Our Fervent Prayers

Dean and some fellow students from Wings of Healing/Bethesda Bible School in Portland.
[One of my digital scrapping images. More here, I'm 'atw' if you get lost.]

Dean continues to weaken and sleep for longer periods. The protein drinks we have been giving him seem to be putting on weight unfortunately around his middle--making it more difficult for us to get him up and down. Tuesday he was sitting at the table for a short spell, drinking one of these and blurted out 'blackened fish'. Jonathan gave me a puzzled look and I ask Dean if that was what he was thinking about for lunch. or if he were thinking of the meal we had at the Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City for his birthday. He nodded, I guess to both. His eyes smiled a little.

As Dean was having his noontime drink today, he looked at me and said 'three oyster sandwiches'. For years after moving here to Oregon, we traveled back to Ohio each fall to visit my folks and planned it during the county fair. The Fish Shack always had a booth that he frequented every time we went for those delectable morsels.

Hospice delivered a gadget to put on the oxygen machine to add moisture. He has been yanking the tube out of his nose. Hopefully this will prevent the drying out effect. Why didn't they send that along to begin with?

It continues to get harder just to take care of mundane, human activities. This morning Jonathan awoke me several times to help Dean with the 'bottle'. Then at 6a Dean asked for a protein drink and said he wanted to try for the bathroom. We have been swiveling him in bed and helping lift him to his feet where he was able to stand and pivot 90 degrees so we could push the chair up behind him. But his legs would not support him the last couple days. Jonathan has to pick him up, face to face, then I try to guide his feet around. He utters complaints thinking we are going to drop him. The body in this state doesn't do well with digestive things. With painful empathy, I stand in the bathroom praying for help for him. And I pray that we will be able to do what needs done so that we can keep him at home. By the time he finished and I gave him a quick sponge bath and changed his clothes, his legs of course were complete numb. Jonathan tried to lift him and couldn't budge him up off the toilet. Not an inch. I thought I'd have to call the neighbor, but Jonathan gave it one more try and was successful. By the time we got him back in bed, dressed, positioned, etc. (two hours later) and situated, I think we all felt like we'd been to the gym. Jonathan said he needed another hour sleep and I agreed but we didn't awake until 11. It's time for Bathroom Plan B though I'm not sure what that is yet.