Ups and Downs (more on the Mims)

Things are slow moving here.

Overnight, the nurses & docs had a hard time getting Mr. Mims' blood pressure under control. He was started on a Cardene drip to help bring down his blood pressures to a goal of less than 140 systolic (top number). Since then, the cardene has been weaned off, which is a good sign. He is still receiving blood pressure medicine by mouth and through his IV, but they are not as strong and "critical care-ish"(Ha! I dont know how else to describe it) as Cardene.

Earlier this morning, he seemed very confused and didnt know where he was. Mrs. Mims would remind him he was in ICU and he would ask for something at their house. This has also seemed to pass, as now he seems to be more oriented and even asked Dr. Ling during rounds, "how long am I going to have this headache?" Dr. Ling has said he doesnt look to have made any progress since yesterday, but that this is to be expected. We are reminded frequently by our docs & nurses that this is a slow process.

The angiogram is still scheduled for today although we are unsure what time. The neurosurgeon who will be performing it has other surgeries scheduled for today and we are getting worked in somewhere. I will probably post another update later with the results of this test, as they will also do another CT scan in the process.

We expect another visit from the therapists sometime today. Yesterday, the speech therapist came by and cleared him for a little pureed food. He had an arnold palmer last night and he's still talking about it! Physical therapy also came by last night and sat him up on the side of the bed for a short period of time. It's a delicate balance of therapy and medicine, as stimulation causes his blood pressure to spike. But at the same time, movement and exercise is needed to rehabilitate the left side.

As far as a timeline; our nurse seems to think we should expect to remain in ICU through the weekend. He would then transfer to the stroke unit for approx. 5 days and then spend approx. 2 weeks in an inpatient rehab unit. After that, he will have several months of outpatient therapy. Like I said, this will be a long process for everyone involved and we will all need rest and patience (something that's running on empty right now).

Please continue to pray for healing, specifically lower blood pressures and lower pressure in his brain. Please pray the angiogram will be an easy and uncomplicated procedure. Please pray for rest & comfort for George as he is very tired of laying still and complains frequently of headaches. Continue to pray for our docs & nurses & therapists.

H.