Wednesday Night

Dad had a good evening. He ate a good bit of his "full liquid" dinner again...and is surely enjoying all of that ice cream! After working hard to eat (and to entertain his ever-so-demanding girls who won't stop asking him questions or checking on how he feels), we decided to let dad rest.

While he rested, we were able to enjoy a good meal with good friends. We are thankful that tonight we were able to laugh and remember that while we have a long road ahead, sometimes its the small steps that count.

Now that dad is out of the ICU, we are actually able to stay with him overnight. That was one of the first questions he asked when they wheeled him into the new room and he noticed the sleeper sofa. So....Matt and Katie are sharing a small, cozy (and surprisingly dark & quiet) room with dad for the night. We hope that he will feel better rested tomorrow and prepared for another day of growing strength.

We are ever grateful for all of your prayers, support, and love. Keep it coming!

Update: Wednesday evening June 30

Earlier this afternoon dad was moved out of the ICU into the Progressive Care Unit. We are thankful that he was stable enough to move into a more private space so that he can really rest. A number of different doctors have also assessed dad's foot and are hopeful (definitely more hopeful than yesterday) that his foot will be able to heal with proper treatment and care. The wound care nurse came in and dressed his foot so that the healing process can begin.

He has been awake and talking to us this afternoon and we are glad to see his personality coming back out of the sedation. Continue to pray for his strength and specifically for his foot to begin to heal on its own.

The Catalyst for this Blog

On Sunday June 27, 2010 dad went to the emergency room for an infection in his foot. We did not know that the infection had already spread throughout his body at that point. Upon arrival in the ER we discovered that the infection had caused his body to go into septic shock. He was quickly intubated, sedated, and sent to the ICU to fight the infection. While in the ICU Karen (who had been in Richmond with MB), Mary Beth and Caleb (now living in Richmond), Katie and Matt (living in Birmingham) made their way to the hospital in Fort Worth to be with dad to help him fight the infection. During the day Monday, dad began to stabilize and his numbers began to show improvement.

Tuesday the breathing tubes were removed in the morning and dad began to come out of the sedation. He had an MRI in the late evening to determine if the infection had reached the bone. After the MRI dad was able to open his eyes and talk to us a little bit. It was good to see him with open eyes and his glasses! After 30 minutes of staying awake, we left for dad to rest.

Wednesday morning dad was more alert, able to swallow pills, and take full liquids (lots of ice cream and jello!). He has been diagnosed with diabetes which was a part of the reason for the widespread infection. However, the doctors and nurses are now helping to control his blood sugar with insulin.

We plan to use this blog to help communicate dad's progress with our many friends and family who care and love our dad. We would love for you to leave comments for him to see at a later date but please be sure to leave your name so he can see how many people truly are caring for him.