Morning, end of week two

The bottom line is that things are going well.

Ben had a somewhat restless night, but it was fairly busy. Got cleaned up and hair washed. Took another walk. Started drinking apple juice. And then when they wanted him to sleep put that clunky BiPAP mask on him. His nurse was of the "busy" variety, so I'm sure she kept moving around him.

The other factor coming into play is that he's starting to feel the pain and discomfort that is normal after heart surgery. It's hard to tell exactly what's hurting him. He understandably has a hard time differentiating his pains, and then when he tries to describe where they are it adds another layer of confusion. Best we can tell is that it's a combination of some gas and stomach pain, and the sensitivity from the surgery. He still has a few wires and tubes that are uncomfortable.

So the good news for the day is that many of those tubes and wires are on their way out. They took his arterial line out of his left arm which is a great relief, especially for a lefty! They have taken a large number of his I.V.s off line. The pacemaker wires will come out if they feel like his heart is back to beating regularly on its own (he hasn't needed it now for two days or more) and finally the last chest tube can come out later today.

His tasks for the day are to continue his breathing therapy, to get up and walk a few times, to pee and poop, to begin eating in small doses. He wants to eat and then when we give him something he doesn't really want it. I think he's holding out for that Whopper.

Kim's back at work today, so Jon is parenting at the hospital. Ben's probably up for short visits now, and that should improve as the week progresses. It's good to call Jonathan before you would stop by, just to be sure.

We continue to celebrate the skill of surgery and the miracle of healing.