Tuesday night

Slim was up in a chair several times today.  His speech therapy evaluation went well.  He was able to swallow everything and so he was able to actually eat lunch by mouth today instead of a tube.  They still have the tube in place in case they need to provide additional nutritional support.  Although he was able to eat today, the taste of it wasn't like he would have hoped.  The meds may play a part in this.  They have removed the lines in his right arm.  All that is left is the central line in his neck. They were also able to remove the chest tube that helped to drain excessive fluid from his surgical site.  They also continue to push getting the fluids out of his system.   Since entering the hospital last week he has gained about 8 lbs.  This is mostly due to the retaining of fluids.  They have been able to drain 3 liters to date.  They have now switched from a mask to a nose piece to give him the additional oxygen.  He currently is on 3 liters of O2.  Looks like he will start rehab tomorrow.

His voice is getting stronger and he is able to carry on a simple conversation.  He basically has little to no memory of what has taken place since they brought him back from surgery.  Judy and I were able to visit for awhile today and relayed to him what all happened and when.  One memory he does have is of the tube in his airway.... He doesn't want to have the tube put back in ever again!!!

Still not sure when he will be transferred out of the ICU. Tomorrow would have been his target discharge date.  However; since he had the set back that lasted for about 3 days we don't expect him to come home before the weekend.  This is a guess on our part.

Jaren