Dad was wide awake for all of our visits today. He was very fidgety and kept asking us to move him. He had us lift his legs, lower his bed, raise his bed, twist his torso, raise his arms, lower his arms, and no matter what we did he didn’t seem comfortable. He was not in any pain; he just wanted to be moved. He also kept saying that he had something in his mouth. So we would suction his mouth but no matter how much we suctioned he insisted that there was something in there. The sister said that this was occurring because the nerves in his mouth and tongue are returning and he is gaining more feeling in that area. So although it is bothersome to him at this point, it is a good sign.
The evening visit was another good sign but it was extremely painful to watch. When I entered the room his eyes were closed and he was frantically moving his head from side to side, I thought that he might have been dreaming but when he opened his eyes he quickly motioned to me to come closer to him. As I got closer, I noticed that sweat was beading off of his forehead, neck, and chest. I immediately became alarmed thinking that he might have a fever so I asked him if he was hot, but he didn’t pay attention to me. He kept trying to tell me something. I then touched his forehead and when I went to touch his arm the sweat from his forehead dripped from my fingers. I knew this wasn’t normal. I started to call for the nurse, but he motioned for me to stop so I stopped but I told him that I needed to wipe him down. I wiped him with paper towels and after several failed attempts at communicating, mom and I finally figured out that he wanted us to close the curtains to the room. When we finally had the room curtained off he turned to us and said “O.K., now stand me up.” Once we convinced him that this wasn’t a good idea, he said “O.K., sit me up.” When we told him that this wasn’t possible either he said adamantly “I have to make an effort!” We had a long talk with him about all that is happening to his body and about all of the options regarding his going home, none of which are feasible at the moment, and he eventually calmed down. He seemed very disappointed. When he was calm, I prayed with him and afterwards I asked him if he wanted me to read a Psalms. He said yes, of course, and I asked him which one. While he was thinking I suggested Psalms 23 and he nodded yes. As I read it to him I could feel God’s presence and when I was done, a tranquil look appeared upon his face. Mom then asked me to read Hosea 6: 1-4; (the word that God spoke to us the other night). When I finished reading he smiled. He then asked if we would be there tomorrow and we said yes and he said “I’ll see you tomorrow.” As we left the room it occurred to me that all of the sweating was due to the effort he was exerting to get up.
It was very difficult to see him so anxious, but this fierce determination is going to serve him well throughout his recovery. Please pray for God to give him peace in his heart during this time.
