Yes, It is Good to See You Dad

Yesterday, I arrived in Omaha around 1:00 and Jacki picked me up and we went right to Sioux City. Dad was finishing up PT and it was so wonderful to see him. I gave him a hug and he asked me, "Do you feel better now that you have seen me?" And the answer of course, was "Yes I do Dad". He quickly introduced me to his therapist and then we walked part way back to his room.

Just as Jacki was amazed after 11 days, I was obviously even more amazed at his progress having been away for 25 days. He is making tremendous progress and we could not be more proud of all his hard work. From many of the comments yesterday, it is obvious that he is much more aware of what is going on, where he is, etc.

Dad chatted about how many of the questions they ask him in therapy are very difficult and many people would not know them. Dad asked the therapists about this fact and they told him that he was right - many people would not know these facts. However, they know his "level" and these are things that he should know. For example, they listed "dollar, peso, lira" and Dad had trouble with this one - he started listing Australian dollar, Canadian dollar. When the therapist started to give clues - i.e., Japanese - Dad was able to come up with Yen. The key is to get him to recall these facts in his head. And he was later able to tell the story to us and remember Japanese Yen which is exactly what we want.

Dad also made a comment to me about how is getting better, but isn't all better yet. Another indication of his awareness. And of course, Dad is still joking around which is great to see as well, I told him I got Tanner's (my 2 year old) hair cut, he quickly commented "it's about time!" He was more than aware that Tanner was in need of a haircut (which he had told me in January when he visited).

Jaima came over after work and the 4 Karlen women hung out with Dad for a few hours. The Munderloh's and Maul's stopped by for a bit and then Dad was ready for bed after a very busy day. We enjoyed a very nice dinner at Raspberry's (and ran into the Munderloh's and Maul's there :) . Definitely a lot to celebrate.

A Hand to Hold

I actually chatted with Mom, Jaima, Jacki, and Dad today. What a treat! Talking with Dad - even if only for a couple minutes - was the highlight (no offense to my sisters or my Mom of course!). I was driving the boys home from school and Dad heard them screaming in the background when he got on the phone and said it sounded like things were pretty normal for me. It was nice to chat with him on my way home -- just like we use to.

Mom said that Dad had a good day of therapy. After they finished having lunch, Dad got into bed for a nap because they are better able to elevate his feet in bed. There is still quite a bit of swelling in his legs so they try to keep them elevated as much as possible. Mom took a nap in the recliner and they feel asleep holding hands. Very sweet.

Mom also mentioned that Dr. Bacon stopped by to see how Dad was doing (Dr. Bacon is the ICU doctor and was seeing another patient, but just stopped to see Dad). Dr. Bacon asked how Dad was doing and if he knew where he was - to which Dad replied, "Oh, sh*t". It seems Dad grew used to Dr. Bacon and his questions. :) Apparently, Dad's ornery side was also coming out today when the "interns" were visiting today. Mom said he was showing off. Good ol' Dad - putting on a show. Makes me smile.

Jacki and Sean are staying in Sioux City tonight and going out to dinner - guess they are trying to make the best of their spring break! Mom was at home tonight and enjoyed a walk on the beautiful day and a drink with Steve Munderloh. And then a night of grading papers - fun stuff.

What a week!

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. It has been a crazy week here, but the good news is that Dad is having a great week! Yesterday, he was able to walk WITHOUT the walker 3 times. In addition, he was able to get out of his chair by himself. Just last week, it took two people just to get him to stand up. So, he is making amazing progress!

His hardest questions to answer are what day it is and where he is - he actually told a visitor these were his hardest questions. But, with the "harder" cognitive questions he is just flying which is wonderful.

Jacki and Sean are there all week and have been helping with the dogs, running errands for Mom, getting the medical paperwork in order, etc. I know Mom is very thankful to have them there to help out. I can't wait to be home and Friday and see the progress for myself.

GREAT Day!

