Today we got a surprise!

David and I came to the hospital to see mom and, as promised, here is an update.

Dave and I walked into the all-to-familiar waiting room and mom was sitting in her corner chair. We have one particular place we like to sit at - our lil' corner. Sadly, it's become a home away from home. Anyway, Mom told us that the echo results will be back today but that no news is good news. If the echo shows that his heart is functioning as it should, than we still need to figure out why he is having issues keeping water out of lungs - but first things first...

Dave and I had been up at the hospital no more than 5 minutes this morning when the phone rang in the waiting room. The phones ring mostly when a nurse in ICU will call and ask for a family member. Usually, they need you when something significant has occurred or if test results are back or a doctor is there to talk with you...there are a lot of reasons for a patients family to be summoned.

When I answered the phone, she asked for Mrs. Huffman. Here begins another moment of concern. We have to struggle through these moments a lot. When he had his trachea, his CAT scans, daily x-rays and on and on. It becomes a knee jerk response. You hear your name and your heart starts to beat wildly. Someone want to talk to you about Jack...and you have to prepared for what they are going to say.

I stayed in the waiting room with Dave. My mom very deliberately, yet quickly, gathered her things and went into ICU. I buried my head in my hands, "What now? How much more can this man take? What do we have to fight this time..." I get angry at times like this. Sad for Jack, of course. But angry too. Every setback makes me fume a bit more. I'm not sure who I'm mad at, exactly. It just circles in my gut with no place to go. This time I figured they found something wrong with Jack's echo and they needed to talk to mom about it.

I was mentally preparing myself for that scenario when mom quickly enters the waiting room. She said nothing but waved me and Dave into ICU. She turned on her heels and quickly went back inside. I threw my bags on my shoulders and started to shake. I was scared to death. My mind was working like a computer trying to test scenarios as to what we were being summoned for. I was preparing for the worst. I walked up to his room and hesitated. I turned my head, leaned forward and what I saw astounded me. Jack...was sitting...in a CHAIR! I wanted to cry...and he was on a wean and doing great! I guess the doctors thought laying as long as he did might be the source for some of his setbacks. He is still on a trachea, of course. It's quite an event getting him in and out of bed! But he sat there for quite a long time. He had been given something to help him relax. He has a pretty good case of ICU Psychosis. It's common. People have a tendency to think that the nurses are after them, they hear things in the hallway that weren't really said. I imagine he sees some things that aren't there as well. Again, another typical occurrence. Especially with some of the meds he is on. But seeing him in that chair was a tremendous gift...it gives us hope. Me, mom and Dave were all silently doing a happy dance. (We try not to say too much or let Jack know how sick he is. So, we do alot of talking in silence and use a lot of hand gestures when we are in his room!)

His heart, by the way, seems fine (for Jack- who has heart issues anyway) and the doctor said that the fever and some of these other setbacks are caused by his pancreas still flaring up now and again. Nothing to do but give it time to heal...the doctor said that we are maintaining Jack. Giving him a chance to heal...at his own rate. The past few days have been so tough. It was time for something good to happen.