A really hard post to write

From Haverly

Hi everyone,

This is a hard blog to write, but you've been with us every step of the way so we want to make sure that you know what's going on.  Bill says that when the doctors come looking for him he knows that is not a good sign and while it's rarely happened, on Saturday afternoon they came to seek him out.  

Basically Dad's condition has deteriorated to a point that it was time for me to come home.  Dad's nutritional state is very perilous, the bowel operation means that he is passing a ton of fluids and not absorbing the calories like they would like.  They began the IV feeding on Saturday as my mom mentioned.  The passing of so many fluids is also altering his blood chemistry which is making it very difficult for him to breathe.  He is now on the vent full time but he fights it and gets very agitated.  He was withdrawn, not interacting with the nurses, nervous when they came to do procedures to the point where they had to sedate him.

Bill called on Saturday night to let us know that we needed to come home.  I flew in this morning and met Bill, my Uncle Gary and Aunt Lori and Frazier and Cassi at the hospital so that we could all meet with the doctors and figure out what the next steps are.

Today we arrived to find Dad more awake and alert than he has been, resting more comfortably, interacting with the nurses more and seeming much better than when Bill saw him on Saturday.  I was able to clip his nails, comb his hair and even put some lotion on his hands.  We all visited with him some. Then he really started to struggle and actually ended up vomiting, which has not happened in all the time he's been in the hospital.  They had to clean him up and suction out his stomach and follow that up with a bronchoscopy to make sure that nothing had gone into his lungs.  He was sleeping when we left and has continued to sleep since we have checked in.  We don't know what caused him to vomit or if we will know.

So where does that leave us?  Unfortunately it is really hard to know.  He has to get out of the ICU, they cannot do anything more for him and he needs to be in a place where they know how to help him get better.  We're hopeful they will move him this week, but again it is just so hard to tell.  We are waiting for the phone call telling us that he is being moved.

We're at the point where we just don't know what tomorrow will bring.  We all want to be so optimistic and are trying, but we also have to be realistic.  His mental state is not good and we're just not sure how much more of this he can take.  I know so many of you check this blog religiously and there is no good way to give bad news on a website but it is the easiest way to reach everyone so I will continue to post even when its the hardest thing to do.  

We're still hoping and praying and know you are all doing the same.  For that we are so grateful.  So until the next up or down, we'll expect more of the same!

All the best

Haverly