What a great post for today! Both Jaima and Jacki called to tell me what a great day Dad was having. Jacki was completely amazed by the progress he has made in the 11 days since she left. He is up and about walking with his walker as he pleases. His speech therapy went REALLY well today. One of the speech therapist told Dad that she had seen him on Wednesday and could not believe the change between today and then.

Jacki was with Dad all day and said he was lucid and "the old Dad" all day. What wonderful news! He was even able to remember the visitors he had the day before - this is a first. All of these signs are wonderful news. We are of course, still worried about other health issues -the swelling in his legs, the blood clot, etc., but all the progress is in the right direction. I am very excited to continue receiving great news.

Mom also checked out of the hotel on Friday and will be staying at home now. Jacki and Sean will be there through March 2nd, and I will arrive on Feb 27th and stay through March 8th. Mom did enjoy a bit of time away today and attended Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Jaima and her girls. I'm sure this time away was a great break and a special time with her grand-daughters.

And on a lighter note, Jacki's husband Sean is going to be working with Barney to make him a house dog. What a way to spend spring break, heh? Of course, Dad thought this topic was quite amusing - I would expect no less. Dogs in Pender don't live in the house now, do they?

Nydra was right

What a difference 11 days can make. wow. Nydra was right - I am more than impressed.

Dad is making amazing progress. He had a great Saturday of rehab. Mom said he had his best day of speech therapy yet. He was asked to give synonyms to many words and got almost all of them correct. He also was able to give explanations for descriptions of certain situations (some when mom and I didn't even know the answer). In OT, he put together a difficult puzzle that the therapist said five days ago could not have been completed. And, as his granddaughter Alyssa said while watching him do his PT, "he is walking perfectly." She was right. If he keeps this up, the walker will no longer be needed! More importantly, he is understanding everything!! Where he is, why he is here, and details about all the staff he meets even hours after meeting them.

It will all continue to improve with more time. I can't wait for Julia to see his progress. We are all so proud.

Keep up the good work dad! We LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Oh, to be home

It's a pretty quiet night here at the Peavy household. The boys are in bed and the hubby is off playing poker. Jacki and Sean flew to Omaha today and a family friend picked them up and took them straight to Sioux City to see Dad. I know Jacki was so excited to see Dad and all the progress he has made.

Jaima stopped in to see Dad during her lunch hour again (like she has been doing most days) and said that Dad was having a great day. It is so nice to hear the little stories about what he is doing (playing the card game "war" with Mom yesterday) and the progress he is making.

It would be great to be home with everyone now. It's hard to be needed in two places. I'm just thankful for all the support that Dad and Mom are getting and I'll be home soon enough - and yet, not soon enough.

A Sister's Point of View

An email we 3 girls received from our Aunt - Dad's sister, Nydra. I think it is a great summary of today and I know it touched all of us. Thank you Nydra for your positive words.

I was with Jerry most of the day and he really impressed me. I’m sure it's hard for your Mom to see the progress but between my last two visits, he had totally lost the hallucinations, crawly things or the reaching out into the air like Alex did at the 3-D IMAX movie. That was all gone.

He walked 5-6 tines in two different sessions from the back of the exercise area to the middle of the hallway. And the staff required that he find his chair, etc. And he did. He was nodding off in the first speech therapy session, so when the occupational therapist came to dress him, we put him to bed. I lifted his legs, put pillows under them and spent a major portion of the day making sure his legs wouldn’t be swelling. He slept for over an hour and the next sessions of therapy he seemed much more awake.

His wheel chair legs were too short for elevating his legs. Since he asked to have breakfast in the lounge area, he was in his chair. I thought that was a great sign and he chatted with two men at the table. Everything was very cordial. I hope he keeps asking to eat outside of his room. Anyway, the PT man, Dennis, put a block of wood under his air cushion seat. So it raised the seat about ¾ of an inch but also removed the sag so his legs could more comfortably be elevated.

