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Update on Dad - out for good?

Written by Kevin Harper

Saturday, 19 May 2007

Most recent update: Sunday, September 30, 2:30 pm

I guess I can remove the VA directions and phone number, since Dad is at home now! He continues to do well. He's being kept busy with visiting physical therapists and nurses, but we're going to try to fit in an outing to go to lunch in between his visitors today (Wed, Oct 3).

Updates on Dad (Jerry Harper)

Friday, May 19, 7:30 am

Dad was recovering from his C diff infection after being released from the hospital in mid May. He was eating better, and even starting to put on weight after bottoming out at 138 while in the hospital.

But Friday, May 18 at around 4:30 pm, he complained to my mom about chest pains. They called the cardiologist who asked a lot of questions. Apparently, he'd been experiencing the pain for a day or two, and just hadn't said anything. The pain was worse when walking or exerting himself in any way. The doctor told them to get to the emergency room for testing.

She took him in, and they did x-rays and blood tests. The blood tests came back showing elevated levels of cardiac enzymes, which indicate that he was having a heart attack. Last October, he was diagnosed with aortic stenosis, which is basically a lack of blood flow to a part of the heart. His x-rays this time showed a worsening of the stenosis.

Right now, we are waiting to find out what the cardiologist says about treatment. There is a possibility that he'll need to be transferred to Portland. He's currently in ICU at the VA Hospital in Boise [Update: he's been transferred to St. Luke's in Boise].

I'll post more as I get more info and have opportunity, but we're on a road trip with limited cell phone coverage right now. Your prayers are appreciated!

Saturday, May 19, 4:00 pm

Dad is scheduled for double bypass surgery and an aortic valve replacement on Monday, May 21. The doctors are saying they expect him to do fine with the surgery in spite of his recent bout with C diff. They also gave some hope for a better quality of life after the surgery.

Sunday, May 20, 8:40 pm

Dad is scheduled for his surgery tomorrow at around noon and should take about four hours. That schedule is contingent on the doctor's morning surgery taking placing on-time. The surgeon sounds very experienced—he does more than 200 per year, and has been doing them for several years.

Monday, May 21, 3:20 pm

Dad was taken in a little early for his surgery at 10:25. By 11:40 he was under anaesthesia. At 1:20 we had our most recent update from a nurse who said that the surgery was going fine and it would take four to six hours. This is longer than the initial estimate they gave us of approximately four hours, but we don't know if that includes anaesthesia and prep time. We may get more updates prior to completion of the surgery, and since the waiting room has Internet access, I should be able to get updates out pretty easily.

Monday, May 21, 3:40 pm

The surgeon just came out to tell us the good news that the surgery was successful. For the aortic valve replacement, there was a choice of a pig valve, cow valve, or mechanical valve, depending on the condition of the heart. Thankfully, they were able to use the cow valve, because the mechanical valve would require the drug Cumaden and a strict diet to keep it from clogging. Dad doesn't need any more food issues! He was a little anemic going into the surgery because of the C diff infection, so he needed a little blood. We can't go in to see him for about an hour while they clean him up and get him settled in the ICU. He'll remain under anaesthesia while he's on the ventilator, which may be a couple hours or more. We should be able to talk to him tonight, although he'll be a bit groggy. Thanks again for everyone's prayers!

Monday, May 21, 9:30 pm

We've been able to see Dad once an hour for a few minutes, but he has been sleeping soundly until now. This time, he stirred a bit, tried to get his eyelids open a couple times, and moved his lips to try to say something. Because the tube is still in, he can't say anything quite yet. We'll be back in an hour, and he should be a little more alert.

Monday, May 21, 10:45 pm

Well, he's ready to have the tube removed. The respiratory technician asked him to squeeze his hand and he did—emphatically. He asked him to raise his head and he did that too. The only things he couldn't do were keeping his eyelids open or reciting the alphabet backwards. :-) We'll head back in a few minutes to see him with the tube removed.

Monday, May 21, 11:45 pm

The tube is out and at least we know his sense of humor came through the surgery unscathed. We told him he's the proud owner of a new cow valve, and without missing a beat, he said "Moooo." He was ready for ice chips. He'll start clear liquids in the morning, and could be worked up to solid food by evening if all goes well. Oh, and his new goatee looks pretty sharp!

Tuesday, May 22, 11:15 pm

Dad looked great this morning, but he said he was very tired. He finally got to eat some tapioca pudding this morning and should be able to eat solid food this evening if all goes well.

