Say what?

When I first arrived in Port Elizabeth Dad's entire body was limp and flabby. The word that best describes his muscle texture at that time is "watery". He had absolutely zero muscle tone. Over the past two days I've noticed a big improvement in his muscle tone. When I lift him or when I massage him, his body no longer feels watery, it feels more solid. I mentioned it to the nurses and they tell me that they've noticed as well and that this is a great sign. He continues to breathe on his own and the physicians are slowly weaning him off the ventilator. The nurse told us today that it will be a few more weeks before he is completely off; let's pray that it will happen sooner than that. Communicating with him continues to be a struggle, but we somehow manage. As if reading his lips wasn't enough, we also have to deal with his hearing. It seems as if his hearing has gotten worse. You have to really yell at him in order for him to hear you, and even then you have to repeat yourself a few times before he understands. Mom says he's always been like that. He's also having trouble keeping track of the days and time, which is totally normal for people who are in an ICU long term, the doctor's call it ICU syndrome. Keep praying for him and for us. Pray that God would continue to stregthen us.