When your mom got back from school, she saw him and was all smiles. He is really making great strides. I think Jacki will be very surprised at the advancements. He still has vision problems but there has been so much progress over the last week.

Jerry always used to say a person who gets mean when they are drunk, is really mean underneath—that they is just mask it when sober, and I can see that in Jerry with his predicament he finds himself in. He is still the same sweet amiable guy as always. He is frustrated with his recovery so if possible, tell him how far he has come. That really seemed to give him the energy to keep going. He worked really hard in his therapy.

Again, the dignity of Jerry seems to shine through and all the staff treat him accordingly.

I love you girls. Jerry and I may be old, but he is still my big brother and I feel about you as you must feel about your sisters’ kids.

Love, Nydra

Hump Day

Well, I have to say that this week seems to be an exhausting one for all of the Karlen family - at least we are getting over the hump this week. Dad is working very hard in rehab and has been exhausted from all the therapy. They have him up and at 'em very early. On Tuesday, he was showered, shaved, and dressed by 7:30. He has been doing very well with his physical therapy and all the walking he is doing. He is now using a regular walker and is able to support his entire body weight on his own. Denny and Georgia visited on Tuesday afternoon and had a nice chat with Dad and then went out to dinner with Mom and Marian. Today Mom and Dad were able to work on a crossword puzzle together, but it made Dad very tired.

The rehab is going well. At times, Dad seems a bit bored with the activities and they must get him to focus and tell him why it is important he do these things (you've had an injury and these activities will help you heal). Definitely more hard work in store for Dad, but we know he can handle it.

Movin' on Up (to Rehab)

Ok - technically, I think he is moving down floors, but I couldn't help but have the song from the Jefferson's in my head (which is better than the Amy Winehouse song about rehab I have been singing all day). So, he is still in Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, but is now in the Rehab Center where there is a much more intense focus on his therapy.

He had his cat scan this morning, but the results are not known (we're going with the "no news is good news" theory). He finally got to eat solid foods - a chicken salad sandwich and was saying "mmm" as he ate it. The processed food must be pretty gross if a chicken salad sandwich from a hospital tastes good.

And it is good to hear that his sense of humor is still there - he was introducing Mom as his "current wife" to the rehab staff. The move does seem to have confused him today, but hopefully with some consistency and focus on rehabilitation in his new environment, we'll see improvements again.

Mom is headed back to the classroom tomorrow and our family friend Marian Andersen is there to help out this week. We are so thankful for all the family and friends that have helped us during this difficult time.

"Pop" Quiz Results

And here are the long awaited answers to the "Pop" quiz. Thanks to all that participated - we enjoyed reading your stories - definitely brought smiles to our faces.

1. Where was Jerry born? Dad was born in 1941 in Beemer, Nebraska (50% answered this one correctly). 40.5% answered Omaha.
   
2. From which high school did Jerry graduate? Dad was an Omaha Benson Bunny - yes, the Bunnies. (61% of you answered correctly).
   
3. Which high school reunion year will Jerry celebrate this year? Dad graduated from high school in 1959 and will be celebrating his 50th reunion. (51.2% of you got this one right).
   
4. Where do Jerry's children live? Julia lives in Denver (95% correct). Jaima lives in Pender (100% correct). Jacki currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but will be moving back to Minneapolis after she and her husband receive their graduate degrees this spring. (76% correct).
   
5. What year did Jean and Jerry get married? Mom and Dad were married in Dodge, Nebraska in 1969 and will celebrate 40 years together in June. (38% answered correctly).
   
6. How many years did Jerry work at Automatic Equipment/Blue Ox? 41 years! Wow - quite an accomplishment. Dad retired in March of last year. (40.5% got this one right).
   
7. What subject does Jerry's wife Jean teach? Sociology. Jean is currently in "phased retirement" and teaching 2 classes this semester. Thankfully, her colleagues at Wayne State have help cover for her during this time. (92.9% of you answered this one correctly).
   
