Day 5 Post Surgery - Weekend Strengthening

We must be getting better because we found a few kinks to complain about yesterday - and, by the end of the day, they were made better! I call them our "small wonders." Because of blockage from too many oral medicines, David's narrow guage NG tube needed to be removed and replaced. Also the trach was switched several times and a pressure drain clogged up on his leg and was eventually fixed. I wonder about all this "plumbing" but you need mostly to know: David is feeling better and major recovery is happening.

Some progress notes: Instead of only communicating via inscrutible writing on a dry erase board, our friend Alain brought by the smallest computer we have ever tried to use with a speaker notepad software and amplifier. Dave could type an inquiry to a nurse and hit the full stop and a deep voice read the line! However, the trach nurse and speech therapist prefer that he use his energy by inhaling deeply (nice therapy!) and voicing through larynx. Both methods make him a deep, deep bass now but he's gotten used to the write/erase board mostly and makes his needs known. I caught him "talking" about the various vaccine trials to a Brazilian ENT resident yesterday morning...

Despite the disconnection wonders, his swelling is going down and the bone graft is really doing well in his jaw. He's looking almost normal although I overheard him say that he had requested a Paul Newman face from the Ghana plastic surgeon. He's still the same old Dave (probably feeling advanced in age this week but grateful for survival).

Thanks again for all your prayers, a manageable flow of short e-mail encouragements, and our daughter Rebecca's hilarious e-mails about life in Burundi to keep up our spirits. I'm taking in Dave's computer (better keyboard) this morning after breakfast with Mosleys where I sleep at night. But please don't expect David to respond immediately if you write him. He needs those beauty sleeps if he ever is going to audition for Paul Newman's roles!