Update on Dad-November 5, 2008

I last saw Dad at Victoria on Sunday, November 2nd. He was actually doing quite well, and while his speech was very difficult to understand, he seemed pretty clear minded and there was no discussion of anything that was not "reality". He was interested in looking at the latest pictures I had brought, and the slide show from Rob's birthday party. He even asked me how much my computer costs, as he would like to have one...Yiiikes!

Physically he looked pretty good, I would say pretty much the way he was before he went into the hospital, except with less strength and stamina. He does seem quite weak, and even has trouble picking up the remote for the TV, etc. After I was there for about 1/2 hour he seemed to be getting tired and had trouble keeping his eyes open.

All in all a good visit. I am hoping that as he gets more healthy his mental state will continue to improve.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Dad.

Update on Dad-October 22, 2008

As I looked at my sidebar today I realized I have not updated on Dad in a while, mainly because there is little new to say. He has definitely gotten back into his routine at Victoria, and seems much more comfortable there. To me, his breathing seems much better, and his color and general appearance looks much better.

While his physical body seems to be improving slightly, his mental condition is of concern to David and myself. Dad continues to be very "fixated" on certain ideas, most of which seem to be things that happened to him 15-20 years ago, mixed with present day plus a little bit of ????? we have NO IDEA. His main concerns right now revolve around getting the keys back to his "brown station wagon in the parking lot" (Dad has not driven or owned a car in several years...had the station wagon over 20 years ago), and "buying the preschool down the street" (again we think this is something he is thinking about from when they DID buy/own the preschool...well over 20 years ago.) These things are as real and current to Dad as if they are part of his life right now, and he is very frustrated with us when we try to explain it is not reality...not something happening right now. I feel so bad for Dad in his frustration, as he believes so furvently that these things are real. We are thinking this is part of the Parkinson's Dementia that many patients develop 10-15 years into the disease, but have not gotten that specific diagnosis from his Dr.

So, we are kind of back to where we were a few months ago, before the hospital visit, except it seems his mental condition has changed. We don't know if this is a temporary thing, or a condition that will just "be this way" from now on. It is very discouraging.

Once again, Dad loves to recieve mail, and can get his mail at:

Stanley Monson
c/o Victoria Health Care
340 Victoria Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

You can also email Dad (it will be printed and brought to his room) at:

www.victoriacares.com

Click on the "Contact Us" section and then towards the bottom click on the "Email a Resident" button.

So this is the update for now. I will try an keep the updates more consistant :-)

FINALLY...some good news!

Well, this is the update I've been wanting to give for 7 weeks now...Dad has been moved back to Victoria! David got the call yesterday afternoon that they were ready to move him, and everything had been coordinated between the hospital and Victoria to get him back in his same room, back where he is so much more comfortable. Both David and I feel a little concerned about this, as we have seen so much up-and-down with his condition...but we both feel he is so much more comfortable at Victoria, and that is where he wants to be, so we are just taking it one day at a time.

He is still receiving oxygen, but is down from 8 liters per day to 3. Also, they are still giving him antibiotics for his left lung (Dr. says it's still a little "cloudy") but they are able to manage that at Victoria. All in all I think it is a very positive move, and now we hope he will continue to improve.

Thank you for everyone who has sent prayers Dad's way, I know they make a big difference!

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. (Mary Jean Iron)

Update on Dad-October 6, 2008

My updates have been few lately, and mostly because there is not much to report...or maybe just not too much positive, so I hate to report it.

Dad seems to be mostly the same, and that is to say he is still at Kindred Hospital in Westminister. He is still on oxygen, and still receiving antibiotics for his lung infection. His condition seems to me to go up and down by the day, especially mentally. One day I will see him and he seems pretty clear mentally, and the next he is impossible to understand, mumbling about things that don't make sense. On these days he seems to stare at the ceiling, and be completely "out of it". Yesterday, on his birthday, it was one of those visits. Very discouraging.

Rob and the girls and I went to see Dad for his birthday, and I doubt that he was aware it was his birthday, which is very unusual for him, as those types of holidays have always been a big deal for Dad. The girls had made him "birthday cards" or drawings for Grandpa, and they were anxious to share those with him and explain what they had drawn. Normally he would have really enjoyed that, but yesterday he seemed unable to really focus on what they were saying, or the drawings they were showing him. He seemed very thin to me, or just very drawn and frail. His eyes looked pretty glassy, and seemed to look at things that were not there. All in all, the visit was very discouraging, and when we left I felt very down. I called David, who had been there earlier in the day, and he had had a very similar experience. We both really question the reality of Dad getting back to Victoria any time soon.

