Three Long Weeks!

Jon was having a much better day today. He has been so down and depressed the last 3 days we were really getting worried. The hassle of moving upstairs and then having trouble breathing because he wasn’t being aspirated as often which necessitated the move back to the ICU wasn’t so great, either. Yesterday, they had to do another deep cleaning which can be very painful and leads to some extremely hard breathing. It hurts just to watch him -- just imagine the most violent case of hiccups you ever had and that would just be a breeze compared to the trouble he has breathing after these treatments. Today was much better. His breathing had calmed down and he was in a much better mood.

This is day 21 in the hospital and he hasn’t had his hair washed. He was asking today if we would scratch his head. What with the halo and all it is not as easy as it sounds. By the time Carol was finished to his satisfaction he much looked like the scientist Christopher Lloyd played in the movie “Back to the Future.” I was amused the other day to see a shampoo cap on his bedside tray and wondered how in the world they thought it could be used...just standard procedure for housekeeping, I guess. We tried one with Barb when she was in the hospital last January and we weren’t at all impressed.

Jon continues to like lotion applied to his hands while they are exercised and massaged. Carol is sure to include that in her daily visits. She was pleased to notice that he is trying to make a fist when asked. He is also gaining more control of his arms. She makes sure his legs get some movement also. I told her she missed her calling--should have signed up for physical therapy! His aunt Susan dropped in on her way home from Dearborn MI to her home in Dayton, OH and she helped also. My other sister and mother hope to be down tomorrow to see him.

Jon has days when he “talks” a lot. It really helps if the other person in the conversation can read lips! Sometimes we have to ask him to spell the most important word he is trying to convey and then go from there. Those of you who do well at lip reading are most welcome! Well, everyone is welcome; it is just that lip reading is an extra bonus.

We hope tomorrow will be another good day. All of you who are recovering from colds, please come back...he misses you.