Staying In An Apartment In Richmond / Update On Dad

We drove to Richmond again yesterday. Instead of staying in another hotel, we decided to rent a furnished apartment. All of us – my family, Darrell’s family, Mom and Beryl – are here. This is a much better set-up for us - the boys have a place to stay without having to be repeatedly hushed (waiting rooms), and we can prepare our own food instead of going out to eat each meal. The apartment has two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, and small office area. There is lots of natural light, the furniture very tasteful, and the décor very nicely done. The bedroom closets are both walk-in, so there is plenty of room for everyone’s clothing and suitcases.

Mom, Beryl, and I spent a couple of hours with Dad earlier today. His swelling is going down, so the medication for edema seems to be working. The change in his face is especially noticeable – he looks a lot more like himself. He is bleeding quite a bit though - his nose, IV sites, and catheterization insertion point. He says this is because of the heparin medication - which thins his blood and prevents clotting. Dad had been telling the nurses that his dose was too high yesterday, and finally this morning, they cut back the dose. In fact, they have cut it way back – from 80 mL/hr to 10. Hopefully, his bleeding will ease and then they will figure out a correct dose (Dad thinks the best dose for him is between 50 and 60). He seems to be uncomfortable and in pain, but is bearing it well.

I showed Dad a video of the boys that we recorded right before going to the hospital. They were all saying that they loved and missed him, and that they wanted him to get well soon. The boys were jumping around and having a great time filming, full of energy and laughter. Dad began to choke up with emotion, saying he missed them so much. Children aren’t allowed on the unit, so they haven’t seen Dad since he was first admitted. I pray that Dad gets better quickly, so he can be with the grandsons again. Just their being around Dad has helped him heal quicker in the past.

Mom brought copies of get-well emails from relatives and friends for Dad to read. He enjoyed reading them. It is wonderful to know that there are so many people praying for him. It also is amazing how Dad and Mom’s relatives and friends from high school and college call/email to see how Dad is doing. Our family is surrounded by such a network of loving people – we are truly blessed!

The boys: For breakfast, Kevin insisted on making something. He kept looking at what we had and came up with his own recipe. He took small wedges of watermelon and placed crispy stripples (vegetarian bacon) through them. The watermelon was the airplane body and the stripple was the wings. Pretty creative. His brothers seemed to like eating them too.

Kevin has claimed our bedroom walk-in closet as his room. At his insistence, we put a twin-size aero bed inside for him. With the bed inflated, all four boys are now using it as a trampoline. They have played inside ‘the playroom’ many times today. Right now, they are playing hide-and-seek. When everyone is found, they squeal and laugh loudly. They are really enjoying their time together.