Wednesday January 4th 4:45

Just went to see Papa again. First visit this morning he seemed a little groggy and tired. This time, we were so happy to see him more alert and responding well to us. We told him his buddies Roland and Bernard had been asking about him, ...his response.."they were asking about me, huh?"...and he said.."tell everybody not to catch all the fish". He also talked about the firewood he got from Uncle Howard ....said he gave him a "really good deal". He asked about "all my little angels" (his grandchildren). He sounded like our old Papa when we mentioned the name Grayson, he used one of his familiar nicknames to refer to him as "my little monkeyshine". It was so good to see him coming out of his drug induced stupor. We told him that there are so many people praying for him and wanting him to get well soon.

Dr. Townsend met with us today and gave us the CT scan report. There are still some small pockets of fluid.. He will be monitoring these for the next couple of days.The white cell count is still elevated and he has a low grade fever. The cultures have been coming back negative and he is puzzled by this. We did remind him about the abcessed tooth he had prior to entering the hospital.' He said that he would definitely check into it, that though unlikely it may be the cause of some source of infection. Also they removed the central line he had when he was admitted, thinking that this could also be the source of an infection. Dr.'Townsend continues to remind us that it will be a very slow recovery.

Wednesday January 4th

Just called Papa's nurse. His vitals remain steady,they have switched him from the full oxygen mask to a nasal canula. She says when we make it there we will be able to meet with a doctor about the results of the CT scan, because she did not have that information.

Tuesday January 3rd , 6:15

Sorry I am late with a blog...things aren't happening as fast now and so there is not as much to report ...and I am in Lafayette and have to call the nurses or Mama to get specifics, so your patience with me is appreciated. Libby and I will be going back tomorrow morning to stay until Friday. Papa had a CT scan done of his chest, pelvis and abdomen today. Will receive a report from Dr. in the morning, but the nurse said ,according to Dr. Townsend, it looked good. White cell count is elevated again from 26 to 28, so they did a culture of blood and urine and will have results after 24 hours. This will tell them which specific bacteria is not being treated with the antibiotics he is already on. He is still on CRRT dialysis machine. They have increased his tube feeding. His blood pressure is fine and he is still on his oxygen mask and breathing well. Thanks for your continued prayers. We are overwhelmed by your concern and generous support. Steven and Grandmother are being well cared for by Aunt Née, Libby and family and my family. Love to everyone following Papa's progress,
Mary Ellen (Lala)

Monday 8:30 p.m.

Papa is off of vent and on oxygen mask only. He is breathing well on his own. John, Mama and my boys were there today and talked to him. Everyone is so excited to be able to communicate with him ..(Papa still can't really talk but tries) Still on dialysis.
Mary Ellen

Monday January 2nd, 10:30

Dr. Townsend continues to be encouraged by Papa's slow but steady progress. He has decided to implement the tube feeding, which will bypass his stomach and go directly to his intestines. This will give him more nutrition which is needed for his recovery. He is still on dialysis, which is continuing to progress well... taking off more fluid than he is receiving. Removing a net of 200 cc's per hour above what is being put in. Rested all night on vent but today have decided to try to wean him from vent slowly.

7:00 p.m.

Nothing new to report tonight.

Sunday January 1st 11:00

On our visit with Papa this morning we were happy to see his eyes open. The nurse explained that they had reduced his sedative in order to put his vent on C-pap mode. He would be "awake" for about 2 hours on c-pap in order to exercise his lungs, and later they would sedate him and put vent on once again. This process will be repeated every few hours.This will open his up his lungs, exercising them and allowing them to be stronger when they eventually remove him from the vent. He is still connected to the CRRT dialysis machine and they increased his fluid amount from 400 ccs to 450 ccs , which is good. White cell count did rise again to 25, but our nurse had warned us about that yesterday saying that this number will fluctuate and that is normal as long as there is infection still present. He didn't seem overly worried. He said that Dr. Townsend, the surgeon,came in this morning and was very pleased with the progress. While I talked to Papa he was definitely aware of what was going on. I kissed his cheek and rubbed his forehead. I asked him if he knew where he was, and he gave me a little nod...so I told him that he was @ Ochsner, that his ulcer had made him sick, but he had the best Dr.s and nurses here and we were always here with him. I held his hand and he did squeeze it. We were all able to talk to him. It was wonderful! Thanking everyone for the prayers and please keep them coming
LALA. (Mary Ellen) and family