"Optimistic with Reasonable Reason"

Today's events included dialysis, feeding tube inserted, and PICC line put in. All were successful and all to be expected. The only hitch today was a bit of A -fibrillation with his heart that was controlled with medication. This is also something that typically happens. The doctors say that all things considered, he is doing very well. Not A+, but certainly passing. He is going to have dialysis again through the night. He has lots and lots of fluid that still needs to come off.

This morning started out with Bill trying to write me notes to give Jeff. I gave Bill's phone to Jeff and told him that he was in charge of it and all that having it meant. If you know Bill, then you know that his phone is his office, career, and livelihood. This was a big responsibility for Jeff. Bill has a trach tube down his throat and can't talk. He has his hands tied to his bed so he can't pull anything out of his body. He can't do anything except lay perfectly flat. You can imagine what his notes looked like. Actually we finally understood what he was trying to tell us. Dr. Cline told me that he was telling everyone about how his patient was doing business from a cell phone with a trach tube the day after a very hard day.

We are hearing more and more about the miracles of yesterday. We have yet to meet all of the people that saved his life. The doctors are pretty happy with themselves and Bill for his miraculous recovery. Most people don't survive what happened to him four times yesterday. Pretty amazing. He is a tired boy tonight. The prayer for tomorrow is that we get rid of something...anything. Probably, hopefully, the trach tube. That is the hardest. Maybe the pump, too. We'll see. We cannot even begin to thank everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and expressions of love and support. Bill has affected so many lives, and he is ours today. Our cardiologist said that we can be "optimistic with reasonable reason". And we are grateful for that.