PT, OT and Sherbet

...from Sarah

It's Day 2 without the ventilator and Dad is doing great! I got in around 9am and he was much more alert than last night. Mom said that he has been pretty demanding now that he can really ask for what he wants (ice chips, cool washcloths, etc.) She told him that he better plan on spoiling her if she's ever in the hospital and he agreed :)

The Physical Therapists came back this morning and gave him a workout including another session of sitting up on the side of his bed. It's amazing to think that a person's muscles atrophy in just a few days (or 10 for Dad) of laying in bed. It's going to take time, but his muscles will grow stronger day by day. They asked him a bunch of questions and he answered clearly. Actually, he was cracking jokes the whole time, saying that he should have workout clothes on to do this :) He also said that it felt great to sit up and that he was ready to stand. Count on Dad to try and go the distance in one day! The therapists made a deal with him that they would come back this afternoon with a walker so he could try and stand. Sounds amazing, but it's remarkable how far he's come in the last 24 hours.

About an hour later, an Occupational Therapist came in to work with Dad. He was really exausted from his last workout, but still wanted to try and stand. We gave it a shot and he got up slightly, but not all the way. Again, he was really tired from this morning so it wasn't a surprise to anyone. I didn't know very much about Occupational Therapy before today, but it's such a great field. They will work with Dad to become independent again with basic things like walking and bathing.

As for the Sherbet, it is officially Dad's least favorite thing at the moment. He kept saying how horrible it tasted and that he would rather have ice chips. I said that it has more nutritional value than water and he responded with "barely". He's really making me laugh today. He's kind of a cranky patient and it's cute :)

Well, it's about 12:30 here in Muskegon and I'm sitting at Dad's bedside helping him take his oxygen mask on and off and giving him water through a straw. He keeps trying to do it on his own which is probably a good thing, but I'd really like him to rest for a bit. Mom's taking a quick break so that she can feel refreshed while nursing Dad the rest of the day. I'm getting ready to head to Northville to be in my friend Kelly's wedding tomorrow at Meadowbrook. I'm really looking forward to being with all of my friends and then I'll be back at the hospital on Sunday before heading to Chicago that night.

Happy Friday to all of our friends and family reading this post. I am thankful every day to have each and every one of you in our lives.

-Sarah

PS: Dad is still in Critical Care, but they are hoping to move him to a "regular" room in a couple of days!