Day #8 (part 3)

The watch that daddy was determined to have back.

It was dropped overboard and obviously, Daddy couldn't get

it off of his mind. So he made a deal with some friends from the ward.

They put on their scuba suits and found

it on the bottom of Pineview, a week later, still ticking.

The power of Suunto.

Just to round off the evening....

Matthew and I stopped at the hospital hoping to get in on some awake time with Daddy.

Success!!! He opened his eye and we had a great little conversation! His throat is very sore. The doctor said that usually they deflate the balloon before pulling it out. So when these rebel guys take out their own tubes, they miss out on the opportunity of dealing with the professionals and it can be quite painful!

He was extremely lucid, and knew who we were. We were wondering if there was some slight memory loss earlier, but he was right with us on everything.

He would keep falling asleep and then every 30 seconds or so would wake up and we would keep going with the conversation. He kept asking for some water. We were allowed to let him suck on a sponge on a stick that we dipped in water. After a few swabs of those he sighed and said "can't I have something else?"

(he sure sounds like my grandpa Harold

with his raspy throat!)

We rounded up a nurse and got him a tiny bit of orange juice. 

"Oh that is excellent!"

"Give me some more!"

"More please!"

"That's delicious!"

"More please"....

"Daddy, who is your favorite kid?"
"You. More please"

His voice got a little less raspy. But oh was he tired. He gave our hands some very strong squeezes! We couldn't get him to open that left eye for us, though he had done that earlier.

We played him the theme song from "All Creatures great and small" and there was a definite look of satisfaction with that little tune.

It was so good! He is definitely with us! We are just praying that his oxygen levels stay up so that he can stay off the ventilator. The doctor said that just maybe he could have something to eat tomorrow. Mom laughed when we told her that he was continually requesting food. Apparently, every time he wakes up from anesthesia, he always wants grapes and cantaloupe.

He said "where is your mother?" 

"She is on a walk with a chum."
"Oh boy!"

He was so very tired! He kept squeezing our hands and fell asleep squeezing mine. We could have stayed all night!!

He had a few coughing fits that scared us. He kept adjusting to get comfortable on that short little bed. And oh boy, was he a sucker for the orange juice!!

Still no visitors, he still isn't strong enough. But we are hoping that he will be moved soon.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!!! What a tremendous fast! I know that it helped him and it sure made us feel a lot stronger and more optimistic!  



Today was awesome and included some laughs.  This is Shaye.  Around 5pm, I went back to visit him.  He was wide awake and said, "Hi." when I walked in the room.  It's amazing to hear his voice after silence for so long, even though it is quite groggy/froggy.  I said, "Hi there.  Isn't this a crazy situation?"  He said, "Yeah."  I asked him several questions and he was answering most of them.  I even told him that he was the one who pulled out his ventilator and he said, "Wow, really."  I asked him if he wanted to watch some All Creatures Great and Small movies and he said he did.  I asked him if he could see the TV which was showing Jeopardy at the time and he said he could.  I asked him if he needed anything and he said, "Root Beer."  I explained that he couldn't have any of that and he said, "I'll talk to the girl (nurse) about it."  When I was leaving, I said, "Rich, I gotta go now and get home to Amanda and the kids. So I will see you tomorrow."  He raised his hand to me and said, "Carry On."  We saw his old personality today which made us all laugh.  Earlier during lunch, after a large burp sound, he nodded his head proudly and Amanda said, "Glad you still have your sense of humor," which made him nod again.  Progress is slow in some ways and fast in others.  It may be a long road, but everyone feels blessed right now. 

Day #8 (part 1)

We had a feeling that he was being trixy, and he was!

He pulled out his ventilator!

Apparently he figured he was done with that.

The nurse said that he is doing so well, that they are leaving it out for now and hopefully for good!!

The nurse said "Rich, how are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"

"Good.... water and sports."

Very froggy sounding, but as clear as you can get after having a tube down your throat for almost a week.

He got the sports but can't have the water.

A sucker maybe? Do they keep those in the ICU?

She gestured to my mom (who apparently screamed when she walked in and saw that the ventilator was gone) and said, "Richard, who is this?"

"That is my wife, Michelle."

He still cannot have visitors, but he did

get to hear some grand kids on the phone.

"Papa! I having juice! Lets swing!"

I wouldn't be surprised if my mom was walking around

the hospital hugging everyone!

It had been a bit of a dismal morning, I think that this news at lunch time has us all rather elated!!

some really good reasons why we love him so much



Day #7 (a thrilling little update)

"tall guy in a little bed.... tall guy in a little bed!"..... if anyone has seen Tommy Boy

Over 12 hours without his pain killer and guess what? Good things are happening!