I guess the reason this is so puzzling for us is that earlier, or mid-week Dad seemed to be doing quite a bit better. He seemed much clearer mentally, and his eyes were clear, his color looked pretty good. On Wednesday of last week I would have said it was only maybe a matter of 7-10 days before he would be ready to go back to Victoria. Then, just a few days later he appeared really no better to me than when he was admitted to Kindred, almost 5 weeks ago.

What causes these ups and downs I do not know. What I do know is it is very discouraging, and seeing him that way is extremely depressing, and frustrating. I feel so very helpless, and wish more than anything he did not have to go through this...and many times a day I wonder why he does.

Please send your prayers his way.

Update on Dad-September 29, 2008

This is from an update email to my Dad's brother, my Uncle Lefty. Pretty much sums up what is going on right now. Sorry about the infrequency of the updates...I guess it is just pretty discouraging right now.

Well, I am really overdue on an update, but I guess I have been pretty discouraged at the lack of change and have not felt there was much to say. Dad seems to be in a holding pattern right now, in my opinion he does not seem to be improving. On Wednesday it will be 6 weeks since he has gone into the hospital, and two weeks from being transferred to "Kindred" Hospital, the long term acute care facility. When I really think about how he was doing 4 weeks ago when he was transferred up to this point, I see very little, if any improvement. He is up and down...some days (or even some moments) he seems pretty clear minded, and like himself. Then other days, or even minutes after he seems fine, he will go into a state where he is staring at the ceiling, mumbling, and talking about things that make no sense. David told me last night that on Saturday he was VERY out of it, and telling David that Mom was "locked in the mailbox" and he needed to go get her out. Often he will mention Mom, and ask if she is there, and if not where is she. He seems very uncertain of where he is many times, and has told both David and I to call before we come the next day as he will not be there, or that he is in a hotel, or even "Karen's Friend's House".

So, honestly I have begun to really doubt if he will ever be improved enough to return to Victoria. He seems very weak, even unable to move a sheet on his bed. He even seems to have lost interest in watching TV, even sports as both David and I have noticed, which is so unlike Dad. His condition is very discouraging to me, as I know it is to David, as we feel as of this point he honestly has NO quality of life...nothing he looks forward to, nothing he enjoy. He is existing...in a room, often staring at the ceiling, not able to eat food, hardly able to move, with medical procedures being done to him all day that he does not seem to enjoy. David and I were discussing it last night, and it even seems that he gets little enjoyment from our visits any more either. He does not say much (what does he have to talk about...) and mostly stares into space with short yes or no responses. As I mentioned, some days he seems slightly better, and more able to focus and communicate. But I try to be realistic and not put too much hope into those little glimmers of his "good days" as I have seen too often that he can be right back to "out of it" the next day, or even 5 minutes later. Right now my greatest fear for Dad is that he will remain in this "limbo" condition for months or maybe years to come, staying alive because of the medical treatment he is recieving, but living in a greatly diminished condition from where he was before he went into the hospital.


Hopefully this answers some of your questions, sorry I have not been better about the updates.

Update on Dad-Sept 23, 2008

Not much new to report. Dad is basically doing the same, he is still at Kindred Health Care, but no longer in the ICU. He has had his chest tube removed, and his breathing seems slightly better.

David spoke to the Dr. about Dad, and the Dr. feels that Dad is improving slightly. He also feels he will recover enough to return to Victoria, but has given no timeline as to how long that will take. Right now the Dr. wants to focus on physical therapy for Dad, to improve his strength to the point he is able to go back to a skilled nursing facility. We are paying to keep Dad's bed open at Victoria, and he is anxious to get back there.

Other than that, not much to report. Dad's progress is agonizingly slow, and that has much to do with his Parkinson's disease. Any improvement is good, even if that improvement is just his ability to move the sheets on his bed.

Maybe God is teaching us a lesson in patience?

Update on Dad from David-Sept 17th

This was an update in an email in response to Dad's brother (Uncle Lefty) written by David.
Just thought it was a good summary of what is going on right now.

