Morning update

Well, it was a fairly quiet night for Dad. It started out a little rough as we had several mishaps with the feeding tube that was installed earlier in the day. The first tube that was put in was defective and had to be removed. The second tube that was installed coiled around and didn't reach his stomach. The third attempt didn't show up on the xray. Finally, on the fourth try the saw the tube on the xray but when the nurse went to pull the guide wire it appeared stuck like the first one. As my blood pressure steadily increased, two nurses working together were able to get it removed. At 11:00PM, he finally began to receive some nourishment through the tube. The liquid that he is getting is much better for him than the IV fluids and will give his body more nutrients to work with.

His vitals continue to look good. So we'll be playing the waiting game and see what happens. On the plus side, he hasn't had a fever in a while and his breathing appears to be much more relaxed. Hopefully this will get him past the hump and let his body recover a bit as it continues to fight the infection. I watched yesterday as they did the bronchoscopy and was able to see the infection he's fighting. We should know within a day or two exactly what it is and see if there are any other antibiotics that can assist. Also on the plus side, Dad's blood counts continue to look good. It's been a long time since he's had any platelets or blood products, which is a sign that the chemo has knocked back his lymphoma a bit.

So, we're back to where we started: he has to get past this infection. Being on the respirator is a major setback for him and all of us, but despite the difficulties there are still possibilities that benefit him and are worth trying at this point.

As Ed mentioned in the previous post, Pastor Mike and Helen came out yesterday and did a great job comforting us. They gave up some other commitments to be here and we are very grateful to them. Also Natalie's sister Michelle and her friend Robyn stopped in to cheer us on.

In closing, as I always do, I ask that you keep Dad and Mom in your prayers. That God would guide the doctors and nurses and that there hands would be His. That Dad's body would get the rest it needs during intubation and be capable of fighting the infection and continue to get stronger. That the test results would give us a better chance of finding an antibiotic that will work. And finally, that Mom would continue to have the strength and courage to face all of this. She's been doing such a good job, but we all have a breaking point. We've been in a down cycle for a long time now, it's time for some better things to start happening.

God's Peace,

Ron2