Day 4

Big Day for my Dad, STILL in ICU.

 This morning when mom and I got to the hospital they had already begun to wheene off his sedation medicine and he was  already more alert than yesterday.

By 1:00 he was off breathing on his own and quickly had his breathing tube completely removed. He was extremely I mean EXTREMELY groggy still.

To give Christie a break from sleeping up in the hospital's best efforts of a "recliner" I am spending the night with my dad.

He is still coughing up phlem from the tube that I am suctioning out for him. He is wanting to get up and out of the bed because he cannot get comfortable and just told the nurse and I to "do whatever we wanted obviously he was just going to be our little rag-doll for the night." He definitely has his personality still.

Before I left for dinner I was telling him I would be back and he started slamming his legs down on the bed. After trying for minutes to get him to tell me what he wanted and trying to move his legs, the bed, pillows around I finally went for a nurse even knowing this was not a "medical" issue. I found an extremely pregnant orderly black girl who walked in and told Dad that he better TELL her what he wants, he quickly responded with put my damn feet on the ground.

He keeps telling me he is sorry for keeping me up, asking me what I had for dinner and wanting a Coke, Sprite or Ginger Ale. I have also worked hard to convince him that he is connected to a catheter and that he can in deed pee in the bed. I also was the bearer of bad news that he does not have pants on.

These are moments that will not be quickly forgotten.

I am snuggled up with a heated blanket from Patrick who dropped me off here and am in awe of his presence and so proud of the man he has turned out to be. Even in this hardest of moments when I cannot begin to imagine what he thinks or feels he simply tells me to keep him updated.

Tonight does not look like it will be restful but I am grateful for the opportunity to sit by my dad's bedside and for one night be his caretaker, hear him tell me he loves me and even in his depths of grogginess call me Princess.... and thank goodness for Netflix to keep me company tonight!