8. Which of the following activities does Jerry enjoy? Dad enjoys pheasant hunting, fishing, coffee at Popo's, playing cards, and time with his daughters and their families. Surprisingly, Dad doesn't like deer hunting (always talked about his inability to kill Bambi) and Mom is the one that loves moon risings.
   
9. How many grandchildren does Jerry have? Dad has almost 5 grand kids. Jaima is due with her 3rd at the beginning of August. She and her husband Cam have two daughters - Alyssa (4) and Anastin (2). Julia and her husband Marshall have 2 boys - Drake (5) and Tanner (2). Jacki and Sean have a dog named Maj0r. He is also part of the family - his mother is Pepper and his brother is Barney (both of those are Dad's dogs). (95% of you answered this one correctly.)
   

Lazy Sunday

The Geiserts delivered the flowers and card from Julia, Jaima, and Jacki today. Dad enjoyed them. He walked farther than he has in any previous days during physical therapy today. Tomorrow morning, they will do a cat scan to check on the bleeding. They think everything is draining on its own, but they want to check. In addition, the cat scan will serve as a baseline for rehab.

Dan and Tammy Bodlak and Bill and Maureen Wenke stopped for visits yesterday. Dad also talked to each of us on the phone and wished up Happy Valentine's Day. Very special. Hearing "I love you sweetheart" like he has said so many times before is just that much more special these days.

A Poem and Flowers for Dad

Valentine's Day definitely reminds me of Dad. Since I was about 7, Dad always gave each of his daughters flowers on Valentine's Day. We would come home from school and there would be a white vase with a single rose sitting on the table by our bedsides. I always looked forward to coming home and seeing the flower there for many years to come. However, the tradition did not end there. As we went away to college, left the state, and got married, he continued to send us flowers. You can imagine how special it was to get flowers in the college dorm - what a surprise and of course, everyone wanted to know who the flowers were from! We'll be continuing the tradition this year - 3 roses for Dad - one from each of his daughters. A Day to celebrate love indeed.

Jacki found this poem and I thought it was the perfect post for today.

Delightful and loving,
Loved and admired,
Dad, you're my hero,
My life you've inspired. And when all my blessings
Are counted each day,
I thank God in heaven
For Dad when I pray. Dad thanks for your presence
Throughout thick and thin;
You're more than a parent,
You're my wonderful friend.

Sealed with a Kiss

Just in time for Valentine's Day....... Dad was able to walk to the door and then to mom and then to the wall and was able to give Mom a really loving kiss. He walked more asking for another kiss and Mom said it was like a moment in a movie – people were looking and smiling. What a wonderful day for Mom as well.


He had 2 assessments today and passed both of them. Dr. Durward was pleased with his neurology test and that indicates things are going well with the drain being gone. He also had his catheter removed today. So no drain, no catheter - no tubes! This also means he is no longer restrained. More good news.

Denny and Steve Munderloh stopped by and they had a nice chat with Dad. Dad also fed himself today for the first time which is a great thing. By next week, Dad will be out of the "hospital" and he has qualified for rehab (still located at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City).

Dad is making amazing progress every day - especially for the type of injury he sustained. Although he is able to take directions, carry on conversations, etc., he is still having trouble with his orientation and can be easily confused or distracted. The short term memory, the ability to remember where he is, etc. will be back eventually with rehab and continual work. We're looking forward to those days. In the meantime, we will continue to celebrate how far he has come in a such a short time.

As I was saying to my husband last night, I have always thought of my Dad as a sturdy and hardy individual........he is certainly proving that to us all now. We love you Dad, keep up the great work.

"Shuntless"

Yesterday's cat scan came back looking very good so Dad will have his temporary shunt removed today. They will then monitor him to see how he is doing - is he sleepier? less lucid? etc. Depending on his response, the next cat scan could be as late as Monday to check again for the swelling, drainage, etc.