In general, we have been pretty discouraged by the “holding pattern” of the last week. Throughout the week Dad’s vital stats have remained quite stable but much of the time he just seems very frail and tired. Despite the stability, it feels as though he can’t quite get “over the hump” in regards to the pneumonia. He remains on antibiotics and it just doesn’t seem like his immune system is capable of adding much to the fight.

Right now, I just don’t know what to expect when I go to see him. On Friday and Saturday, he was barely lucid and couldn’t stay awake long enough to even try to have a conversation. I left the hospital on Sat. night convinced that we had moved to a slow, inevitable wait for his passing.

On Sunday afternoon, he was awake, sitting up and willing to watch some football with me. He wanted to know the result of the Angel game and had a better sense of their upcoming schedule than I did…..go figure???? And yet, he was very much as Stef described – 50% on point and 50% in his own absurd unreality.

Last night he was a little more lucid but seemed tired again.

In all cases, he does not seem to be in any condition to be going anywhere very soon and I am feeling more and more like we may continue to be at this stage for awhile.



Welllllll…….I don’t want to go overboard with upbeat and cheery so I’ll stop for now and put myself back to work!

Sorry the message is something of a downer but, quicksand is kind of our reality of the moment.

Grrr...frustration...Update on Dad Sept 16

Well, I've been trying to post an update about Dad and running into technical difficulties with Internet Explorer this morning, so hopefully I can get this out before it shuts down on me again.


Dad has had several ups and downs this last week, and we have been very frustrated with his situation, and where he is being treated (or not treated) but I think for the time being we have evened those out, and things seem "okay" right now.

Dad is still at Kindred Hospital, which is an "Long Term Acute Care Hospital". He is finally out of the ICU, and in a regular hospital room. He has really gone up and down, from fighting breathing difficulties and having fluid in his left lung to having quite a few hallucinations or visions or dreams that are upsetting to him. He has also struggled just with strength and energy, often not being able to even stay awake for a few minutes when you come to visit, just seeming to have NO energy at all.

Right now, he seems to be on the upswing, ever so slightly. He has had a bit more energy the last few days, and is able to remain awake during a visit. Half of what he says is right on, and clear as a bell mentally, and half seems very confused, with visions of Mom being there, and secret Army work he has been up to. He is very anxious to get back to Victoria, and really does not think he needs to be in the hospital, but is too weak to even pull the sheet away from his body.

He still has the chest tube in, but is draining almost no fluid from it. The Dr's have been deliberating about taking it out/replacing it/or just taking it out period.

So bottom line is, he is slightly stronger and breathing has been a little better the last few days. He is having enough energy to argue with the nurses about treatment, and pull tubes out of his body. But his body is still extremely weak, and his mind is quite confused. What this all means, and the long term prognosis we are still not sure of. The Dr. told David last week that he felt this week would show a shift one way or the other...either moving toward improvement, or continuing further decline. We seem to be in kind of a holding pattern right now.

Please keep Dad in your prayers.

Update on Dad-September 9, 2008

Dad seemed to be doing much better tonight, although I am cautious of one step forward, two steps back progression. He was very lucid, and his blood pressure was much more normal.

Tomorrow they will replace his existing chest tube with a new one, apparently the existing one is blocked and no longer effective. His left chest area/lung is still having a lot of fluid around it, and the hope is that the tube can drain much of this fluid, making it easier for Dad to breathe. He does not complain about how he feels, as a matter of fact he tells me he feels "fine". He is anxious to get back to Victoria, and wants to schedule a poker game with Rob for next week.

There is talk about moving Dad out of the ICU and into a regular room in the next few days. Based on the treatment I saw him receive in the "regular" rooms in the past that makes me nervous, but we are watching very closely and will monitor the level of care. Hopefully that will be a short visit and he will be back at Victoria in no time at all.

More updates tomorrow.

Update on Dad-Sept 7, 2008

Sorry no update yesterday...just worn out I guess.

We went to see Dad last night (Saturday) and he was still very disoriented. Very upset about some hallucinations he was having, mostly to do with Mom. He is very convinced she is still living, and was there in his hospital room to see him. His breathing still seemed very labored to me. A Dr. had called me earlier in the day to ask our wishes about putting Dad back on the vent. if needed, as his breathing is not great. Of course I said yes, we would want that.

We don't have the results for his chest x-ray taken yesterday yet, to see how his pneumonia is changing.

