Saturday Evening Update

Thanks for the great messages! These mean so much to him, and we can't wait to read them to him.

Latest update:
Dad is not out of the woods, but has shown some positive signs today. His prognosis is still largely unknown and the doctors' mantra is that they really can't even guess how this will turn out.

Friday night, the nurse came in and woke mom up with a shout of surprise. Dad had somehow managed to get both legs out of bed at some point in the night. It was a good thing in that he was able to do that on his own, but it could have also resulted in a nasty fall. He will be sleeping with the bed rails up tonight.

Today, he was doing a bit better that Friday and was able to eat more. His diet consists of apple sauce, mashed potatoes, and eggs. Eating is risky for him now, since food in his lungs could cause a life threatening infection.

Dad was moved from the 5th floor to the 7th floor (rm 708) early Saturday evening. This new floor is staffed with stroke specialists and they felt like he no longer needed to be under constant monitoring. He is in a private room now, so mom can comfortably stay with him overnight and as she pointed out, she can "take long shower!"

Elizabeth wrote a note to the staff on the board: "My dad understands 100% of what is being sais around him, and has 0% confusion! If you can't understand his answer, ask your question in a yes or no format to make it easier for yourself" Dad vigorously nodded as he read this message.

He is still scheduled to be released to an acute in-patient care facility on Monday. We are researching the options and will try to tour the best choices tomorrow.

Mom is hanging in there. She was able to take a break and swim this morning at her usual gym. She had a checkup and they found she has a sinus infection that is causing her some discomfort, but as usual she isn't complaining and insists she doesn't need the medication.

Mike cooked an amazing meal and we were able to relax and catch up at their house.

Medical update: His specific stroke is a pontine stroke located in the left side in the pons of the brain stem. No new tests were performed today.