Improvements

It was not easy to leave yesterday. My father, who had been alert and chatting with us for days, was uncomfortable. The lack of fluids and irritation from the tube left his throat scratchy and painful; he couldn't say more than a few words at a time and those were difficult to hear. If you missed them the first time, there would be no repetition. The epidural, which had given him groggy-free pain relief, had been removed in favor of another very effective drug, but one that made him drift off to sleep frequently all day. He looked more like the patient I expected to see those first few days after surgery. I tried to bear in mind that, although he was looking more ill and unhappy, he was in fact continuing to gain strength as he walked increasingly longer laps around the unit.

The swallow study, that which had been promised for Monday, could not be delivered until Tuesday due to the holiday. This was demoralizing for all of us, particularly as my Dad's discomfort increased significantly on the day it was due. He was brought down early Tuesday morning for the test in radiology and my mother and I strained to hear through the door, nearly jumping out of our seats when I heard a doctor say, "Everything looks really good so far, Mr. Sadler." Things did look good. The radiologist said so, the intern said so, and yet it wasn't until his own surgeon, Dr. Whyte, got out of surgery hours later, reviewed the film and gave it the thumbs up, that my father's tube could be removed and he could start drinking some water. I was happy to know that the test went well but it wasn't until I was about to board the plane that my mother's call came in to say that the surgeon had finally appeared and things were starting to change.

I think there will be big changes this week as my father begins to regain more control over his body with fewer tubes and cords around him and can move more independently. As his throat heals and he can talk more, receive phone calls, and let us know what he wants more easily, I expect he will seem more himself. And yet this healing will take a while, and the long wait in the hospital can take a lot out of people, even those as strong as my father.

I may continue to write once in a while, but I am no longer in California, so I would expect that my mother will do most of the updating until my Dad is able to get back to the computer himself. I have been so grateful for all of your support of our family; it continues to help all of us get through this challenging time.