As of tonight (Sunday) he was pretty much non-responsive when I went to see him. His nurse told me he had been given some medication to raise his blood pressure, and while I was there it was about 78/53. He had a pretty high heart rate as well, but I read when I got home that that is a common side-effect to the Dopamine medication he has been given for his blood pressure. His face was pretty red as well, and I was not really able to awaken him. He mumbled hello, but could not stay awake. His breathing still seems very labored to me.

Unfortunately I don't really see an improvement for Dad this weekend. He does not look better today than yesterday. I keep hoping and praying to see him start to turn around, and be a little better each day, but as of now that is not happening.

More updates tomorrow.

Update on Dad-September 4, 2008

Tonight my update is not as positive as I would like. Dad was transferred to a new facility last night at the recommendation of his Dr. at Hoag. This was to be an "in-between" type facility, a small hospital type facility that has more advanced nursing care than Victoria.

David was not thrilled with the staff/care he witnessed last night when he was with Dad and he got checked in. But as it was late in the evening, he figured it was just the time of day he was checked in, etc. I went to see Dad this afternoon around 3PM, and was very upset at his condition. He was very disoriented, having breathing difficulties, and suffering from a horrible, itchy rash. The Dr. had not seen or assessed him since he had been checked in there...almost 24 hours before. Without going into all of the details, it seemed to me that he had kind of fallen through the cracks, and had really received little or no medical care since his arrival. I rattled the cage a little while I was there and got some treatment and attention going. I called David, who had all of the contact info, and he made the necessary calls to get the Dr. in there immediately and some treatment going on.

Dad has now been moved into the "ICU" part of this new facility, where the patients have 1 nurse for every 2 patients. We are hoping that his care the last 24 hours was a one time thing, and that things will be better from now on since we have called attention to it. We will be closely monitoring his care, and making sure he is getting everything he needs.

I know both David and I are both physically and emotionally drained/exhausted. We are so frustrated to see Dad, who has fought so hard to get where he is over the last two weeks, slip backward due to what seems like poor care over the last 24 hour period. His condition is so fragile, and he has been so sick and so weak that it does not take much to set him back.

David is going in a much deserved and long awaited cruise with his family and in laws over the weekend, leaving tomorrow and returning Monday. In the meantime, Rob and I will be making sure Dad has the care he needs at this new facility, or making sure he is moved to somewhere he will receive the best.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please keep Dad in your prayers.

Dad is out of Hoag--being transferred to another facility!

Another update from David:

I spoke with a Dr. Katz at Hoag today who advised that they felt that Dad was ready to be transferred to an alternate facility for his ongoing care. They are recommending a facility called “Kindred Healthcare Hospital” and he described it as an acute care skilled nursing facility. Essentially, the level of care offered is less intensive than the ICU units at Hoag but, offers a pulmonary specific care capability that demands more skilled training than the staff at Victoria can offer. He projected that it would be very likely that Dad will be in this facility for a couple of weeks before he is ready to return to Victoria.

This was from last night and indeed Dad did get moved to this facility late last night. I did not see him, as Rob is out of town and by the time he got there it was too late for me to drag the girls out (it's a school night). I did get a voicemail from David last night around 10PM that he was there and stituated, so hopefully he will continue his recovery and will be back at Victoria before long.

Dad Update from David

This is an email update from David:

Dad seemed pretty well when we went to visit him last night. He has settled into the sub-ICU and is comfortable. As has been the case in the past, he is entering a stage where he is more wakeful and generally more alert. His overall lucidity tends to fluctuate – in particular, he almost always has questions for me about Mom when I go to see him. Initially, I would have to remind him that Mom was no longer with us and that didn’t always seem to register. Now, a gentle reminder is generally all that is necessary to kind of bring him back to the present.



On his last stay at Hoag (in Dec.) this was the stage in his recovery that he had some really WEIRD hallucinations. He is in a condition where he drifts in and out of sleep very frequently and it seems that whatever is on TV tends to mix with his own dream patterns and distant memories to create a very unusual tapestry of thought… I will be hoping that we can avoid much of that this time around. When he has somebody to visit with he tends to slowly hone in on the present and can once again carry a reasonable conversation.