Wednesday, May 23, 11:20 pm

Dad is now eating regular food and loving it! He did have a bit of a complication this morning with a condition called Atrial Fibrillation (called a-fib or AR for short). He set off the alarms a couple times, apparently. It's basically a form of irregular heartbeat caused by rapid fire, random pulses that trigger the heartbeat, rather than the normal regular pattern. The good news is that this is fairly common after heart surgery. In spite of it, they moved him out of the ICU and into a regular room. It is Room 7023, (208) 381-3723. He won't be in the room for a little while yet, though.

Thursday, May 24, 9:30 pm

Karen talked to Dad and said he sound more positive today. He's been fighting the colitis, but got some new medicine for it that seems to be helping. I think he's just getting tired of being poked and prodded and wants to come home to his own house for a change. They are talking about him letting him come home on Saturday.

Friday, May 25, 9:30 pm

They are still talking about letting Dad come home tomorrow in spite of his heart rate occasionally spiking. They are trying to bring that down with rest and more medicine. He is really tired of taking pills and frequently seems discouraged, although today and yesterday were definitely better than Wednesday in that regard.

Sunday May 27, 2:00 pm

Dad is on his way home from the hospital finally! We'll meet him at home in a little while and see how he's feeling today.

Monday, May 28, 10:40 am

Dad's blood sugar dropped to 23 this morning, so he was unconscious when Mom woke up. She called the paramedics, then tried to get sugar under his tongue. He woke up but didn't want to be taken to the hospital, so the paramedics left. Their neighbor Daurie was there and said she would bring dinner to them tonight, so that was nice. Between Daurie and church friends, meals will be handled for this week and as long as needed. I went to Wal-Mart and got them a pill organizer, so his medications are a little easier to keep track of.

Tuesday, May 29, 9:00 am

He had a relatively good day yesterday in spite of the bad start in the morning. This morning is also going well. His blood sugar was 151, so maybe his meds and eating routine are beginning to be stabilized. He said he wants to do some walking in about an hour to show me his rhubarb plant that Lori planted for him while she was here. He is supposed to walk at least 400 feet several times a day and add to that each day.

Wednesday, June 6, 5:30 pm

Monday night, Dad had a hard night with his colitis. He had a followup appointment with his doctor at the VA (the one treating his colitis) for June 17, but after calling the doctor with an update, he asked that Mom bring Dad in that morning for some more tests. As it turned out, he had an elevated white blood cell count, and the doctor wanted him to come back the hospital the next day. That was this morning, and they decided to admit him after some test results. He had a colonoscopy, which didn't turn out with great results. The hope was that there was only a portion of the colon that was diseased, but it turned out to be more extensive than that. He had a big drop in his blood sugar to only 28 during the procedure, but later in the day, he was up to the high 300s. I haven't heard about any results of the latest C Diff tests yet. They did put him back on Flagyl, the most common treatment for C Diff.

Monday, June 11, 10:30 am

Dad's blood sugar has been all over the map lately. The steroids that tend to help the colitis the most, also drive up his blood sugar the most. He has been on long-acting insulin as well as insulin shots as needed to try to bring it down, but without consistent success. There are still regular readings over 500, with lows for the day tending to be in the high 100s or low 200s in the morning. Meals have been including items with high sugar content, so the nurse told Mom she will talk to the dietician about that. Mom just let me know that they just took Dad for some x-rays of the abdomen to try to figure more about his colitis problem.

Monday, June 11, 3:20 pm

They are starting Dad on a new drug to replace the steroid Predinisone. This one is called Remicade, and is supposed to be a good drug to help colitis symptoms. The Prednisone was really throwing his blood sugar off, so maybe this will help. Dad walked the halls with me earlier today, so that was good. He needs the exercise to regain his strength.

Wednesday, June 13, 9:20 pm

Dad has been very frustrated with his long stay in the hospital, and has complained persistently about it, in spite of the fact that he's not really healthy enough to be discharged. Today, he insisted on going home against his doctors' advice. So for better or worse, that's where he's at. Jill arrived today from Alaska, and we had dinner over there. His blood sugar was in the 300s before dinner, so he needed some insulin. He's still on a stepdown regimen of Prednisone, which tends to drive his blood sugar up. I'm sure he's glad to be out of the hospital, but we're all nervous about how his colitis and blood sugar will do.

Friday, June 15, 4:30 pm

I took Dad out to Olive Garden for lunch today, but it was difficult to have any sort of conversation with him. He was very downcast and quiet, and usually only gave me one- or two-word responses. There were several times when he seemed confused, and I wonder if that's not why he is so quiet—he doesn't want to let on that he's confused. My heart goes out to him. I know he's frustrated. A nurse from the VA is supposed to come by and see him today.

