It's a bird; It's a plane; No, it's SuperNurse!Okay, that doesn't really have anything to do with today's post... but couldn't we ALL benefit from having a SuperNurse now & then.
It's been a rough few days around the various Ellis households lately. Not only does Dad continue to struggle with his medical issues, but his Mom ended up in the hospital with congestive heart failure on Sunday.
When it rains it pours, huh?
Last I heard they were able to place a stint in the damaged area, and she's awake and recognizing family members at this point in time. Add another Ellis to the prayer list!
Now for the million dollar question... What about Buddy?
Dad hasn't rebounded from the infection(s) that brought him back to TG last week. We (wife Trish; daughter Trish; son Tony; grandson Michael & I) had a family consult with the staff (a wonderful thing they offer there) yesterday, so I'll pass along a little info from that.
The fever continues to bounce up & down (in the 102 neighborhood, last I heard), and they've still been unable to figure out exactly why. The Neuro folks have indicated they DON'T believe it to be a neurological issue... which leads us back to the Infectious Disease folks. They are aggressively treating the infection and hope to be able to get it under control soon.
They took Dad off the sedating meds yesterday and have received no response on his part, as of yet. The sedation they're using was 'short acting'; which means when you start or stop it... there's supposed to be an immediate effect or response. That means he should have been able to offer some nods, or something; but none so far.
Dad's seems to be having some pain... you can definitely see when it hurts. It breaks our hearts to see him in pain. Especially since (for those who know him well, I'm sure you'll agree) he's kind of a wuss when it comes to pain.
He’s been a tough cookie, though, and has repeatedly shown us that during these past 3 months or so. We've been happy that up until lately - we're pretty sure he hasn't had much (if any) pain.
That being said; some short-term goals were established (Dad would be glad about that... he loves for people to set goals). I whispered to Dad yesterday (funny, my sister told me this morning she had said almost the same thing to him yesterday, too) that if he & God had any more miracles up their sleeves, now was the time.
Now is definitely the time!
We have another meeting scheduled with the staff for next Tuesday; to re-evaluate where things are going from there.
In the mean time, pray for Dad's comfort and healing. And pray for Trish & the rest of our family… and the difficult decisions that we may, very possibly, be facing in the very near future.
God Bless all of you for your support and prayers!
John