This morning started early with getting Doug's brother Dan and son Dan and kids (and two dogs) off and on the road. Son Dan dropped Brother Dan at the Boise airport on his way to San Diego via highway 93, south of Twin Falls. Dan extended the father-son tradition to his boys of buying donut holes to eat in the car on the way. Doug and Dan always started each adventure with little chocolate donuts. And for me, Dan left lots of left-overs in the freezer for me to eat to get me through for some time. I am very grateful for this. Dan is a wonderful cook. But vacation time is over. The house has been very busy for many days. Now as I write this, the house seems strangely quiet, just me and Stryder.
It took me a while to get to the hospital this morning. After seeing off the family, I did some laundry, made an appointment for my knee and answered some texts. It was nearly 11 before I got to the hospital. Upon arrival I found Fr. Dave reading his good friend Doug the morning newspaper and providing him a commentary on the days news. I was so grateful to see him sitting there keeping Doug company.
Doug made small gains again today. His swallow is a little better and his speech has improved. By the end of the day he was stringing more words together and answering question. He even made some funny comments and laughed. He had us all laughing. It was so pleasurable to see him smile.
Today his kidneys are stable. His heart rate is within a normal range and his blood pressure was only moderately high. He can turn his head slightly and nod up and down. He is now giving facial expressions. The big problem is that he cannot move anything below the neck.
The doctors are very concerned about the lack of movement as we all are. They are exploring reasons for this. The most logical reason is polyneuropathy. They did an MRI today to look for other causes, but found nothing really changed since Doug's last MRI in September.
Lack of movement is terribly concerning. The doctors are very concerned if he will recover movement. Over the next few days I am sure I will be having daily meetings with the doctors presenting options. Sometimes the options seem really dismal. I feel like I am riding a roller-coaster. Every time something good happens, something else is taken away. I keep wanting a crystal ball to see the future, to develop the most appropriate plan. but apparently no one has one. Our nurse Lorraine says you just keep praying and taking the next most logical step.
Lorainne and Shantel were our nurses again today. I love them so much. They feel like family. They are professional, but also kind and caring. They are becoming like family. I feel like I can trust them and rely on them for help and support. I know that they care about us. Sadly, they won't be back until Monday. Wayne was there tonight. He too has become like a friend. He comes in and sits down and chats with us. He catches up on what has been happening and is really supportive. It is easily to leave at night when he is there.
Tomorrow, I will meet with the doctor again and we will see where Doug is at tomorrow. Please pray that he will be moving his body.
Holy and most gracious father. We thank you for friends who care for us and lift us up when we are scared. We thank you for friends and family who are walking this path with us. We ask you to guide us in developing a health plan for Doug. Give us wisdom to use our knowledge to support Doug's medical needs and his quality of life choices. And Lord we ask that you watch over Dan, the kids and the dogs as they drive home. And Lord, give us courage to make difficult decisions and the peace we need to live with these decisions. In your name we ask it. Amen.
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