Monday, June 18, 10:30 pm

Today was a setback for Dad. His blood sugar has been more under control lately, but the colitis has been getting bad. He was scheduled for a 1:00 appointment at the VA, but after a blood test showed elevated white blood cell counts, he was admitted to the hospital again. He was not happy at all when he found that out. Mom is planning on getting out there in the morning in time to see the doctors and discuss their prognosis after they've had the night to assess his overall condition. He's very weak, and I wonder if the C Diff is starting to come back again.

Tuesday, June 19, 9:45 pm

Today was definitely better than yesterday. Dad was very agitated this morning about being readmitted to the hospital, but calmed down considerably by evening with the help of some medication. We actually had a pleasant conversation and tried to give him something to look forward to when he got home...some home made ice cream. There are several courses of treatment that can be pursued from this point, some worse than others. Hopefully over the next few days we can get some clear answers and have Dad make a decision about which option he wants to take.

Wednesday, June 20, 3:00 pm

My mom got news today that the VA's cardio unit in Portland reviewed Dad's ECG strip and okayed him (as far as his heart's condition) for colostomy surgery. We are fairly certain this is the road he's going to go down, although somewhat reluctantly. But his attitude yesterday and today have been significantly better, so we're hopeful he'll go into the surgery with a positive attitude. It will make his quality of life light years better than it is currently. We just got word this afternoon that they scheduled the surgery for Friday.

Wednesday, June 20, 4:30 pm

The doctors explained the surgery to Dad and he understood it well enough that he could explain the risks and benefits back to them. He asked some questions and gave his consent for the surgery to take place on Friday at noon (unless the surgeon has a prior cancellation). We're all hopeful that this will finally give him a good quality of life without having to worry about the constant colitis issues.

Friday, June 22, 9:30 pm

The surgery was successful and Dad is in the ICU recovering. The first 72 hours present the most risk to him because of the combination of recent heart surgery and anesthesia, so they are monitoring him closely. The surgery turned out to be an ileostomy, not a colostomy, as I had previously thought. The difference is in whether the entire colon is bypassed or if it is only a section of it. In the case of an ileostomy, the entire colon is bypassed. We're all hopeful that his quality of life will improve dramatically without the constant colitis problems. We talked briefly to him after the surgery, but he was just coming out of anesthesia and was very tired.

Wednesday, June 27, 2:20 pm

Thanks for the continued prayers throughout this process of dealing with my dad's health issues. Here's a little more info since the last time I updated the blog. He was moved to the stepdown unit several days ago, and he's remained pretty sleepy while coming off the anesthesia. They are scaling back on the pain meds administered through an epidural, and they hope to have him off of that by Thursday. He should actually be able to get some sun outside the hospital in his wheelchair by Friday. He probably thinks he's coming home by Friday (he's been counting the number of days following his surgery based on a passing comment of one of the doctors), but I doubt that will happen. He's still extremely weak. But stranger things have happened!

Saturday, June 30, 2:00 pm

Dad is off of the epidural completely and pretty much free of tubes and wires now. We were able to get down there as one big group today (including Mom, Diane and I and the kids, Don and Karen, Jeremy and Michelle, and Katelyn) and take him out to the front lawn of the hospital in his wheelchair. (That doesn't sound as appealing as it actually is. The VA hospital here has VERY nicely landscaped grounds with a huge front lawn.) I know he enjoyed it, especially seeing Katelyn. But he seemed a little distant and very tired still. Yesterday when I saw him he couldn't stop yawning. He's back on solid food now, so we're all hoping that he picks up some more energy—especially since his colitis is now a thing of the past.

Tuesday, July 3, 7:15 am

Yesterday morning, Dad started refusing all medication. Mom went to the hospital and stayed with him all day, because he'll take them when she's there. He's extremely feeble and downcast about his prospects for recovery. He perked up seeing Katelyn (Jeremy and Michelle's baby), but not for anyone else. No matter what we say, he is convinced he won't make it, so he tends to have a "give up" attitude. I've heard of others who have gone through heart surgery and other major surgeries who had bouts of depression, so this isn't abnormal. But given his already weakened state, every day that he continues with this attitude is detrimental to his prospects for recovery. Please pray for Dad's spiritual well-being more than anything else.

