Patience, Restlessness, Waiting

Eric has been very restless the past day or so. They're trying to cut back on his sedation, but when he's not sedated, he's uncomfortable in the bed. He's tired of being in bed. He wants the tube out of his mouth. He wants to talk and eat. And he's having such a hard time getting good sleep. Yesterday he asked for grape juice. The nurse, she's such a softie, got permission from the doctor, and we moisten a small sponge on a stick with juice and let him hold it in his mouth. Today, it's Sprite. His morning blood gas was not quite as impressive today as yesterday, but not horrible. I know the doctor would love to get him off the ventilator, but doesn't feel he's strong enough just yet. He lowered the pressure on the vent slightly. So we're still moving in the right direction. Eric's white blood cell count was up this morning, so the doctor ordered cultures on everything, sputum, blood, urine, stool, to rule out infection. I don't see any of this as setbacks, but part of the difficult waiting healing process. So for those of you who pray specifically, Eric needs strength, both physically and mentally, patience, and a strong ability to hang in there and not give up. I can't even imagine how hard this all must be for him. And he's such a trooper, still so cooperative and pleasant to his caregivers. But his frustration is mounting. We continue to thank you all for everything.