The nurse was showing my sister just how swollen his left side was and opened his eye for him - his left must weigh bricks - but she opened it for him and he was able to keep it open! Wow!! He was able to hold all the pictures that are hung up behind his bed! Charlotte handed them to him one by one and he held them by himself and looked at them with both eyes!

He was very active! He is doing all he can to lay flat in his bed. He must hate that 30 degree angle because he is scooting down so he can lay more comfortably. Also she said that he is doing everything in his power to pull out his breathing tube. He wiggles down and follows his restraining straps with his hands, and is tugging on them and scooting his head down to pull that thing out! We have a Houdini! Not only that, but his gag reflex seems to be coming back full throttle and he is starting to cough and gag on it! This isn't torture, those are the signs that indicate that the breathing tube won't be necessary much longer. The nurse says we are well on our way and we are keeping our fingers crossed!!

Matthew went after work and gave Daddy a blessing. He gave Matthew's hand a big squeeze. He was tired by that time.

Mom was laughing at what a conniving guy he is and warned the nurses that he would find a way to pull out his breathing tube and that they should watch him closely!!

Goodness! Things were feeling so heavy, and not that things have improved a lot, but this is all great news!!

Hurray! Daddy is gagging!.....

Thank you for your prayers and your thoughts! Only a few hours into this fast and already we are seeing so many wonderful things! This long road ahead doesn't seem so rough tonight!!

Day #7

(It is a Polish tradition to put a lock on this particular

bridge. It means your love will last forever.)

 

We anticipate that Daddy will be in ICU for another week. Medium care will be for approximately two weeks and then aggressive hospital physical therapy will be another 3 to five weeks.

His recovery may take months or even years. Again, he isn't allowed visitors for now. The reason for no visitors is because the stimulation that his brain must have right now, must go towards standing, swallowing,

eating, moving his arms and legs and all the other 'normal' activities that we usually don't have to think about. Conversation and visits divert his brain from what is necessary right now.

We are fasting for him today, and breaking our fast Wednesday at dinner and we

are fasting and hoping to be inspired as to how we can help him the most and bless his heart, to get

that man to progress enough that we can get that blasted tube out. We already are feeling some inspiration and here is what has come to us.

First, since he does suffer from anxiety, we are going to reassure him and constantly tell him specific encouragement that he will have an enjoyable life.

Number two, we are going to ask the surgeon if we could use music in any of his therapy. Daddy LOVES music so much that if we could just play some of his favorite tunes during physical therapy? Who knows, maybe.

Third, we have maybe 20, 8x10 pictures of him and family and we are going to take them off the wall and show him a few a day for healthy reminders of what he has going for him.

 

 In physical therapy, they

are trying to get him to stand up. Four people holding him and completely

supporting him is 'much progess'. We discovered that his pain medication might be the reason why he is so stinking drowsy in the morning when the doctor sees him. He doesn't take pain medication during the day, but the night nurses have given him some when he requests it. So the doctor ordered tylenol for future pain relief and we will see how that affects things. It is so hard to get him to try and do things when he is asleep.

Not much by way of hand squeezing today. He is so tired from physical therapy!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

The doctor says that everyone is different and heals at a different rate. He is very optimistic for his recovery.

 

(A medieval Polish prison)

To Grandpa, From Nik

With Love!

Day #6 (part 2)

Daddy and Mom bought a sailboat this last spring and on one of their first voyages out it fell right off the trailer due to a preemptive strap removal.  Daddy and the boat took a tumble and here is where everything skidded to a stop.  The dock guy looks a little disappointed, but the proud owners maintain joy in ownership.

Daddy had his first physical therapy session this morning.  It pretty much consisted of the therapist doing every bit of the work, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to the floor for him and holding him up.  She tried to get him to support himself in a sitting position, but he wasn't having it yet.  He peeked one eye open and that was the sum-up of his performance.  We couldn't help but feel pretty discouraged.  In the afternoon session of therapy he was able to hold himself up with the therapist assisting his balance.  Andrea called her baby girl, Scarlett (The Bop) to be a motivating voice over speaker phone.  He tried to lift his head when he heard her.  It was pretty sweet to hear and see. He still can't talk because of the breathing tube.  We worry about weakness on his entire left side, but realize that we are in the very beginning stages of this and just need to be patient. Mom told him that he needed to help in his recovery by trying to do strength exercise.  So, he gripped the sides of the bed without opening his eyes and tried doing some crunches and leg lifts.  That made him pretty tired so he slept it off for a few hours.   

