Day 9: P.M.

For those of you checking in late ... be sure to read the other two posts of the day!

In short, Dad is now off the ventilator. As evidenced yesterday, Dad was doing better at breathing on his own and not letting the ventilator do all the work. So apparently this morning before we got there, they went through some weaning mechanism procedures to see how he would react if the ventilator was turned off, and he showed signs of being able to handle it. So they dropped his sedation, gave him one final pressurized test to be sure he was ready, and off the ventilator he came! It's so nice to see him without tubes coming out of his mouth.

And as well, since he is now off the sedative, he's much more alert than before. He will react to people coming in the room talking, and turn in their direction. He opens his eyes wide and they look much stronger. On the downside, it's apparent his head hurts and he's feeling it more! He will constantly put his left hand on his forehead and rub it from the eyebrows back through his hair, and let out somewhat of a moan. But it's nothing a little morphine hasn't been able to handle.

At other times, when his eyes are open and his head doesn't hurt as much, he looks around as if he's trying to get his bearings again and understand what's going on. We talk to him plenty, and he shows signs of response with raising his hand to take ours, and clenching it. About half an hour into our visit this morning, I was standing next to his bed saying, "Hey Dad ... it's OK. They are taking good care of you. You're doing great." He just stared at me for a moment, so I was sure to smile at him. My heart sank when he smiled back at me. While not necessarily a photo studio smile, it was most certainly an effort that took me by such great surprise that it choked me up pretty good. I'm sure that confused him.

Left side continues to be strong. Right side appears to be waking up slightly, with some movement of his right leg on his own. He also does other "Dad things" that you'd really have to have known him for a while to recognize, such as the face he makes when he's scratching his nose. He will raise up his left arm into the air, flex his fingers a bit, then drop it down on the bed as if to say, "Yep, it's still there." So for him, this is a period of awakening and reorienting, and I'm sure it's somewhat frustrating. He's not talking yet, but after a week of being on a ventilator, who would? But he is making sounds with his throat.

The pulmonary physicians' assistant stopped by and checked Dad's lungs, and said they sounded good and clear. The doctor making rounds also stopped by, asking if Dad had been tested for swallowing. We're waiting on a speech consult first, which we guess will determine his ability to swallow, so the doctor put Dad back on a saline drip to keep his fluids up. We were relieved to see that.

All in all, it was a befitting end to a wonderful day in the Bush family. We continue to covet your prayers ... for now, that's all we really need. We are all doing very well and continue to see God answering our prayers. We will continue to keep you posted ... so keep checking back often!