Otherwise, he continues on the antibiotics and the chest tube continues to drain a significant amount of fluid from his chest cavity. He told me that his breathing is similar to how one’s head feels when they have a cold – it will alternate between very stuffy and mostly clear. The nurse confirmed that this should be expected to continue for a bit longer. All in all, he is continuing to make positive progress but the progress is, and will probably continue to be, tediously slow.

Update on Dad-September 3, 2008

Well, sorry for no update yesterday...honestly there is not much to report. We are just feeling SO BLESSED that Dad is doing so much better, and is out of the CVICU. Now it is really just a matter of his regaining his strength and remaining on the antibiotics for a little while longer to clear up the pneumonia.

If anyone is so inclined, Dad LOVES receiving mail. If you send it to me I will make sure and take it to him and help him enjoy it. He especially loves pictures, so if any of you "long lost" cousins, friends, relatives would like to send him pictures of yourself, your dog, your house...you get the idea...he would LOVE that. Please email me at:

stefaniewarren@yahoo.com

and I will give you my home address to send it to. He has little to do except for watching TV, and it is difficult for him to even hold a book to read it, he has very little to look forward to. But he does love mail, and when he gets any he will treasure it for days, stopping anyone who will give him a minute to share it. Even if you want to send him an email, just send it to my email address above and I will print it out and bring it to him. He also loves receiving a good joke...and then repeating it to all that will listen :-) So dust off your favorite knock knock's...and send them his way. He will appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Well, that's all for now. I wish I had more to report, but hopefully will be sharing the good news that he is able to return to Victoria soon. Today marks 2 weeks he has been in the hospital. Ugh...as great as Hoag hospital is, I would be happy if I never had to see it again.

Have a great Wednesday!

Update on Dad-September 1

Dad was finally moved from the CVICU today to a "regular" hospital room, or a step-down unit as the nurse described it. Now that the tube is out and the bleeding has stopped he just needs to be able to clear up the pneumonia and he should hopefully be able to go back to Victoria. He seems anxious to go back, and again be in his comfort zone. After all there is no place like home.

I think as sick as he has been it may be several days before he is released, but at least now I feel comfortable believing that the worst is over.

This time.

Update on Dad-August 31

Well, I guess this update is actually from Sept 1, as it is 12:42 and I am up and updating. I have trouble sleeping when Rob is gone and Dad is in the hospital...funny thing...

Anyway, Dad was doing MUCH better today. He was awake and aware when the girls and I visited him, as a matter of fact he called me on my cell phone bright and early this morning, so I knew he was feeling better! Unfortunately I could hardly understand him on the phone (he is difficult under the best of circumstances) and so I got that he did not know we were there yesterday (not a surprise as he seemed very sleepy) and he wanted to seem some family. I let him know that David would be there this AM and the girls and I would be down later.

When we got there he seemed very awake and lucid, and he seemed very happy to hear about the girls starting school, etc. His voice is VERY weak, but he says his throat is not sore from the vent tube. He mentioned that they had tried to get him up, and that it scared him that his knees buckled under him. I reminded him that he has been VERY sick for 12 days now, and that it was to be expected that he would be weak...just give it time. I heard later from David that he had had the same conversation earlier in the day.

So all in all he is definitely improving, but not yet ready to leave the CVICU. The main issues, the pneumonia and the intestinal bleeding have seemed to have greatly improved, and that is what we have been praying for.

Before we left, we said a prayer as we always do. This time Avery wanted to say the prayer, and she asked God to protect and heal Grandpa. Then when she was done Dad asked to join in the prayer, and thanked God for blessing him with the "wonderful family he has" that has "carried him through his difficulties". I thank God he has given me such a wonderful example for a Father.

More updates tomorrow.

Quick Dad Update

David just got a call from Hoag that they have removed the respirator tube from Dad's throat, and he was anxious to see his kids. Rob left early this morning for a week in Alaska, but the girls and I are going to head down to Hoag and give Dad a visit!

Good news at last!

Update on Dad-August 29th 3:00PM

Just got a few emails from David with updates (the hospital is calling him for authorization on any procedures Dad needs. I'll just quote him here to update:

First email, from 11:50AM:

Hoag called me yesterday around 6pm to authorize a bronchoscopy to examine Dad’s left lung further. It was my understanding that it was intended to help evaluate the general condition of the lung and perhaps assist in removing some of the remaining fluids. They gave him some mild sedation to make this easier for all. Accordingly, Melinda and I went over a little later in the evening (9:30ish) in the hopes that he would be past the effects of the sedative but, he was still sleeping very deeply. Unfortunately, the nurse did not yet have any results to share of the earlier procedure.

