Lessons From The ICU

Harold & I got back from California about 1:30am today. It was an exhausting 6 days, which seems kind of silly as nearly all of it was spent sitting in a chair by my dad's bedside. He is hooked up to several machines, all of which have unique beeps. After a day we could tell which one was beeping without even looking. We met several of Dad's doctors, which was good. The staff caring for him is awesome & kind. We are thankful for all the wonderful nurses in the ICU.

Dad's condition is more critical than we originally thought. While his aortic valve transplant has done great & he has healed from that, his lungs are not well. He has Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. ARDS is not a specific disease; instead, it is a type of severe, acute lung dysfunction that is associated with a variety of diseases, such as pneumonia, shock, sepsis (a severe infection in the body) or trauma. A lot of what has been happening to Dad has been complications of ARDS. There is no known specific cause for ARDS. The outlook is very unclear. Some patients recover fully and some don't. The hope at this point is that they can pinpoint the source of an infection he currently has & that will help his lungs begin to heal. If they can get him well enough to leave ICU he will be transferred to a rehab facility to help him regain strength & muscle tone that he has lost after so many weeks in bed.

So how am I with all this? It has been very emotional for me. Yesterday was the last time I will see him for 4 weeks, when we make our scheduled summer "vacation" trip out there. Or it may have been the last time this side of heaven. But from my point of view, his heart condition has been so serious for so many decades that for many, many years I have never taken any phone call or kiss goodbye for granted. I have lived many years knowing that each phone conversation with my Dad could literally be the last. I am at peace with that. Our last conversation before he went into the hospital was very good. He told me how much he loved me & how proud he was of me and my life. What more could a daughter ask for? So I left with sadness but also with hope. It is all in God's hands. I trust Him to do the best for and with my Dad. Our prayer is of course that he would make a full recovery but God alone knows the number of Dad's days

I will write more about other things later but right now I am going to go take a nap! Thanks as always for your prayers. (Oh, and if you are one of my family members reading this, don't mention this post to Mom!)

Comments

[Julana]

Lori,
I'm glad you got to spend time with your father. I'm sorry his health is not good. Your faith and life are a tribute to his character. God be with you all.