you could warm those blankets up in the dryer one more time for me?" He has been so cold with his stroke. Also, he was happy that our brother Tommy's granddaughter was born today. She is precious - and she picked a great day to be born - it's Tommy's birthday! The proud grandfather took pictures of her and went and developed them and had them up to show dad within an hour of her birth! After tucking him in with his toasty warm blankets, we read him a couple of Psalms from the Bible and he was ready for bed, then he told mom he would be waiting for her in the morning. Let's all believe together that next week will be our week to see some movement or feeling on the left side. God is still in the miracle business. . . amen.

REHAB DAY 6 • Saturday, Nov. 3rd

Mom went up early today and helped dad with breakfast. She was happy that he actually ate a little bit this morning for her. She said he seemed much better this morning compared to last night when his blood pressure had dropped and he became so tired. She was watching him in physical therapy when I spoke with her. They are actually going to be moving him to another room again today. It looks like room number 3309 is a warmer private room which became available today. So if you are trying to reach dad thru mail, phone or visit - it's now 3309 - or just ask the nurses when you get off the elevator. I will be heading up there later today and when I get back I will give everyone another update.

REHAB DAY 5 • Friday, Nov. 2nd

Well today there is not a whole lot to report. Dad slept most of the day. His blood pressure ended up ironically being really low due to BP medicine they have him on, so the doctor recommended he "sleep it off". He needed that rest anyway. And they are adjusting his meds to correct the situation. Mom and Pam spent most of the day with him, and said he woke up for about an hour before they left this evening and he was alert and coherent. Thanks for your support and prayers. . . we couldn't do this without you guys!

REHAB DAY 4 • Thursday, Nov. 1st

Just got home from seeing dad and I have to say that his private room seems so much more conducive to his healing process. Today, mom got a phone call from dad about 1pm - he had the nurses call her because he was so cold and because he wanted her to come see him. So you know mom, she got some of his favorite blankets and clothes and a few other goodies and headed up the road to take care of him. He was actually in physical therapy when she and my brother Tommy arrived and they were able to observe that. He slept until dinner time and then enjoyed some visitors thruout the evening. He seemed to be clearer with his thoughts, and calmer and more at peace. He talked again about how he never knew that a stroke could be so hard on a person. Dad really piped up when the doctor was visiting and explained to us that when dad gets tired - how important it is for us to let him sleep and not keep him awake. Sleep is so important to his healing, as is therapy - dad responded "that's the best thing I've heard all day." The doctor is not ready to assess his progress - too early, but he did ease my fears. I was concerned about the fact that he was in critical condition for so long that we may have missed an important opportunity to regain things on the left side. The doctor said not to worry - that dad was in very critical condition in the hospital and his brain could not have withstood any of that. His doctor said that we hadn't lost any time yet and that their goal was to get dad home as soon as possible so that we could continue his care from home and that we should be patient and realize that it may take six months to a year before we really see dad's full potential. Dad and I laughed because he and I are the worse when it comes to patience - I told him we'd work on that togehter - one day at a time. We just have to remind ourselves and him daily - baby steps - we have to be patient and let God be in control. One of the last things he said to me before we left tonight was - call the pastor and tell him for me to keep the prayer line going - I told him not only would I do that, but that I would let everyone on the blog know too. Thanks again to all of you who are following dad's journey - you give us strength and encouragement and we appreciate all the support we have received. Mom is saving every single card to let dad read when he comes home and I will eventually print this blog and your posts so that he can read it, as well as the many emails that I have received. Thanks again everyone - good night!