June Gloom

Good evening all! Hope this latest update finds you all well and rested from the weekend!

We actually had a bit of a rough weekend, I'll admit. As many times as I've said out loud that I know this is going to be a long, tough process, it's really starting to sink in. Like I said, there were some obvious improvements to my Dad's condition in the two weeks I was gone, but it seems with every step in the right direction comes a new challenge or worry right behind.

At this point, Dad's been hospitalized for almost five weeks. And what's the worst place for someone in his condition (extremely weak, immunocompromised...you see where I'm going with this one...)?? The hospital, naturally. So this weekend was all about infections (picc line, catheter, respiratory) and fevers. Not only do the infections put more stress on his already super stressed body, but we can tell how uncomfortable he is, which has been incredibly tough for us. Luckily after a night of three heavyweight antibiotics and a little Tylenol with codeine (mmm...), he seemed much more comfortable and responsive this morning.

But we should always end on a positive note! His new doc talked to us today and told us, AND I QUOTE: "His latest scan gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic." He also reminded us that we need to be patient, as the majority of the damage they are seeing is to the thalamic region of his brain, which generally means a slow recovery. (But hey, recovery is recovery, right?)

So to sum things up, we are now working on getting Dad out of the hospital. Mom's checking out a few sub-acute care facilities while I hang out with him tomorrow. We're trying to limit his visitors a little while he is still battling these infections, probably until he is transferred to a new facility, but please feel free to contact me or my mom if you want more details.

Ok, time for bed. I need my beauty rest. G'night.