Phone updates

HI everyone - I came home on Tues after staying the extra day. Dustin is having a somewhat difficult time handling all of the people, procedures and commotion. With a brain injury you really need a lot of low stimulas activities, however with the medical aspect of being on the vent etc he is in a high stimulas environment. That makes for a tough road and a lot of angry, unhappy times when people have to mess with him all day. His room is right by the nurses station and activity is always going on. He did sit up for a short time but then his oxygen levels dropped , he was cursing everyone out and they put him back to bed.

I was so blessed to be with him the last 3 days and work at keeping him at peace as the different people come and go. With the brain injury, he has moments of thinking "The Russians are there, everyone is a crack dealer and they are trying to kill him". It is very hard to watch but then you can spend all afternoon enjoying great conversation with him.

The pulmonologist called today about doing another bronchoscopy. I asked "is he going to do bronchoscopy's the rest of his life"???? It appears that his left lung continues with the fluid thing which then makes it difficult to breath, and then the anxiety comes and then his oxygen needs go up..... He is going to try another type of antibiotics to see if it can wipe out a strain of pneumonia that he thinks he has. Dustin has been on three antiobiotics but I am hoping this is the real deal that they can find the right one, knock out all of this excess secretion, fever, infection and get on with it. They really can't start feeding him, weaning him etc until all of this extra stress off the lung occurs. Please pray so that he can begin to eat.

I was doing some cognitive questions with him the other day and one of them was "what is your least favorite food?". He thought about it for awhile (Dustin likes most ALL foods) and he finally said "tube feeding". That was about as accurate as it gets! He thinks the tube feeding thing is so gross as he has to watch them pour the stuff into his feeding tube in his stomach. He always trys not to look.

He did have another fever today of 102 degrees which shows an infection. I can understand it with all that we teach at Be in Health as he has soooooooooooo much fear about so many things. It is so understandable when you look at all of the doorpoints he as had for fear. He seems to really be much calmer when I am there as I think it is the one constant security and thing he recognizes. I talked to the psychologist (that I really like) and discussed with the fact that if it were helpful to Dustin's care , I would be there every day to keep him focused and secure in one thing that is familiar. He will bring that up at the treatment team tomorrow. The last thing I want to be know as is the "irritating mom".

Went to work last night for the first time in doing our 7000 conference call. I could tell in my answers that I have a whole different perspective and that I have little tolerance for self pity, self idolatry etc. It is like "OK everyone - time to grow up and trust in the Word" instead of just going around in a circle. I then went to work today to observe a class. I think I did a few emails and otherwise talked to a lot of people catching up. I will try again tomorrow and then will teach my usual class on "Addictions". Should be interesting to see what comes out!!

OH well - that's all for now. Rick and I are enjoying walks together after work in the dark with our dogs. That is a big thing if you know about Rick's knee problem but he is walking great!! OUr dogs are also enjoying it and are trying to get off the hobo dog thing they had gotten into when we were gone so long.

We love you all and continue to ask for your prayers for Dustin, especially against all fear.

mary pat