Walter Update

By the way, yesterday I called the hospital and am thankful that I continue to receive good news. The Renal Specialist wants to remove Walter from continuous dialysis and transition him to three days per week. (Really good thing.) In addition, the Respiratory Specialist, wants to transition Walter to a less "demanding" type of ventilation system. (Really, really good thing.) I don't know the true medical term, but my understanding is that the new ventilator will require my dad to use his lungs more and depend less on the machine. They hope to achieve this transition by the weekend. The biggest benefit for the transition is the new ventilator causes significantly less pain and will require less sedation.

The only concern is that the doctors, over the last few days, have been attempting to wean him from the sedation without huge successes. Part of this is due to all of the medical contraptions he is hooked up to and the other part is unknown. The most significant problem is that my dad is not as responsive as they believe he should be. We will know better this weekend, once all of the transitions have taken place.

I plan to take Muddear to see her "baby" within the next few days. Hopefully, he will be able to talk to her. I never expected this level of responsibility when I became my grandmother's caregiver. However, in the span of a few weeks, I find myself caring for Muddear, Phil, and Walter. I am thankful to God for the strength and courage.