Wednesday, July 4, 8:15 am

Last night, Dad started refusing all his medications again. He refused to walk and told his nurse that he just doesn't care to live. I'll be taking the kids down there this morning to sing to him. Maybe that will cheer him up.

Friday, July 6, 4:00 pm

There's some good news to report today! A lot has happened in the last couple of days. Dad started eating again at dinner time Wednesday night, and even took his medications. He seems to be getting a second wind, so much so that they discharged him today. We hope to have a nice family dinner at his house with Grammie (Virchie/Great Grammie). Diane baked a strawberry rhubarb pie using some of the rhubarb Dad planted in his backyard (it's growing like crazy in this heat!), I did a batch of homemade ice cream, and the kids made some "welcome home" banners. I'm hopeful we're seeing a major turnaround in his attitude, and thus his health. He doesn't seem to have the "give up" mentality today, and actually seems to be fairly chipper. I've talked to him a great deal about needing to WANT to get better, rather than just passively let other people try to MAKE him get better. I think he might actually be starting to want it now.

Friday, July 6, 9:30 pm

Dinner went really well! Dad ate a lot and enjoyed a home cooked meal (plus rhubarb pie and homemade ice cream, of course). He did quite a bit of walking in the course of the evening, including a trip to the backyard to see his rhubarb plant. Overall, I'm very encouraged by the day!

Tuesday, July 10, 4:00 pm

A lot has happened in the last several days. After discharge Friday, Dad steadily declined in appetite and strength. By Monday, he barely had the strength to talk audibly, much less get up to walk to the table. He's had continued trouble getting the ostomy bag to stay on, even when it was attached by a nurse specializing in ostomies. When he threw up in the middle of the night last night, we figured he would need to be readmitted, and the doctor confirmed that in the morning by phone. I have to say that, remarkably, his attitude was better today in spite of this setback. He actually made a comment or two that indicated he intended to get out. The doctors are saying that he has a high white blood cell count again, and so he may have another infection of some kind on top of his obvious malnutrition and dehydration. He's currently in room 332 of the Stepdown Unit at the Boise VA Hospital right now, but he can't really talk on the phone.

Thursday, July 12, 7:20 pm

The latest news is that Dad has an air bubble in his abdomen. It can be from one of two things. Either the surgical removal of the colon was slow healing due to being on Prednisone, and therefore let some air in, or he has a perforated bowel or stomach tissue. They did a CT scan this morning which showed a stomach ulcer, so they suspect that is the location of the perforation. He also was passing some blood and had a low blood count, which makes sense with the presence of an ulcer. It appears to be healing on its own, though. That's a good thing, since the alternative is surgery, and he's not really strong enough for another surgery. He had another urinary tract infection, which seems to be back under control now, and the blood loss has stopped. The dilemma is that he's extremely malnourished, yet he can't eat for about five days because of the ulcer and perforated stomach tissue. They are intending to put in a central line so they can administer more nutrients intravenously.

Saturday, July 14, 6:30 pm

I'm happy that I can report some good news today! Dad's attitude has improved dramatically, and he even cracked a joke or two today. This is big, since recently we're lucky to get more than one word answers when we try to have a conversation with him. They ended up doing a PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter), which is basically an intravenous hookup that can be left in for a longer period of time than a standard IV. They are administering lipids and TPN (basically, complete nutrition in fluid form) since he can't eat right now because of the ulcer and bowel perforation. I mentioned that it would be great to get him outside in the sun, and he joked that he'd love to, but couldn't as long as he was hooked up to his "mashed potatoes and gravy" dinner. We're hoping his nutrition will improve dramatically now, and that his stomach will heal enough that he'll gain an appetite back. Thanks for continuing prayers!

Monday, July 16, 3:20 pm

Dad gets a little irritated when the nurses push him to sit up in a chair or move around, but other than that, he seems to be improving still. He should come off of the TPN/lipids (liquid nutrition) and have soft foods tomorrow. He started on clear liquids today. He is started to get antsy about getting out again, but we're trying to remind him that he's going to have some rehab time to get his muscles exercised and functional again. He can barely hold his own weight right now.

