11/2 update

We spent the morning at the hospital with Dad, and are very encouraged with what we've seen.  We were able to talk with the ICU doctor, and he confirmed what we've been speculating; Dad had a hemorrhagic stroke due to uncontrolled hypertension.  They said it was a massive intracerebral bleed.  The drains the surgeon installed are doing their job draining away the spinal fluid and blood to relieve the pressure inside his brain.  The ICU doctor said he is very pleased with Dad's progress thus far.  Many stroke victims have no response at all for weeks, and here we are two days out, and he's responding to commands and has some movement.

He is no longer sedated, and while we were there they removed his breathing tube and his feeding tube.  For the first couple of hours he was only moving his left arm and left leg, which was discouraging.  We had hoped to see movement on his right side.  But after we had been there a while, all of a sudden he lifted up his right arm and put it across his chest!  That was the first time anyone had seen more than just finger wiggling.  Shortly thereafter, we saw him pick his right leg up and cross it over his left.  His nurse described him as "getting rambunctious", because he's trying hard to pull out some of the remaining tubes.  His arms are restrained so he can't lift them to his head to pull on anything.  While we were out of the room, he managed to adjust his position to move his head closer to his hands and had a good grip around one tube when we came back in.  It looks like Dad is still Dad!

Other little glimpses of the morning:

He can nod yes and no and respond to commands to move his arm or leg.  

He is raising his eyebrows and tried to wink - a very "Dad" thing to do.

He reached up and puckered his lips when Mom asked him for a kiss.

He appears to be doing some of his usual body motions, like rocking his head from side to side, and hanging his foot down and moving it in big circular motions - things he regularly does when sitting in his easy chair in front of the tv.

He was ornery with the respiratory therapist when she tried to remove his breathing tube. He did not like one of the things she did prior to pulling out the tube, so he was determined to stop her from doing anything else.  He grabbed the tube and held it down so she couldn't pull it out.  After they pried his fingers off the tube, he bit down hard on it.  They did eventually get it out but not without a fight!

He was making some vocal sounds, and we did hear him say "yeah" after the nurse brushed his teeth for him.

Everything was very encouraging.  Right now it sounds like they expect him to be in the ICU for about two weeks.  As long as he has the drains in his head, he has to stay there. We know he will have a long road ahead, but things are looking good for only 2 days out.  

Based on some of the responses to yesterday's email, I realized that some of you may not know that Mom and Dad moved to Florida just two weeks ago.  I know Mom is thankful that Aunt Jean, Dad's sister, is not far away, and that we've all been able to take time off and be here with her. If you'd like Mom and Dad's address, drop me a note and I'll send it to you.

Also, the nurse has told us that it will be helpful for us to talk to Dad about "regular everyday things" as he recovers.  I know he communicates with many of you on a regular basis.  If you have any stories (if you know him you know how he loves stories, though he's usually the one telling them!), even if they seem mundane to you, or if you come across a good joke you think he'd enjoy, we'd love to have you send them along so we can share what's happening in your lives with him.  He's such an extrovert, I know he will appreciate staying informed on what's going on in the lives of those he loves.  I've listed our email addresses below.

Thanks again for all the prayer and support.  We are eternally grateful for the love you've all showed for us and for Dad.  I know he would say the same if he were able!

Kristen

Gulf Coast Medical Center

13681 Doctor's Way

Fort Myers, FL  33912

Debbie  debhall313 @ gmail. com

Kristen  khall222 @ gmail. com
BJ and Heather  palmettohall @ gmail. com
Kate  treehugger313 @ gmail. com