If he is doing well, he will not need a permanent shunt. However, it is at this point that they make the decision for a permanent shunt or no shunt at all. There will be no temporary shunt as of this afternoon. woohoo! Getting rid of the temporary shunt also gets him one step closer to a rehab center as you can't leave the hospital if you have a temporary shunt.

Dad is enjoying his private room and got a good night's sleep last night. Dad's sister Nydra came up to be with Mom and help out. She was planning to stay the night, but with 5 inches of snow predicted, Mom is trying to get her on the road so she is not stuck in Sioux City!

I Like to Move it, Move it!

The procedure to address the deep vein thrombosis was done this morning and went well. They inserted a filter in his abdomen so the blood clot does not go to his lungs. In many cases, they treat the DVT with anti-coagulants. However, that is not an option for Dad as he will never be able to take these types of drugs again (the inability of his blood to clot was the reason for his stroke).

Unfortunately, there will be pain and swelling in the legs for weeks. And the key to getting the blood clot dissolved is to get him and up and moving around. So, Dad better be singing (as they do in Madagascar), "I like to move it, move it". Maybe we need to get the grand kids up there singing along!

Dad will also have another cat scan today. Yesterday, they raised the bag that is currently connected to his shunt (and collecting spinal fluid). This process helps them see if the spinal fluid is draining on its own or if there is pressure on the brain caused by the bag being raised. The cat scan today will be able to tell them if the brain is swelling due to this process. The good news is that the spinal fluid that is draining through the shunt is much less red which means the blood around the brain is also dissipating.

Dad is also being moved to a private room today which I sure he will be happy about. In addition, he has been more lucid for longer periods of time the last couple of days. yeah! Little victories every day.

DVT

Otherwise known as Deep Vein Thrombosis. Unfortunately, Dad has one in his leg and they will be doing a procedure tomorrow morning to address this blood clot in his leg. The good news is that Dad was able to tell the physical therapist that his leg hurt and they were able to do some tests and discover this clot.

Dad had a great day with speech therapy. He did very well with the cognitive tests that were done. Mom and Dad's friend Georgia Munderloh was coming to go to dinner tonight with Mom and Marian. They were going to try and catch tonight's moon rising, but being in San Francisco tonight, I'm not sure on the cloud cover in Sioux City, Iowa. I hope they were able to catch a glimpse of it.

A good beginning to a new week

Dad had a really great Monday. First, it seems the new antibiotics may have done the trick with the fevers. He had no fevers last night or today. yeah! Dad also was more aware of his surroundings than he has been - improvements each day. He sat in his chair today for four hours and then was able to take a long, needed rest this afternoon. Getting that smart brain back to 100% is hard work!

Our very close family friend, Marian, came up from Omaha today to stay with mom through Wednesday. The two of them were going out for 1/2 price burgers at Minerva's tonight. Unfortunately for mom, it is a cloudy sky in Sioux City tonight so the moon rising will not be visible. Maybe next month.

Special Visitors

Dad had some special visitors today - his two granddaughters Alyssa and Anastin. Apparently, Alyssa was quite the chatterbox and talked Dad's ear off. He was very happy to see him.

They removed the "regular" IV today has they have had to replace it 3 times this week. It is very hard to find Dad's veins so the nurses are unable to put in the IV. Since anesthesiology must come down to do the IV line, they have decided to put in a more permanent line into his chest so they don't have to keep replacing the IV. They also switched to some new antibiotics today as Dad is still running a fever. Hopefully, these new ones do the trick.

Jacki left for Michigan today and Mom's friend Marian will be coming tomorrow to help out for a couple of days. We are very thankful that Jacki was able to stay so long and also thankful she had a ride home - thank you Ann! After Wednesday Mom will be holding down the fort alone for awhile, so I'm sure she would welcome any dinner dates. Thanks again to everyone for all your help and support.

