Day Ten - Another Milestone Day

You can almost see Dick's room here at Tampa General Hospital.

Today we are happy to report that Dick has had his intercranial pressure monitor removed from his head. He looks so much better. The skinned nose is healing, the abrasion on his head is almost gone. He is actually growing a little hair back on the top of his head. (if you know Dick he will be thrilled it is growing back) He has also been taken off the ventilator this evening which means he is breathing on his own. Now that he has the pressure monitor removed his next hurdle is to come completely off of the ventilator. They will start taking him off of the vent little by little each day for longer periods at a time. Hope is that early next week he could be moved from ICU to a step down unit. He will still be monitored closely. We have been a little spoiled with the special individualized care here in ICU that it will feel like we are being neglected in the next unit. They have already warned us that it will be an adjustment for us. Everyone here has been so caring and they answer every question without hesitation. They know how concered we are and that this process is new for us and something we never want to go through again. It is good to know that Dick has not lost his sense of humor through all of this though. Tonight Amy had been prodding him to respond to her, she asked him if she was bothering him and he said yes, then he actually tried to laugh. We love to see that side of him coming through now and then. But it is also really tough when we see him mouth the words "I want to go home." If he only knew how much we wanted that too.