On a brighter note! Daddy interlaced his fingers between Mom's fingers like he always does to hold her hand.  He waved at Andrea when she came in the room...as much as the restraints allowed. This daddy of ours likes to pull his tubes out. He pulled out his arterial line which reads his blood pressure all by himself! How helpful of him. :) The nurse said that they were planning on taking it out anyway so he was just being very involved with his care.

He also gave me (Char) 2 great big yawns when I stopped by after work today. I'm trying not to be offended. :) Last but not least he gave one of his strongest coughs today!

For anyone interested, we are having a family and friends fast beginning tomorrow evening at 6.  If Daddy doesn't come off his breathing tube within the next couple of days they are going to do a tracheotomy.  Though temporary, it is something we really don't want him to have, so our fast is for him to be strong enough to breathe all on his own.

Thank you all again for your love and prayers sent our way! We feel like we're living in a hug these days:)



Day # 6 (Part I)

Thank you SO much for the outpouring of prayers, thoughts, and love directed towards our father and family. When you stand in my father's room in the ICU it feels like you're standing on holy ground.
 
In the way of an update, quite a bit happened this morning! Dad was taken in first thing for another CT scan and the results were very positive. His brain had been pushed to the side 1.6 cm from the pressure created from the hemorrhage and now his brain has shifted nearly back to normal.  Hopefully the phrase, “that guy’s just a little left of center” won’t apply to my father for very much longer. J
 
Today also started my father’s first regimen with Physical Therapy…  A team of physical therapists had him out of bed and moving (this blows my mind – and they’ll be doing this twice a day for the next little while).  He’s very weak on his left side.  This could mean a lot of physical therapy in dad’s near future.  He’ll be thrilled…
 
A concern is that he’s still dependent on the ventilator for breathing.  He’s just not waking up enough to breathe on his own.  Even though he’s making wonderful progress, responding to questions, giving hand squeezes, and moving both sides of his body, he’s still got some work to do to get out of the ICU, and getting rid of the ventilator is priority one for right now. 
 
Finally, my mother is holding up well.  I’m amazed at what a pillar of strength she is - Truly an elect lady. 
 
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  They make all the difference! 

I’ve included one of my favorite pictures of my dad from my childhood.  He spent over two years in the Cook Islands as a young man, and yes, he did catch this shark (as he tells it with a rope, hook, and rotten fish).  You can only imagine the thoughts that crossed my young mind when I first saw this picture of my Old Man - Yeah, he’s pretty cool!

Day #5

(wearing his dad's glasses and hat)

This morning, dad gave the nurse

two thumbs up and opened both eyes

and wiggled all of his toes!!!

It was a very quiet day and he

is exhausted from yesterday!

The nurse said that we had to whisper

because even hearing the tones of our

'normal' voices made his blood pressure go up.

Mom stayed with him all morning.

She was told that he was doing very well,

but very tired. Yesterday she said "honey, it's me. Do you know who I am?" (squeeze) "should we sell the four wheeler?" (nothing....)
The goal for today was

to 'wean from vent'. He is doing most

of the breathing and when I was there it was

rather frightening because the ventilator would

beep saying "the last two breaths were less

than they should be" (so to speak) but the nurse

said that was all a part of him waking up.

Since he was taking very deep breaths after

that - she said to keep calm - all was as it should be.

His neurosurgeon came and flipped on the lights.

Dad immediately started to stir.

He had him open his eyes, squeeze his hands and wiggle his toes. He asked him to lift up his legs and arms but he was too tired. The doctor seemed very pleased and said, "if you wouldn't mind stepping out I am going to remove the drain from his head.... sucher kit nurse!"

Yes sir!!!!

He is now wearing a white turban, as opposed to the
band aid colored one... and drain less!
Two more things before he can leave ICU!

Cheers!!!!

When my brother and sister (and their spouses) went to visit, daddy opened his eyes and saw them. He nodded in response to my nephew's plea to "please don't sell the four wheeler." He followed the nurse with his eyes and moved his head to keep her in his sight.
He seemed hot and when the nurse asked him if he wanted a fan she got a big 'yes!!'

He gets another CT scan tomorrow and the doctor says he is making excellent progress and they need to be getting him moving about soon.

He squeezed my hand many times today and they were strong, good squeezes!

Thinking of You Today, Dad

 

Day #4

Apparently he ran two marathons today!

