Mikie is hanging in there, not really much of a change, maybe slightly improved.  I got him up in his chair yesterday and he tolerated that for 5 hours or more.  They still are giving him plenty of morphine for the pain and you can tell that it helps.  Word was that they were going to close him up today but it still hasn't happened.  Lorraine stopped down on the fifth floor today to visit with Barbara and she said the ICU waiting room was full.  So I expect the docs are real busy with patients in more serious condition that Mikie.  We were there once so we certainly understand it.  At least we are not sitting in a waiting room waiting but in his room with him. 

Dr. Fields was in a while ago, it was good to meet him.  He is taking care of Mikie while he is on this floor.  He was the one I spoke to about the Thoracentecis.  BTW, it was supposed to happen yesterday and they took him down to radiology to do it but changed their mind.  It seems they decided the risks were greater than the need to do it at the time.  The goal was to take off some fluid both for testing and to give him relief.  They may have to do it later or it may resolve itself.  If you or I needed this done they probably could do it at the bedside but Mikie's anatomy is not normal so the risks of complications are higher.  We don't need a punctured lung at this time.  Doc said he has heard some belly sounds so that is good.  for now they will continue TPN feeding.  If we start pushing food in now we risk vomiting and we don't want that.

Pain relief is our number one concern right not, and of course not getting too much pain relief is important.  He needs to wake up enough to cough yet be relieved of the stress of the pain.  That's how we are praying right now.

Barbara's sister just can't seem to breath on her own so the plan was to do a tracheostomy today.  They were talking of moving her to Baptist Hospital next week to continue her care there.  We are praying that Barbara will continue to have save travel to and from the Greenwood area and that her sister will start breathing on her own.  I'm praying that God will help Barbara's sister to understand that her family is doing this to help her, not to hurt her.  She comprehends more than Mikie, though I often wonder what is going through Mikie's mind at times like these.