sooo....today has been busy...mostly because DAD CAME HOME!!! By nothing less than the grace of our Heavenly Father dad had what the doctors described as a miraculous recovery. The difference between seeing him now and seeing him only one week again is greater than night and day! Though still with a long haul recovery in front of him (and lungs full of scar tissue), we are all still very greatful that he recovered the way he did!
I know that i mentioned the little girl across the hall (who is taking baby steps towards getting better herself!), but while dad was in the hospital there were 18 cases of mostly the same thing (i kid you not...the doctor said that dad was marginally worse) who were brought in....these 18 people are still laying their respective hospital beds with breathing tubes down their throats. This may sound a little extreme....but i promise you that it is not...i tell only what the doctors say!
i dont know if there will be any other posts....i have taught jordan how to blog and am about to teach mom....but my flight leaves in the morning and i too will be looking for updates rather than giving updates....so we would like to take this time to thank dads doctors and nurses, his respiratory therapists and his CNAs for all that they did for our family...each day they seemed to go out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and dad was healing. Thank you everyone for reading and caring. Thank you to the wonderful women who kept our family eating by making us dinners. And finally thank you to our family. We love you all...no one knows how much you have really helped....thank you.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hey this is Jordan... amy was a bit lazy and told me to update this instead. well he's now in a recovery room and is talking avidly, playing card and the whole nine yards. he actually ordered a coke with his dinner! (with the doctors approval of course) but all in all he's much better and is board out of his mind ready to be released. cross your fingers and we'll see how this goes! But doctors are mum with the release date because they want to be 100% sure that he's okay.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Another Late Update!
sorry once again for another late update...this is starting to be a habit! i won't let it though...i promise...i will update until i leave on monday (or tuesday)...after that i will try to teach mom to do it....but no promises there...
today is much better....dad get a sleeping aid last night and got 8 hours of sleep! sleep has been very important for dad and we are so greatful that he has gotten it...it makes him feel better during the day...which makes us feel better.
I forgot last night to tell everyone that the doctor made him try and walk yesterday without the oxygen...and it wiped him out! dads oxygen level fell pretty far after that short walk to the nurses station and back. However, i mention this because it is a great segway into the good news! since dad is feeling better today he asked his nurse if there were any orders to have him walk without the oxygen again....she said no but that it would be a good idea to take it off for a little while (15 min) without walking and then check his O2 level...so he did that and his oxygen remained (or fell just a little bit) to 92%...so from there the nurse told him to walk and then check his levels again....dad did that and his level maintained at 96%!!!! yanno what that means....that means that unless dad feels short of breath he is off of oxygen!!!! yet another step towards recovery!
The doctor just came it and he said that dad is on his way...we still don't know when he is leaving the hospital and the doctor said that he still has a long way to go...but he is on his way. He will probably not feel 100% for another month or even more. dad was really really really sick, and so again i say that it will take a very long time for full recovery.
OH! i forgot to say that dad is finally out of isolation!!! this means that we never have to wear those stinking masks and gloves ever again!! and we no longer have to leave dad to eat! which means that he is never alone anymore! haha!!
thats it for now...if i forgot someone i will update later...have a good day everyone!
today is much better....dad get a sleeping aid last night and got 8 hours of sleep! sleep has been very important for dad and we are so greatful that he has gotten it...it makes him feel better during the day...which makes us feel better.
I forgot last night to tell everyone that the doctor made him try and walk yesterday without the oxygen...and it wiped him out! dads oxygen level fell pretty far after that short walk to the nurses station and back. However, i mention this because it is a great segway into the good news! since dad is feeling better today he asked his nurse if there were any orders to have him walk without the oxygen again....she said no but that it would be a good idea to take it off for a little while (15 min) without walking and then check his O2 level...so he did that and his oxygen remained (or fell just a little bit) to 92%...so from there the nurse told him to walk and then check his levels again....dad did that and his level maintained at 96%!!!! yanno what that means....that means that unless dad feels short of breath he is off of oxygen!!!! yet another step towards recovery!
The doctor just came it and he said that dad is on his way...we still don't know when he is leaving the hospital and the doctor said that he still has a long way to go...but he is on his way. He will probably not feel 100% for another month or even more. dad was really really really sick, and so again i say that it will take a very long time for full recovery.
OH! i forgot to say that dad is finally out of isolation!!! this means that we never have to wear those stinking masks and gloves ever again!! and we no longer have to leave dad to eat! which means that he is never alone anymore! haha!!
thats it for now...if i forgot someone i will update later...have a good day everyone!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Rough Day
sorry for the late update...although...i am sure that once everyone heard the good news yesterday that they stopped following the blog!! haha!!!
well....even though dad is out of the woods he still has a long way to go recovery wise. Today was rough...dad is not feeling well at all and slept little last night.
it has now gotten to the point of the uphill battle of recovery....but at least he is better. dad may have to bring home oxygen...but anything to make him better!
Thanks all
well....even though dad is out of the woods he still has a long way to go recovery wise. Today was rough...dad is not feeling well at all and slept little last night.
it has now gotten to the point of the uphill battle of recovery....but at least he is better. dad may have to bring home oxygen...but anything to make him better!
Thanks all
Thursday, October 15, 2009
...Corners...
it is official! Dad has turned his corner and is out of the woods!!! He just moved out of the ICU!!! Dads oxygen dosage has been reduced, he is no longer on IVs (medicine is being administered via pills), he is no longer hooked up to all the machines, he is finally eating again....and not only liquid...small solid foods, and his strength is coming back more and more.
