Happy Mardi Gras

Above is a photo of my family. Eric is the tall handsome guy to my left, towering over me. To my right is Eric's twin brother Andrew. And my husband Bob.

Big day here in Lake Charles, as well as all of coastal Louisiana. It's Mardi Gras! Bigger than Christmas, though I've yet to figure out why. It's a state holiday, and the town celebrates with parades, carnivals, balls, and general merriment. Today actually marks the end of "Mardi Gras season," which always starts 12 days after Christmas and ends the night before Lent starts. We're sorta oblivious to the festivities here in the hospital, though lots of staff are wearing Mardi Gras beads, and Eric has some beads hanging from one of his IV poles, shiny bright strands of purple, gold, and green.

Another good day for Eric. The doctor came in and saw Eric's (relatively) awesome morning blood gas. He decreased the CPAP from 8 to 6 and the PSV from 30 to 25. In other words, we decreased the pressures on his ventilator, meaning more steps on the way to getting him off the breathing machine. So far, he's doing great on these new settings. Also, physical therapy came in to see him today. They actually sat him up on the edge of the bed for about a minute. Eric didn't like that at all. Naturally, he was very dizzy. And he's so weak. PT also did some light strength training and range of motion with him. It's another step on the road to recovery and getting his strength back. But he was exhausted. Eric took a world class nap after that.

God is definitely answering all your prayers. And we thank you. I'm very encouraged. As they say here on Mardi Gras, Laissez les bon temps rouler!