The sedation-vacation was a huge success!

Apparently daddy is a bit of a light-weight when

it comes to sedation drugs.

10 minutes after they took him off the sauce, he

became agitated. He started being very responsive

to the nurse and the doctor said it was 'amazing and

rather astonishing'.

That was VERY good news!

The moment Amanda walked in the room he saw her and gave her a little wave.

(that was my favorite part of the day)

He opens his right eye. The left appeared to be

a little swollen. Though I think he opened that later. He looked right at my mom and squeezed her hand. He made eye contact with me and looked at the wall where all the pictures that the grand kids had made were plastered. He squeezed all of our hands. He moves his head around to adjust himself on his pillow.

Apparently his foot had an itch so we rubbed some lotion on it and gave his feet a massage.

He shook his head no when asked if he was in pain or if he was uncomfortable. He gagged and coughed every time they repositioned him. Though the breathing tube is his friend, it sure doesn't seem that way to him.

understandably.....

He became rather over-stimulated, so we had to leave and let him rest. Thus limitations with visitors and with ourselves as well.

Today was huge! Probably too huge.

Tomorrow they will very likely remove the drain from his head. He is now breathing on his own but with a bit of added pressure from the machine.

We got huge thumbs up from the doctor

and the nurses. Though now there is a sign on his door saying to 'shush' and let him rest.

His blood pressure is borderline though that

is very likely because he is in pain.

Oh we love him so!!

Also, they need to find a bed that is tall enough for him.

His poor feet keep pushing against the foot board.

Day #3

Lots of good things today!

He is moving both arms and legs so

we know he isn't paralyzed.

He tried to open his eyes for the nurse.

He squeezed some hands.

He responded to the neurological tests fairly favorably.
The drain tube was collecting mainly cerebral fluid and not blood so we were told that it might be removed tomorrow.

He moved his lips in response to mom talking to him.

It was a very delightful and rather sweet moment, especially considering what she said,

"i don't envy you of the headache

you will have when you awake.

Meanwhile, sleep well,

and dream of large women." (the princess bride)

He was obviously agitated by the breathing tubes and would try to raise his hands to fix 'whatever that was'. His pupils are no longer dilated and are responding normally. His cat scan today showed that his brain was almost back to normal. No more bleeding! It had shifted quite a bit due to the pressure.

He tried to override the breathing tube, which was a great sign. He was given a blessing, which was awesome!

We were told that things were still up in the air from the nurse and his doctor.

He had a very slight fever, but that was normal. His temperature was back down shortly after having a few ice packs placed on his arms.

Today felt more positive - especially after the blessing. He is obviously listening and could hear us. We tried desperately to be still and just hold his hands. He furrowed his brow a lot and it just seemed as though he could open his eyes 'any minute.'
My brother said "Dad, I'm going to go now, I love you!"
Daddy reached out trying to find him, and when Matt grabbed his hand, Daddy squeezed it.
(that was my favorite part of today)

The doctor ordered a 'sedation vacation' for tomorrow morning. Meaning that they would take him off the sedation medication and see how well he responds.

Day #2

In the morning, Daddy woke up and

had a headache. He decided to take a pain reliever and when he got up he told mom that

his head was worse, and had to sit down.  He said his headache was really hurting, and that he was going to throw up. He did, and mom asked him "look at me Richard", and he said "I can't even see you." Mom immediately called 911. He was responding very little to the EMTs. By 11:15 he was headed for surgery and we got rather a bleak outlook on things from the surgeon. At 3:30 we were told that he had made it through the surgery. They had removed the rather large hematoma. There was little bleeding and because it was such a slow bleed and in such a favorable location, that things were more in our favor.
However, it was still life threatening. We didn't know if he would be paralyzed, or otherwise incapacitated.

We got to see him for a few minutes around 5:00.

He really looked really good, considering, and we got to

take turns visiting him.

We were told he needed rest and to come back tomorrow.

I think Dad was the only one who got a lot of sleep that night.

The nurse told us that she asked him "if you are Richard, squeeze my hand" and he did!

Charlotte went to visit him and he squeezed her hand a few times when she talked to him.

That made us all extremely happy and gave us hope!!!

Day #1

So, daddy decided to go on a 4-wheeler

ride up the fire trail. He was wearing a helmet

and every other possible thing he could for safety (which shocked mom) and off he went. He came home

two hours later telling mom that he had apparently crashed because he woke up on the trail and the ATV 'looked' it. He drove it home, ate dinner, hung out with mom feeling slightly bruised but was feeling fine and went to bed.