Daily Archive

Marfel grumamin reaming mumul. Or, something like that. I’m not that good at reading lips, but Lea actually tried to form some words this afternoon . . . we think. She didn’t have her eyes open at the time, but I was standing bedside talking with her nurse, Adam, when she began moving her lips as though trying to form words. Of course, she can’t make any sounds with the ventilator in place, and I may have missed the first couple of words in that sentence, but that is my best recollection of what she said. Then she fell back to sleep.

Lea is doing better today. Wonderful baby steps! Glory to God! Thank you, Lord, for our many blessings! Her breathing is improving little by little. Her oxygen support is down, her breathing assist is down, and her volumes are up. The ability to build her lungs up to where she can get off the ventilator is a key to her recovery. And, so far, we are headed in the right direction.

She is being brought up off her pain medication and sedatives a little each day. They are alternating, reducing her pain meds, Ativan (a tranquilizer that relieves anxiety) on even days, and the sedative, Dilaudid (a derivative of morphine), on odd days. Each morning it seems she is a little more cognitive, after the comparative quite of the night shift, and then she gets less active and rests most of the afternoon.

Even so, she is becoming more alert, and it is very gratifying to see her react to commands. She still doesn’t have control of her eyeballs, arms or legs, but is able to blink her eyes, occasionally open them, and to wrinkle her forehead. And, tonight, she is moving her lips! I am so excited by her improvement. I am looking forward to her dressing change tomorrow, and her surgery on Tuesday, in which her wound will be closed up. I think the surgery will be the turning point to starting the recovery process.

I have told the staff that everything HAS to go well from here on out, because Lea has been called for federal jury duty starting October 1. I am also considering not responding to the summons. I wouldn’t want to get in the same situation that Pat & Joe are in, where the insurance company (CIGNA) is refusing (after the fact) to pay for their transfer home. If I don’t respond to the summons, I’m thinking maybe they would send federal marshals to take her back to Indiana. That would be FREE, right? J

Thank you for your kind notes and comments, along with your city/states. I am going to work on that list real soon, and will attach it one of these evenings, so you can be sure I have you in the right location. Right now, I’m fighting a sinus infection, and am going to hit the sack early tonight to try to get ahead of it. My doctor from Indiana called in a antibiotic for me. Thank you, Dr. Miller!

Sharon is taking care of Lea tonight. She is a wonderful nurse with lots of experience, and always takes such good care of Lea, including getting her cleaned up for the new day. She sent me back to my room with a “Pom” tonight . . . a pomegranate drink that is allegedly a wonderful antioxidant. I’ll let you know if it cures me overnight. J

My son Link, and Deanna, his wife, are enroute from Hawaii to Hartford as we speak, and I look forward to meeting them at the airport late morning tomorrow. It will wonderful to see them, and a delight to have Lea in shape to interact with them. Hopefully we will get to see Lea before her dressing change, because she will be heavily sedated during the surgery, and usually takes several hours to come back up out of it.

God’s blessings! Thank for your continued prayers for Lea. They sure are good ones!

Larry