Mixed messages...

Some surprises awaited us when we arrived at the hospital today. As Dad has been breathing on his own for a whole week, the doctors had decided to remove his tracheostomy tube this morning. This meant that he had a hole in his throat (covered with a dressing, of course) and so he wasn't able to speak as clearly as in the past weeks. They had also decided to remove his abdominal drain, as there has been very little infected matter in it over the past week. Nurses also reported that the stoma bag continued to be free of any blood.

All of this was good news, but there was a little concern that his temperature had gone up, which might have been an indicator of a chest infection. By the evening, however, his temperature had gone back to normal again and his heart rate had stabilised. However, his blood pressure had dropped and settled around 80/40.

Tonight, before we left the hospital, a doctor asked to speak to us. He told us that Dad's falling blood pressure was not a good sign; that it is usually a sign that the person is dying and the end is near. He knows, of course, that we've been told this several times over the past weeks, and that the doctors got it wrong on those occasions.... but he wanted to let us know this, anyway.

It's true that we've been here many times over the past six weeks, and have spent a few exhausting and rather traumatic nights in the hospital. This time, we decided as a family that we wouldn't sit up in the hospital all night, but would come home and simply "wait and see." You may not read this blog posting until Thursday morning anyway.... but if you're in another part of the world and will be reading it while it's still night time for us here in Scotland, we do value your prayers again for us and for Dad during this night. Thank you.