Walkin' Away

Dad was up and at 'em with Physical Therapy 2 times again today. He walked out to the nurses' station and back to his bed. And Jacki said, if you knew how far that was in comparison to what he has been doing, you would be impressed. Great stuff. He also fed himself breakfast today and was drinking out of a cup by himself as well.

Dad's sister Nydra and her daughter Ann came up today. Jacki will be riding back to Michigan with Ann on Sunday and then returning on February 20th with her husband, Sean for their spring break. Jaima, Cam and the girls came up today to stay in Sioux City and are having a "staycation" tonight in the hotel - nothing like a hotel pool and the $3 movies to keep kids entertained.

Thanks to all for your continued support. Look for the answers to the "Pop" quiz early next week!

Successful Surgery

Dad's surgery went well and he got back to his room around 10:00. Now we will be waiting for the anesthesia to wear off and probably a lot of sleeping today. And maybe that darn fever won't come back tonight.

How Much Do You Know About Jerry?

We designed a quick little survey to see how much you really know about Jerry. We would love to have you participate and we will post the right answers in a couple days. Have fun!

Click here to take survey

Surgery Scheduled Today

Dad is scheduled for surgery today at 9:30 to remove the current shunt and put in a new shunt. It is standard procedure and he should be back in his room by noon today. Hopefully, this will help with the fevers he has been getting in the afternoons.

We're anticipating a lot of sleep this afternoon after the surgery. Here's hoping to another successful step in the recovery process.

A Sleepy Day

Dad has been sleeping all day. One must be pretty tired to do that in a noisy hospital. We've had a couple of questions about the cheer cards you can send through the hospital so I've posted the link again here today. We so enjoyed reading all the cards we have already received.

Mom saw Dr. Durward this afternoon and he plans to replace the current shunt with a new temporary shunt. They believe the current shunt may be causing the fevers that Dad is having in the afternoon/evenings. The new shunt will be in for at least a week and it looks like he'll be in this room for another week.

A couple of fun updates from last night.

• Mom and Jacki enjoyed dinner with Bev Novak last night
  
• Mom and Jacki checked on Dad last night and Dad knew how long he and Mom had been married and told Mom that she is "the most wonderful woman in the world".
  
• Dad remember that his first car was a 1949 English Ford
  

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Or - how about several pictures worth several thousand words? We put together a few pictures of Jerry and family just for fun. We can't wait until he enjoying all these activities in full force again.

Cat Scan Results

The results from Dad's cat scan came back with good news. One ventricle is free of blood and the other is continuing to drain appropriately. yeah!

Dad is very tired after a long day of therapy. There is a noisy guest next to him which is distracting him from sleeping soundly this afternoon. He tends to get interested in their conversations and has a hard time falling asleep. Surely he would love a private room, but right now, he needs to be in this room with more monitoring for his condition, etc. Hopefully, the chatty guest will be tired soon!

Hump Day

Mom was up early this morning to be sure she caught Dr. Durward on his rounds this morning. She is feeling better that she was able to chat with him about some of her concerns. She found out that Dad will be staying in the Stroke Ward until he is ready to move to Rehab.

Dad is making daily improvements, but we are still asking for no visitors as this tends to confuse him at this time. This morning Dad had almost an hour of Physical Therapy. He was able to sit up on the bed, stand up and then take 4 or 5 steps. Way to go Dad! He was then able to move over to the chair and was all settled in for a nap, when they came to get him for another cat scan. They want to make sure the fluid is still draining correctly and check the position of the shunt. Potentially, he could have another temporary shunt put in at the end of this week.

And as we continue to celebrate small victories, Dad was able to drink two glasses of orange juice today by himself. Yesterday, he couldn't even get the glass to his mouth. We're looking forward to many more victories in the days ahead.

