Day Nine Part Two

6:30

When I went back to Don's cubical for the 3:00 visit the physical therapist had just arrived. I was able to help the ICU nurse and the PT to sit Don up. It was very hard for him to get in the upright position after being on his back for over a week, but he did it. He was able to shift his weight from hip to hip but was unable to stay balanced enough to sit on his own. With both arms in casts, he is unable to support himself because the left hand still has to be operated on and the right one cannot have any pressure for quite sometime. He only sat up about 5 minutes and then we helped him to lie back down. Don showed signs of being in more pain trying to lie back down than he did when he was sitting up. He went right to sleep and slept for the most of the remainder of the visitation time. He is somewhat confused still every time he wakes up but nothing like yesterday. We are waiting on a room in PCU - Progressive Care Unit, which is a step better than ICU. The blockage in his stomach is still there but it is getting smaller. The are allowing him to have ice chips instead of sponges soaked in water. He is so hungry and thirsty though. He hasn't eaten anything to amount to anything in over a week now and he hasn't been able to have anything to drink since Tuesday. He has a lot of swelling in his feet, ankles & the left hand. He has some water type blisters on his left thigh. That could be an allergic reaction to some tape. The nurse also said it could that instead of swelling in other areas, his body has forced fluid to the top of his skin and formed those blisters. But it only appears to be on the left leg. Just keep praying! He has a rough, tough & long road ahead!