At about 8 am the nurse took him off of the sedative so he would wake up because he needed to be up while they took the breathing tube out. He was slowly waking and seemed to recognize me. He seemed like he wanted to smile at me, and attempted to say something. The respiratory doctor adjusted the machine so Frank was breathing on his own. After he woke up a little bit more, they removed the tube.
The doctor also informed us that he was borderline diabetic and that he was not sure if that an MRI was still necessary because the CAT scan from yesterday showed a lot of detail.
When the neurologist came in later in the morning, he stated that at this time the MRI was not necessary and that today they would focus on lowering his blood pressure some more. Frank has been sleeping all day, and it is very difficult to wake him up. He will open his eyes a little bit, but then close them again.
A kidney doctor stopped in at about 2pm and explained that high blood pressure impacts the function of the kidneys. She stated that his blood work is now showing that there could be a problem with his kidneys. They will be performing tests on that, so more information to come.
He is moving his arms a lot, which is a good sign. However, the nurses have to keep a close watch because of the IV's that are in his arms. At about 7pm, he pulled a couple of them out which is not good because it's hard for the nurses to find good veins and he needs a continual flow of his BP medication. It is also painful to him when putting the IV's in. He may need to be restrained to prevent this from happening again.
If Frank's BP goes down, and he is more alert, the plan is to start assessing what he is having difficultly doing and create a therapy/rehabilitation plan. They also still need to assess if the brain damage has affected his ability to eat/swallow. If he can't, then they will be putting a temporary feeding tube in place.
Lastly, he pulled at my heart strings this evening. He opened his eyes and waved and I took his hand. He grabbed my hand with both of his, brought my hand to his face and kissed it.
Let's pray that he relaxes and isn't so restless, so then he won't be moving around too much and pull out his IV's again.
I love you Betsy and am praying for you, Frank, and the rest of the family. If he's recognizing you and using both his hands to grab yours that is great! Thank you for the updates and know that you have lots of people who love you and will help anytime you need something.
ReplyDeleteBetsy, This is Gerard Gatineau the director of IT at Rogers. I want to let you and Frank know that all of his colleagues from around the world are very concerned and praying for Frank's recovery. Please let him know we are here for him.
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