Tuesday Afternoon Update

Dad had Physical Therapy this morning and they said he was making great strides compared to yesterday. He was able to sit up straight and pull himself up to stand. Obviously, this made him very tired. When the physical therapist said she would be back for more in the afternoon, Dad said no she wouldn't. When she came back in the afternoon, Dad was so tired she could not even wake him and she was only able to do some stretches with him. Guess Dad was right - no more PT today. We expect he'll be sleeping quite well tonight.

Who is better looking? Jean or Jerry

Yesterday was Dad's first full day out of the ICU. Julia left to go back to Denver, but hopes to be back soon. Jacki, Mom, and Jaima will be holding down the fort for now. Yesterday was a big day - the move, eating, PT and OT and Dad was very tired and slept most of the day. Mom and Jacki were a bit worried as he wasn't responding to standard questions as well has he had been in the past (and also worried because we have a new room, new nurses, less monitoring, etc) so we are figuring out how to work the system in the stroke ward.

Fortunately, Mom is pretty persistent (and resourceful) and the ICU doctor did come up to check on Dad this morning after Mom and Jacki voiced some concerns. Dr. Bacon was able to wake Dad up and once they got him up, he was much more alert and responded correctly to the questions being asked -

• who is your wife? (Jean)
  
• how long have you been married (39 years)
  
• who is better looking? (there is no competition there - I am)
  
• who is this? (Jaclyn - she is my daughter)
• where does Jaclyn live? (Michigan)
  

So, this definitely made us all feel better after we were a bit worried with his confusion over the last 12 hours. We are still getting used to all that is happening with Dad and learning when to be worried, when he is sleepy, etc. And learning what a long road we have ahead, but there is a road to take and we are very thankful for that.

Food, but not food

Dad had his first "dinner" tonight. It included a spread of pureed foods - roast beef, corn, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and jello. He told the nurse the beef was "bland" but seemed to enjoy the jello. He ate a good amount, despite how awful it looked.

Mom and Jacki grabbed dinner and created a list of an additional nine questions for the nurses in the stroke ward. Don't worry - we are following mom's "p's" - personable, polite, persistent, and patient. They love us!

Dad was pretty tired tonight after a long day of occupational therapy, physical therapy, being moved to the stroke ward, and two meals. Although he is confused from time to time, he is getting stronger every day. We are hopeful for another good morning tomorrow.

Good night from Sioux City. As always, thank you for your continued prayers, positive energy, and supportive thoughts.

Our new "address"

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update. For those of you who want to see all the beautiful Karlen women, you can find us in the 8th floor Visitor's lounge. However, dad is not ready for visitors. We will keep you updated on his progress.

After the move from ICU, dad was seen by the physician therapist. It was a good first step, but he wasn't ready to sit up. As my dear friend said, "Therapies will be his best friend. They are hard work, but well worth it." He will definitely know soon enough how true that is.

The Karlen Women Thank You!

There are of course too many people to thank for everything at this point. We received the Cheer Cards this morning and were overwhelmed by all the support that we are getting from all of you. Dad will certainly enjoy reading these cards when he is able.

We are thankful for:

• All the help with kids (both in Denver and Pender)
• The food, flowers and care packages
• Doing our laundry, bringing things up from Pender, etc.
  
• Dr. Matt Felber for educating a very curious group of women and providing us with the information we are craving
  
• Rides to and from the airport
  
• Amazing husbands and all their support
  
• The wonderful words of encouragement and support via the Web, email, and phone
  
• Wayne State friends for helping cover Mom's classes and all her "extra duties"
  

I'm sure there are several things that we are missing, but we just want to let you know all know that the support that has been shown for all of us and Dad is greatly appreciated.

Humor for the Day

Here's a bit of Jerry humor for the day. The occupational therapist said she was going to give him an assessment in bed and Dad joked, "I've never had one of those before. You better set high standards.".

Jacki and Julia thought it was pretty funny.

Stroke Ward - Here we come!

