Watching toe wiggles in the ICU

This is our 6th night in ICU at the Fred & Lena Meijer Heart Center. Dad is still on the vent, but is mostly breathing on his own. They suction out his lungs and mouth & help him 'cough'. I'm amazed at the ingenuity that someone had to invent this gadget, not to mention all of the machines that keep the staff informed of what is happening in his world. He has had a feeding tube for 2 full days, thus the tube removing bile from his stomach was removed. I think they have done ex-rays of his head or chest everyday. The EEG equipment is now gone. He no longer looks like a mad scientist with a gauze beanie! He has a blood pressure cuff connected all the time with a monitor above his bed. He has a pic line to deliver his meds because his veins are near non-existent to find. He is a pin cushion with the blood thinner as it is. Dad gets his belly poked so many times, its a wonder he doesn't spring a leak. The leg cuffs inflate & deflate circulating his blood. He even has an 'air' bed, although it sounds really creepy when it inflates/deflates. It reminds you of a gas line being turned on! The spinal tap revealed NO infection, the MRI & CT Scan showed no signs of stroke or tumors...yay! The doctors are confident that the seizure was caused from the hormonal imbalance from removing the kidney. His blood pressure continues to fluctuate all over the board. The neuro specialist has not seen any seizure activity with the increased anti-seizure meds. They tried waking him up earlier, but he was cringing like he was in pain so they dosed him with pain meds. He does open his eyes but is not consistent with following our voice. He also can squeeze our hands but not always consistent on demand. He WIGGLES his TOES, pulls his arms & legs up, thus requiring comfy wristlets & straps to keep his hands from pulling out any crucial tubing. He has just enough give that he can almost reach tubes & wires. We talk directly to him frequently, looking for signs of fighting through the sedation. We take it one day at a time, praying that when he does wake up he will have his sight back and will not endure anymore seizures.

Kelsey is back in school from her bronchitis/head cold. Courtney & I are both fighting off sneezes. Thank goodness for anti-bac in the hospital. I think its full of germs! Somehow Dave has managed to keep all the sickness away. We hosted the Poms Team for dinner tonight before the Calvin Christian boys bb game against Covenant Christian. The girls enjoyed a croissant roll taco ring, beef & chicken fajitas, salad, chips & salsa, and sugar cookie & ice cream sandwiches. Yes, we have leftovers. The Poms Team dance routine was very hip & they performed it well. Calvin won by 3 pts.

I'm sitting in the not so 'comfy' recliner in Dad's room & its shouting to recline. I'll be here until about 11am when Mom arrives. She has a long day tomorrow, with plans to take my night shift. I am planning to drive Kelsey & a friend to Auburn Hills after school & back home after a game. More on that probably on Thursday.