Friday, July 20, 4:00 pm

Well, Dad is medically ready for rehab now. He's off the IV fluids, lipids, and TPN, so all of his nutrition is by mouth. While that's good, it's only good if he drinks the amount of fluids he need to drink. He's pretty resistant to drinking throughout the day, and the amount he drinks at mealtime isn't enough. So we're trying to reinforce to him the importance of getting more fluids down the hatch. He's just waiting for a room in the VA rehab facility, and that could any time in the next week or so. His demeanor has been really good most of the week, but today he seemed more downcast and grumpy. :-(

Wednesday, July 25, 9:00 am

After a two day backpacking trip with Sam, I returned home last night to find out that Dad has graduated to the rehab facility at the VA. This is good news. Diane took the kids to see him yesterday and said that his attitude was pretty positive and chipper for the most part. He even laughed at some jokes that Jaden read from his joke book, and seemed to really appreciate hugs from the kids. Sam and I are looking forward to seeing him today and sharing our backpacking experiences with him.

Saturday, July 28, 4:20 pm

Dad was steadily declining since getting off the IV. He seems to perk up when he gets fluids back into him, then they take the IV off, and he doesn't drink enough to stay hydrated. This morning, Dad had a fever, so he was sent from rehab to the ER at about 6:30 am. He was finally admitted back into the Stepdown Unit by 2:00 after getting x-rays taken. He did not look well, and he could barely talk. They are doing more testing to find out where the infection is.

Sunday, July 29, 7:20 am

The doctors ordered a CT scan for 8:00 pm last night to try to figure out where the infection is coming from. His overnight nurse explained to Mom a little about what they found. There appears to be dark spots in two places: the stub of colon where it was removed, and in his lungs. It could be the beginnings of pneumonia, probably related to an episode when he was at home and had aspirated some food down the wrong pipe. He has been on a wide spectrum antibiotic since yesterday, and that appears to be helping a little. The doctors are meeting this morning to discuss the CT scan results and will get back to us.

Friday, August 3, 12:15 pm

Dad was moved back into the rehab facility yesterday. There were some confusions about doctors' orders for various things like medications, IV, etc., but those seem to have been straightened out now. He is on oral Vancomycin for C Diff now, off the IV, and has orders for his nurses to get him out of bed to eat. That will help a lot. Dad is doing fairly well (for him), but is still weak and doesn't want to eat on his own. He needs a lot of prompting to get exercise of any sort.

Monday, August 6, 6:30 pm

Last night Dad had another little setback. He was sleeping a little close to the edge of the bed and slipped out of it feet-first onto the floor. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be hurt at all. He also had a low fever this morning, so they decided to do a blood culture to see if there were any signs of an infection. He came off the IV on Friday, but since he doesn't drink enough on his own, he's back on it today. He did enjoy a couple of visits last week from Daniel Ezell and his girlfriend Andrea while they were here in town. We had lunch out on the patio together at the rehab on Saturday.

Wednesday, August 8, 5:00 pm

This morning, we went to a weekly meeting where all the caregivers meet in the same room to discuss their patients. While we were impressed with their thoroughness in covering all the aspects of his care, we heard some news that is concerning regarding the latest lab results. He had already had a fungal infection in his urinary tract last week. It is apparently also in his bloodstream. They are giving strong antibiotics to fight it, but we were told pretty clearly that this is "not good," particularly for a patient in his state of weak health already. We should find out more details on the lab results tomorrow. I just wanted to let everyone know what's going on.

Friday, August 10, 1:10 pm

Yesterday, the doctors decided Dad needed a little more care than the staffing levels in the rehab facility allowed. He was moved in the afternoon back up to the Stepdown Unit on the third floor. He's out of isolation now, since his C Diff tests have come back negative for over a week. We took the kids down to see him today and he seemed to be in better spirits than yesterday.

Monday, August 13, 10:00 am

Dad didn't seem to be doing well yesterday. He didn't eat much all day, and was very weak and tired, almost unable to talk. He did eat some yogurt and berries. He also told a nurse that steak actually sounded good (it's rare for him to say anything sounds good), so I just finished grilling a nice juicy filet mignon for him. Mom will be bringing that to him for lunch today.

Wednesday, August 15, 2:00 pm

When mom got out to see Dad on Monday, she found that he had been moved back to the rehab facility without being notified. This was irritating for a couple of reasons. First, they had just told us that the reason he was moved to Stepdown was that they couldn't administer antifungals in the rehab facility. Yet he's back in rehab, still on the antifungals. Second, they still hadn't explained very well why he had been sent to Stepdown one day after being told he would be kept in rehab through his antifungal treatment.

So this morning, Mom, Lori, and I attended their interdisciplinary staff meeting again, and we were able to get a few answers. Basically, they met with a couple of infectious disease consultants after our last meeting who convinced them to send him to Stepdown for further testing that couldn't be feasibly done while in rehab. It would have been nice to know that at the time.