This morning we got the news that they will be moving Dad up to the stroke ward on the 6th floor. What great news! He had already had visits from the speech pathologist and occupational therapist this morning. He is a bit weak on this right side (especially his shoulder). Of course, after telling Mom this, she informed us that he hurt his shoulder shoveling ice out of the dog kennels. Probably hasn't helped to have it inactive all week.

The physical therapist will be by today and they will get him out of bed today. So, a big day today with lots of activities which I'm sure will make Dad very tired. He is now taking many of his meds orally and they did hook him up to an IV again to give him more fluids (as he ripped out his feeding tube two times already and isn't quite eating enough yet).

We'll work to keep you updated on the transfer. Happy Monday!

Pittsburgh Wins!

Jacki, Mom, Julia, and Nydra (Dad's sister) watched the Super Bowl tonight and ordered pizza. The pizza was late (to which Julia's husband commented "are you surprised?") but we really enjoyed the 4th quarter and exciting end. Julia, Mom, and Nydra then went over to see Dad when the ICU opened again at 9:00. Julia told him that we watched the Super Bowl and asked if he knew he won - and he said that he assumed that Pittsburgh did.

Dad definitely had a great day, but gets tired as the day goes on with all the chatting, the eating, etc.

H2O Please

Steve Munderloh and his son stopped by today. Steve and Julia went in to chat with Dad, and Julia told Dad that Steve's Grandma was upstairs and Dad asked what happened to her. Steve told her that she broke her pelvis and Dad then proceeded to tell Steve to tell his Gramma that he knows what she is going through. He then preceded to talk about his hips and the recovery he had when he had those replaced. Every time we go in there, he is impressing us. Right as Julia left, he called her name and asked for a glass of water. Julia gave him a swab with water and after he had it, he said "I know about the swabs, I want a glass of water." Ha!

Jacki then went to get some ice chips for him and he told her to express his disappointment quote, "with a kick in the groin" (yes, we have a male nurse). Oh, Jerry is back.

Good news! Mom just came back from Dad's time with the speech therapist and he passed his swallow test. So, he will get some broth tonight. He was very happy about the applesauce. He won't be eating much because it is a LOT of work for him and he hasn't had any food in his stomach for several days. (to which Dad responded "at least I should be losing weight").

Immediately after we sat down, Dr. Reeder came in and gave us an update. He said that Dad is looking great. He still has a bit of a fever, so they will run the brain fluid bag to check for infection. And then he said over the next week, they will start raising the bag to see if the brain fluid is able to drain on its own. Before he left, Dr. Reeder said that Dad is "remarkable." And of course, we think so too.

He's got the TV on and watching the pre-game activities for the Super Bowl. What a day.

Sky Walk

Jaima and Cam went to see Dad and Julia took the girls to see the cars go underneath us. It definitely is the little things that entertain - they squealed with glee whenever a car went under the sky walk.

Good, Good Morning

We came back to the ICU when it opened at 9:00. The nurse told us that Dad had a good night and was much more lucid. Jacki walked in the room and Dad had his eyes open and said "hi Jacki". She was in the room with the nurse and the nurse told him what happened. Dad asked quote, "what's the prognosis?" and Jacki told him the doctors are hopeful for a full recovery to which Dad replied, "better than a not full recovery".

Jaima and Mom then went in to chat with him and were giving him some ice chips. Jaima asked if they tasted good, and he said, "yeah, but not as good as a good glass of gin." For those of you that know Jerry well, this is a good sign :)

Cam and Anastin arrived this morning, and then Cam and Jaima spent some time with Dad. Cam was telling him that he went to Popo's last night and Jaima said "they miss ya down there Dad" (for those of you that don't know, Dad goes down to Popo's for coffee every week day and for breakfast on Saturdays) Dad then said "I bet so. I am at 30% of their revenue. Certainly, 50% of their tips." It is GREAT to see Dad's personality coming out.

The nurse even said that he thinks that might be moving out of the ICU and have Dad up and about soon. Wow!

GO DAD! GO POP! GO JERRY!