I called a little while ago and spoke with today’s nurse, Marianne, who advised that I should be expecting a follow-up call from the Dr. who should be calling to request authorization of a different procedure to remove excess fluid from the area surrounding the lung - a potential procedure we were discussing yesterday. I am waiting on that call.

She further explained that under her watch he has been much more agitated and difficult the last two days and keeps trying to pull out the respirator tube. She told me she has had to sedate him several times because of this. This was the first time we have been told this. I explained that this has happened in the past and once he was able to speak again Dad had explained that he knew he had to have the tube but, there was something uniquely uncomfortable about it that caused the agitation and asked her to please take a look from that perspective.

Unfortunately, there is no sure way to know if he has just reached his tolerance point with this or, if there is a different level of discomfort that he is trying to convey…..


I’ll let you know what I learn once the Dr. calls.

2nd email, from 3:00PM:

I just spoke with Hoag a few minutes ago and authorized the insertion of a chest tube for Dad. The purpose of the tube is to act as a drain for the accumulated fluids in the chest cavity. The tech explained that when the patient's system is unable to process these naturally, they accumulate between the lung and the chest wall and effectively prevent the lung from filling as completely as one would hope. The more the lung is able to expand, the greater it's capacity to clear the junk inside. It's sort of a medical version of "it takes money to make money" ("it takes capacity to create capacity"!).

The procedure is done using a local anesthetic and presents minimal risk. The greatest danger would be that they might accidentally nick the lung. Fortunately, the solution for this......is to put in a chest tube.

Hopefully the chest tube will help his breathing and we can get the tube down his throat OUT.

More updates later.

Update on Dad-August 28th 11:30PM

As I guess is normal in this kind of situation, we are kind of at a standstill right now. Dad's body is fighting the attacks against it, but because of his significant physical challenges it is having trouble moving forward.

Really not too much to report today...Dad is still on the respirator, and still battling the pneumonia. He is still bleeding from his intestines, but it is greatly diminished. We have not moved much forward, but more importantly we have not moved back.

Dad is probably the toughest person I know. He is a fighter, and is still fighting when many, or probably most would have given up. His body has tried to quit many time over the last few years, but his mind continued to fight...and so he is still here. I think of him when I feel overwhelmed and down and it helps me to buck up...if HE can do it, it should be no problem for me.

Go Dad! I love you so much.

Hopefully more positive info tomorrow. I'll update when I get any new info.

Update on Dad-August 27 9:45PM

David and I saw Dad this evening and had a good chance to speak to his nurse. Here's what we learned:

Dad had a CAT scan today, which showed really no improvement with his pneumonia. Or, the other way to look at it is...it's not getting worse, so that's a blessing. It also showed there is quite a bit of fluid in the area around the lungs, and the Dr. is going to be deciding in the next 24 hours or so if they need to drain that area with a needle they would insert into the fluid pockets to drain them. As of tonight, Dad is still on the respirator, and still has his hands in restraints. We asked about this, as he is pretty much alert and lucid, but the nurse says when they loosen or remove them he immediately starts reaching for/playing with the tubes and she is just worried that he might find them so irritating he would pull them out.

Dad's bowel blood loss definitely seems to be less, and as of right now they are just hoping that it will stop bleeding on it's own...so again this is kind of a "wait and see" type thing. This could change dramatically at any time if something "breaks loose" in there. The are giving him nutrition through his G-tube, and so far he is tolerating that okay.

The last thing was the bedsore that he has, and that seems to be getting no worse, but really getting no better. They are rotating Dad every couple of hours, and treating it with "barrier" cream, but it seems very slow in healing as well.

Dad had the Angel game on while we were there, and seemed interested in watching that. My feeling is that this will be a long process of recovery, and most of these things that might clear up for a "healthy" person in a week or two might take Dad a month or two based on his overall poor physical condition and the effects of the Parkinson's disease. The nurse commented tonight that Dad was a real trooper, and was tolerating all of his treatments really well. I'm sure he will be thrilled to get the tube out of his throat, as he seems frustrated at his inability to speak...and who wouldn't be.

Thank you for all of your prayers. I'll update again tomorrow.