yesterday morning they took out the tube.  the doctor was hesitant about it since dad had always fought against the weaning trials, but both respratory therapists thought he could handle it.

and he did!

i finally left yesterday around noon, and when i got back yesterday evening, he was sitting up, able to whisper a lot, asking me to move things for him, and to get him some water.  when the nurse found this out he RUSHED INTO THE ROOM because dad wasn’t supposed to have any water yesterday.  earlier, dad got jim to remove the tight wraps that had been around his lower legs – there for compression, i think, so he wouldn’t get blood clots which could potentially cause a stroke.

but dad said HIS LEGS WERE BEING PARALYZED, in just that dramatic voice, so jim took them off.  the nurse wasn’t happy about that, either, and told dad the only way he could have them off is if he moved his feet around and dad said THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED TO DO.

so, better, way better.  now dad just wants to GET THE HELL OUT.  last night when i drove home, my brother called but i didn’t answer because i was on the phone.  when i got home, kevin said david had also called him, and he called amy, but none of us had picked up.  luckily, jim answered when the call came in because it wasn’t david, it was DAD, who used david’s phone to call everybody because he wanted to know WHERE WERE HIS PANTS?  amy had taken his clothes home to wash them.

he wanted his pants, of course, because he wants to BREAK OUTTA THERE.  david told me that dad asked him to help him do that today.

so hopefully the hospital will release him really, really soon.

being in the hospital is a little bit like being in prison, isn’t it?

i must go back there soon.

ok then,

mrs. really good friday hughes.