Holding pattern

Just a quick run-down of the events from the last 24 hours. Last night I got home at about 10:15 leaving Natalie and Mom to rest at Michael and Christina's in Tiffin. About 10:40, the nurses in the ICU called me and asked if someone could come in and be with him as he had become extremely restless and agitated. I called Natalie and she immediately came in and worked wonders in calming dad down and getting him to sleep. The BiPap face mask was driving him crazy, but to her credit she got him to settle down.

About 5:00AM, dad woke up so Natalie asked the nurses if he could have the BiPap removed for just a bit to clean up and get a break. They agreed and soon found that he was doing ok without it, but still needed oxygen. So, the big BiPap muzzle was replaced with a much more friendly and normal oxygen mask. Dad had perked up a bit by then and even sat at the edge of the bed for a spell. He didn't have much awareness of the previous night, but according to Natalie he had a good long stretch of being aware and more like the old dad we know and love.

We've talked in detail with the doctors and everything is coming down to one factor: how well dad's body is going to do in fending off this pneumonia he has. They've tested his heart, looked at all other possibilities and nothing else is revealing itself. They continue to give him a broad spectrum of antibiotics and hope that his white blood cells can do their trick.

Tonight I sent Natalie home and mom back to Tiffin. I will be here overnight and into tomorrow until Ed can get out here. For now, things are holding steady but as I've come to learn and expect, things can change quickly. Please keep praying. He continues to get fevers every 12 hours or so and gets pretty delirious when they occur. We're in a delicate dance.

God's Peace,

Ron2