Dad is still in Isolation...meaning we still have to wear masks and gloves....aparently we will have to until sunday....but as i said before...it is a small price to pay.
We are so greatful for all the prayers and thoughts that have gone out to dad and our family. This illness could have gone the other way as it has for so many others still in the ICU.
As a family we would like to take the time to bear our testimony of the Lord and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Without the Lord we would not have been able to get through this, He has blessed us in so many ways throughout this entire experience. Last Sunday dad recieved a blessing from preisthood members of our stake...since that time dad has never gotten worse....he has either been stable or gotten better. With so many people struggling with this illness it has been an absolute miracle that dad has recovered as he has (the doctor was in awe that he never had to be intabated). We can only attribute this to the Lord, his will for dad and our family, and to the many prayers that have reached him about dad. We Thank him so much for all that he has done.
Thank you too...seriously....thank you.
Dad is still in Isolation...meaning we still have to wear masks and gloves....aparently we will have to until sunday....but as i said before...it is a small price to pay.
We are so greatful for all the prayers and thoughts that have gone out to dad and our family. This illness could have gone the other way as it has for so many others still in the ICU.
As a family we would like to take the time to bear our testimony of the Lord and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Without the Lord we would not have been able to get through this, He has blessed us in so many ways throughout this entire experience. Last Sunday dad recieved a blessing from preisthood members of our stake...since that time dad has never gotten worse....he has either been stable or gotten better. With so many people struggling with this illness it has been an absolute miracle that dad has recovered as he has (the doctor was in awe that he never had to be intabated). We can only attribute this to the Lord, his will for dad and our family, and to the many prayers that have reached him about dad. We Thank him so much for all that he has done.
Thank you too...seriously....thank you.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tiny Miracles That Make Us So Thankful
Dad walked!!! Again the nurses are saying that he is not out of the woods...but each improvement is such a blessing! Tonight dads nurse (who is only the night nurse...but who has been fantastic!) challenged dad to walk...and it went well. Dad was only able to take small steps down to the end of the hall and it really winded him....but at least he walked! Walking is supposed to strengthen his lungs....if done too soon this could put his life in jeopardy again....but the nurse and doctors said that it was time to try which means that through it all he is getting stronger and stronger! And, being strong enough to walk means that he should be out of the ICU soon!! we are praying for it to be tomorrow so that we no longer have to wear the masks and gloves (what selfish reasons right...but that stinkin mask has given me a sty in my eye!).
anyway...dad is going to sleep now...that walk sure did take all of his energy....luckily he doesnt have to be put on that oxygen machine back on tonight....so hopefully tomorrow the update will be even better than it was today!
Have a great night everyone...we love you all
anyway...dad is going to sleep now...that walk sure did take all of his energy....luckily he doesnt have to be put on that oxygen machine back on tonight....so hopefully tomorrow the update will be even better than it was today!
Have a great night everyone...we love you all
...Blessings...
Though not out of the woods (or the ICU for that matter) quite yet...dad is finally on his path to recovery! Daddys oxygen levels are getting better by the day...once again they have lowered his oxygen (this time it is only a trial though) so he is no longer wearing the whole mask he is just on one of those nose tube thingys...they are monitering him closely for the next couple of hours and evaluate where to go from there. The doctor had stopped by before any of us had gotten here...but dad said that the doctor said that he was much better...dad himself also said that he was feeling much better! some meds have even been discontinued!
We still have to wear masks. Dad is still very tired. And Dad is still very sick...he is not considered to have turned a corner (all the doctors and nurses can say is that he is "making good progress"), and could still fall back, but we are just very greatful and hopeful that he has made the improvements that he has.
As we look around this ICU we are reminded of the many blessings that we have. There is a young girl whose room is across the hall from us...she is in here for the same thing that dad is. However, unlike dad she turned the wrong corner. On Sunday this girl was up and talking...by monday she was on life support. We met her mom yesterday and she said that they were giving her two days and then she has to decide whether to pull the plug or not. We feel so blessed that dad is feeling better...even if it is only slightly....this illness is so scary...it is amazing to us that as one person gets better another is dying. We love our dad so much that if the roles were reversed....who knows what we would do. We are so greatful to our Heavenly Father and the many blessings that he has blessed us with thus far, he has been our rock.
Thank you to everyone who has shown concern for dad. we really appreciate all that you have done, even if it is just reading this blog. one of dads nurses asked him the other day who he was that he had so many people visiting him...we are so very greatful for that. Thank you everyone!
We still have to wear masks. Dad is still very tired. And Dad is still very sick...he is not considered to have turned a corner (all the doctors and nurses can say is that he is "making good progress"), and could still fall back, but we are just very greatful and hopeful that he has made the improvements that he has.
As we look around this ICU we are reminded of the many blessings that we have. There is a young girl whose room is across the hall from us...she is in here for the same thing that dad is. However, unlike dad she turned the wrong corner. On Sunday this girl was up and talking...by monday she was on life support. We met her mom yesterday and she said that they were giving her two days and then she has to decide whether to pull the plug or not. We feel so blessed that dad is feeling better...even if it is only slightly....this illness is so scary...it is amazing to us that as one person gets better another is dying. We love our dad so much that if the roles were reversed....who knows what we would do. We are so greatful to our Heavenly Father and the many blessings that he has blessed us with thus far, he has been our rock.
Thank you to everyone who has shown concern for dad. we really appreciate all that you have done, even if it is just reading this blog. one of dads nurses asked him the other day who he was that he had so many people visiting him...we are so very greatful for that. Thank you everyone!
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