Dad's update 2/8/10

Well folks, it's been three nights since Roxann and I could sleep in a bed. We've been stuck at the hospital since the storm hit with no way back to our hotel. We messed up and forgot to take pictures of where we slept but trust me, it's been an adventure. The first night, we slept in a waiting room with recliners in it. We slept most of the night but were disturbed by the night crew coming in for a soda. The vending machines were in the same room. The second night, we opted for a different room. The chairs were far better but the company wasn't. Some dork was watching cartoons until midnight. By that time, we were too tired to get up and find the remote or the off button on the TV set. The third night, we pulled extra chairs into Michaels room and stayed there. We left a clear path so he could find his way to the bathroom and we ended up having the best sleep of the three nights. This afternoon, the shuttle to the hotel resumed so we made it back to our bed. I can't tell you how glad I was for that ride. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep. Another storm is supposed to hit tomorrow so we'll be taking extra clothes just in case but we're hoping for the best.




Not much has changed with Michael these past few days. We're still waiting for the plane trip to California. As soon as we get a firm date, I'll be scheduling my trip home and Roxann and Michael will be going on without me. I'm looking forward to seeing Erin and the rest of the crew but I will miss being with my son.



Michael is soooo looking forward to getting his jaw unwired. He is tired of chicken soup, applesauce, Cream of Wheat, and talking through clenched teeth. He can't even yawn! He is ready to move on and the hospital staff knows it. He says if the doctors don't unwire him on Friday, he's going to make himself throw up so they will have to cut the wires. I asked how he planned on doing it since he can't get his finger down his throat and he said he would come up with a way, just give him some time to think about it.  His sarcasm is in full force and he's joking around all the time. He's telling the nurses when they can and can't put drops in his eyes. He knows when they're supposed to take his vitals and if they miss the right time, he makes them wait. He told one male nurse, who came in to draw blood, "if you miss, I get to stick you so you better get it right". The guy lucked out and hit the vein the first try. Good thing for him. Roxann mentioned going for a walk to someplace in the hospital we hadn't been before and Michael said, "I really don't care; it all looks the same to me". One of the nurses that's worked with us a lot had to sleep at the hospital too (many of them did). She was sleeping in an empty patient room and came by just before bed time. She apologized for how she looked (her uniform was rumpled and her boots weren't done right) and as she did so, Michael said "Don't worry, I won't look".

We met another patient that has a blind daughter that is 26 years old and has been blind since birth. She came by to visit her mom today and brought a bunch of stuff for Michael to check out. She had braille  computer equipment, catalogs for accessories and equipment, a DVD player that plays "descriptive" movies and some other stuff.  She was a little chatter box and gave Michael a lot to look forward to.  Her dad left us a bunch of websites and suggestions on where to find things.

NEWS FLASH!  While writing this blog entry, the hospital called to say the flight is at 0630 tomorrow. Gotta go help my wife pack.  Talk to you later....

(Keep on praying. Thanks).