A change of scenery

Good news! The breathing tube is gone! Yay! The doctors weaned her off of the sedatives this morning as well as the breathing tube, then when they were sure she'd be fine on her own, they removed the tube. It's so good to see her back without it. She's also been moved to a room in the cardiothoracic ICU unit. Her nurse today said he thought she's probably going to be in room 2719 there through the weekend. Another piece of good news is that there's a phone in the room now. The phone number is (919) 966-5368. This is great because, yes, we are running a bit low on anytime minutes, and also because cell reception isn't so great at the hospital.

Moving back to Mom, even though she's been taken off of the sedatives, she's still very groggy. She woke up when we came in today, but her eyelids mostly stayed at half-mast and didn't stay open very long. She woke up off and on the whole time we were there and she actually smiled a couple times. Once when I told her we were going to be her cheerleaders, and then again when Dave and Amber brought Olivia in for a few minutes. Olivia, who is already a great blessing in our lives, is going to be an even greater one now. Nothing brightens Mom up like Livy. I think the rest of us feel better when she's there too. :)

Mom's been pretty uncomfortable and she's experiencing some pain so she's been very restless. She's been throwing one leg off the side of the bed and just generally been kind of shifty. She's been trying to produce a good cough and it's been really difficult for her, so she seems to be frustrated by that and it seems painful besides that. She's still somewhat swollen, especially around her neck, but even in her face, arms/hands, and legs/feet. That will continue to get better the more she is able to move around. Right now she's getting all of these IV fluids, but lying pretty still in the bed so all of that liquid is just sitting there. The nurses helped her get the bed into a position that was pretty much sitting and that seemed to relieve a little of the pressure in her back and sides, and I'm kind of taking it as a good sign that she wants to sit. I'm hoping tomorrow she'll be even more alert, but with that alertness is probably going to be increased pain. At least she has a pain pump and she's able to just hit a button every so often when she needs it. Another improvement to look forward to tomorrow is that she'll probably be getting her first feeding tube meal in the evening. I personally requested she be served steak and potatoes. I'm just not sure they can make that into liquid form.

We have loved reading all of the many comments that have been posted to the blog. It's so assuring to know we are so well loved. We also want to thank those of you who have brought us dinner or who have made plans to bring us dinner in the coming days. It's so nice to be able to focus on just being together. Our family is planning to begin a fast for Mom starting this Saturday and if anyone would like join us, we would love to have your support in this manner as well. We know there is strength in numbers and power in prayers and fasting only increases that power. Thanks again and I'll try to get you all an update a little earlier tomorrow night.