Steve really looked good today. He is obviously feeling better - seeing the light at the end of the hospital tunnel. He is getting pretty good at using his walker. We took a scroll around the nurses station today!  This afternoon, the nurse unhooked him from the IV. His feeding tube is not hooked up to a machine anymore either. This means he is free of that annoying pole that has to follow you everywhere. 

He was able to sit up in his bed and in his chair much longer today. It was so good to see him grinning and joking. 

Have a great evening! God bless.

Some bad...some good

Sorry for the delay in my posts. I ended up spending the night at the hospital with Steve unexpectedly and did not have my computer with me.  Steve had a hard day yesterday. He was left in a chair for an hour without his call button. He began having a hard time breathing and by the time a friend of ours got there, he was in a cold sweat. I think he had a panic attack. He was pretty nervous and upset when I got there. I know he feels more comfortable with me, so he kind of let out all of his frustration. I was just glad I could be there for him. 

We had a good night. He got some rest and was able to keep his ensure type food down. This morning Dr. Grist came in and they took out his trache! He said that Steve looks good. I got Steve to use his walker a little bit. They want him to be able to get around on it before he leaves the hospital. Of course, he is so ready to go. He offered to come home and get the dishes and laundry done for me! Then when my folks were leaving, he tried to hitch a ride with them :). 

The best part of the progress we saw today was that Steve is able to talk a little bit! It takes a lot out of him, and is hard to understand, but he is already working on it! You truly cannot keep a good man down. Steve was joking with the nurse today. He told her that he would let her put in the new IV if she paid him $5! She was great and joked right back.

Please pray that Steve will keep having good days and feeling better. His migraines are getting to him, but he is trying to stay positive. I'm praying we are over the hump and that things will continue to look up. Thanks for all your love and support.

No News Today

Steve had a fairly good day today. He did get nauseous and throw up some later this afternoon. He was weak and tired this evening. They have put his peg tube feedings on hold for a little while to let his stomach calm down. He still has some pain spikes now and then. Various parts are hurting as they are going through the healing process. Other than that, it was a quiet day. 

Well, enjoy your Friday. The weekend is almost here and the weather here is supposed to be nice and warmer too! Take care.

Wednesday's update

Today Steve progressed a little more. His catheter was removed as was the splint on his leg. He was sitting up in a chair for a few minutes this afternoon! Of course this tired him out immensely so he got back in bed quickly and fell asleep : ) Although he is getting a little nutrition now, he is still very weak and tired. His breathing gets pretty heavy when he moves around or has pain surges. 

Steve's leg looks really good. Originally they had the splint from his knee to the middle of his foot. Now that they unwrapped the bandages and replaced them with only what is needed, I realize how little of the lower leg was actually effected by the surgery. Medical science never ceases to amaze me. 

I look forward to seeing what good things tomorrow brings. Have a great evening and remember to count your blessings, hug your loved ones and make the most of each new day God gives you!!

We're in a room : )

Steve had a bit of a rough time last night for a couple of hours due to pain and discomfort. Thankfully, we had another dedicated nurse who got him over the hump and even helped him improve some. She was "johnny on the spot" with the pain medicine. She sat Steve up so his head was elevated. By morning, his swelling had gone down a noticeable amount, his color was better and he looked more comfortable. About 3pm this afternoon they moved Steve to a room. I was nervous about the transition because the ICU had really done such a good job. The ICU nurse took us up and explained everything to the floor nurses - even how much to raise Steve's head : ). The move took a lot out of him, but he is so glad to be in a room with windows. He feels he has made progress!

They started feeding Steve late this afternoon. This will help his energy and strength level. His stomach has felt nauseous today because it is so empty. Each day brings a little more progress. We are encouraged that the doctors keep saying everything looks great. They had to remove about a third of the tongue that he had left, but he was able to move it around a little today! He constantly amazes us all by his strong will to live and recover! 

In my devotional this morning, one of the verses from 2 Corinthians stood out to me. "Let light shine out of the darkness." I thought of this whole experience we have had, especially the last 16 months. Each and every time that we have darkness, God uses it to shine His light. I like to believe that he takes the bad and makes good out of it. I have faith he will do this for us once again. 

A little improvement today : )

Thanks to all our faithful prayer warriors out there, we had a better day today. Steve is now off of the ventilator! They should be moving us to a room either later tonight or tomorrow morning. Steve's nausea was not a problem today, and he seems more comfortable overall. His leg is not the focus of his pain now, which seems like progress. His jaw is what seems to be hurting him today. He is starting to move around a bit in the bed from restlessness. 

Even though he is terribly frustrated and is still in pain, his sense of caring for others and his humor shine through. Since this is a University hospital, we have interns visiting constantly. Steve's surgery is new to all of them. He continually asks me to volunteer for them to learn from him by examining his mouth. He is writing notes to everyone and gets frustrated when we can't read his writing or understand his hand signals. He actually told me that I "suck at charades"!! I told him he had detention for using that terrible word and being mean to me - ha (the teacher in me comes out all the time)!!! 

All in all, it has been a good day. The doctors are pleased with Steve's progress so far. Hopefully they will begin feeding him through his peg tube tomorrow. He keeps saying he's hungry, bless his heart. 

I am so thankful for all of you! Have a great evening. Rest in the Lord.

Sunday's update

Today has been a bit of a rough day for Steve. He was doing okay this morning, but then had a really tough time with nausea. This would cause a problem for anyone, but add the mouth and jaw surgery along with the trachea and it was pretty bad. After that a migraine started to come on strong. In the meantime, his leg is very painful. I've never had any broken bones myself, but the nurses tell me bone pain is the worst kind of pain. They are trying so hard to keep his pain level down, but he has so many different things causing him pain!

Another issue is the ventilator. They have tried twice to take him off of it, but the pain medicine is making his breathing so shallow, they are afraid to unhook it. If he stays on the ventilator for too long, then the risk of pneumonia soars higher and higher. Evidently, three days is about the most they like to have anyone on the machine. So we are kind of in a "catch 22". 

Steve is getting bed sores because he has not been able to move much due to his leg and all the machines he is still hooked up to. They will test him again in the morning to see if he can come off of the ventilator machine and hopefully he can move around a little bit more. In order to leave the ICU, Steve has to be breathing on his own. In order to breathe on his own, Steve has to tolerate the pain more than he wants to. (His nurse says his lungs are very strong and clear!)

Please pray that Steve will be able to handle the pain a little more while they work to get him off the ventilator machine. Also that his migraine will subside, his nausea will go away, and his breathing will regulate. Then, as the doctors and nurses say, we can begin getting his system on its way to a somewhat normal state.  God bless you!