Vertical Progress
by tdaxp ~ February 18th, 2007
Yesterday I mentioned dad’s “horizontal progress” — two days ago he was opening his eyes, and yesterday he was kicking his feet, but he hadn’t opened his eyes and kicked his feet. I wrote that:
my folk wisdom (and hope) is that the these improvements are cumulative.
Well, they are cumulative. He’s opening his eyes and kicking his feet. And his arm-wrestling strength is getting stronger, too.
Another “vertical” sign is that when I came in they had my dad’s bed upright, lazy-boy style. He’s lying on his back again, but my dad is active enough that they want to find a comfortable position. (Earlier the nurse experimented by putting up the bed’s guard rails around his foot, but he kicked through them, nixing that idea.)
They are also giving my dad 2100 calories a day for nutrition. Lady of tdaxp told him that it was a good thing she wasn’t in the hospital — that was more than she eats!
My family talked to the cardiologist today, who like everyone else these days if optimistic but stresses patience. He reminded us that as dad recovers he will be tired. I’ve seen this: after a few rounds of “arm-wrestling” my dad’s muscles relax.
I had a dream last night that I was with him and he was responding to commands. For now that’s a dream, but it’s not so fantastic as it would have been only a few days ago.
Pathogenic load reduces...
February 18th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Great Wishes keep going on for your dad
February 18th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Keep up the good thoughts.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Hang in there and keep the faith – sounds like progress – prayers and thoughts still with you and yours.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:00 am
SWJED, ElamBend, and 520 (wu er ling),
Thank you so much for your kind wishes.
My mother and I visited my father again this evening. It was the most relaxed we have seen him in days. His “rest” heart rate was back down to 72, where over the past few days it was at 90. Part of this is the result of a muscle relaxant, but the rest of it is the fact that the tracheotomy and feeding operations allowed us to remove the tubes through his mouth. My dad looks more comfortable than he has in days.
It sounds strange to talk about how much more restful life is for someone in a coma, but that’s where we are. I am a little worried that this comfort will slow the signs we see, but I hope it allows a faster, and happier, recovery.