They committed to improving communication, and we now have a standing arrangement that they will call Mom's cellphone and my cellphone when there is major communication to the family. That way, there should be less chance of information slipping through the cracks.

As far as Dad's health today, he did physical therapy, but was very tired. He didn't say a word to me during the time I was there. Yesterday, when I fed him some blackberries and yogurt, he was out of breath just from eating a few bites. The good news is that the antifungals seem to be working. He's had several blood tests that came back negative for the fungal infection, although they are testing his eyes today for it, since fungal infections can apparently concentrate in the eyes.

Saturday, August 18, 9:00 pm

Dad seems to be infection free and improving in mood and nutrition at the moment. He has even had small conversations more frequently, and isn't quite as subdued when he talks. He is eating slightly more when Mom brings him food, but is completely turned off by the hospital food. He is still on an IV for fluids. He enjoyed seeing Lori, Rocky, Rachelle, and Hunter while they were here. Hunter especially perked him up when he came to visit. They returned to California today.

Wednesday, August 29, 4:45 pm

We can praise God that there has been continued improvement overall in Dad's mood, nutrition, strength, and weight gain. He has had some ongoing trouble with elevated potassium levels, but we're unclear on a cause for it other than general kidney problems. I wonder if there's a medication he's on that might be causing it, but I don't know. They sent him to the ER briefly last night from about 8:30 to about 1:00 am for it. His blood tests show that his nutrition is very good, and he continues to improve his strength in physical therapy and his daily living skills in occupational therapy. Thanks for continued prayers!

Monday, September 10, 6:45 am

Sorry I haven't updated everyone for awhile, but Dad's been improving pretty dramatically in the last several weeks. It's great to see him turning around. He is continuing to get an appetite back, seems eager to walk and exercise, and has had a positive attitude overall. His potassium levels have evened out after getting off the heparin shots (which were also pretty painful). So they think they found the culprit for that. They keep him pretty busy with physical therapy twice a day, occupational therapy once a day, and an occasional walk down the hall using his walker. He's almost ready to break above 140 lbs. again (from a low of about 128). He's able to get out of bed with little or no help now, which is a big change...there was one day at the peak of the fungal infection that he was having trouble sipping his drink up his straw. So praise God that he's come far! For anyone that wants to give him a call, his number is (208) 422-1448.

Friday, September 14, 6:20 am

It is almost unbelievable how much Dad's attitude toward life seems to have turned around. After the interdisciplinary meeting Wednesday (a meeting with all the various staff plus family) they decided Dad can come home today for a trial run! He will return to rehab Saturday night and continue working on physical therapy for the following week. If everything goes well, he may be coming home permanently a week from today. We'll be having dinner together tonight, and will see if he wants to try Olive Garden tomorrow before heading back for his (hopefully) final week!

Sunday, September 16, 9:00 pm

Dad had a really nice visit home Friday and Saturday. He seemed to enjoy it immensely, including dinner at Olive Garden, and I think it gave him something tangible to look forward to. For so long, he really didn't believe he'd ever get out of the hospital, so this is a big light at the end of the tunnel. He and mom split their favorite meal at Olive Garden and he worked on his half until he finished it - so I guess his appetite is back. Glynda and George McConaughey (Glynda's is my second cousin) made a surprise visit on their way through town. We had a really nice time visiting with them over dinner, and will have breakfast with them at Mom's before they get on their way. They dropped by to visit Grammie and Dad both. Dad was in good spirits when they saw him, and he was itching to get home, as usual.

Monday, September 24, 10:00 pm

Dad had another good weekend home as a trial run. We had dinner on Friday at our house (south of the border, a family favorite), and he enjoyed that. Church was at our house this month, so Mom dropped him off for that and I picked up Grammie. We had a full house, and they both stayed for lunch! Early last week, his physical therapist let him know that another week of exercise would be best before coming home permanently. So we're all set (tentatively, of course) for him to come home this Friday. He seems to have a great attitude now, and is cheerful about life. So praise God for that! I know he wants to become independent of all the assistance he currently needs, and I think that's spurring him on to keep up the exercise. Thanks for all the prayers!

Sunday, September 30, 2:30 pm

He has done pretty well at home so far. He did fall the first day home, but not badly. He's impressed me with how independent he wants to be now, but he's so ambitious to walk and do things on his own that I already see him getting overconfident. He went on a nice walk Saturday evening to the end of his street and back with his walker, but I had to keep reminding him to keep the wheels away from the edge. He tends to veer a little to the right. :-) He was up a lot last night, so he wasn't up to coming to church this morning. Hopefully next week.