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!!!