Role Reversal

We start with a great update from last week's entry. Despite everything looking against it, the Romeike family is now allowed to stay in the country! It was an unexpected, but great turn around that many had prayed would happen. Read the full story at this site.

I have had multiple surgeries for various different reasons. Several have been to relocate muscle and skin tissue to close pressure sores, while others, like my diaphragm pacemaker implant, have resulted in big improvements in my needs. Most of these procedures are followed by hospital stays, often in the Intensive Care Unit. Due to needing mechanical ventilation, I can only be placed in sections that have the skills and equipment I need. My family is quite familiar with the ICU and we know what to bring for entertainment and personal needs.

For me, it's almost like being on vacation. I get to work with different nurses, have new walls to look at, and generally can't do much other than watch TV. I also receive more visitors than normal and get to hear about what is happening in their life. I'm always looking forward to the end of these trips though and welcome the return to normalcy. This past week has had an unfortunate role reversal.

My grandfather on my mother's side has been having headaches since he fell and received a concussion in January. This past Friday, he went to the hospital with extreme pain in his head. It was found that he had blood on his brain and had emergency surgery Saturday afternoon to remove it. With his previous heart trouble, surgery in itself was a major risk, but he did thankfully make it through the four-hour ordeal.

On Sunday, I went with my parents to visit him in the ICU. He was heavily sedated, on a vent, and not responsive to any of us. This is what I expected to see, but it was odd being the visitor instead of the patient. A major difference with me is that, since I can't feel below my head, I'm very rarely ever in pain and therefore don't need medication for it. Seeing grandpa down and unresponsive was definitely a different experience.

In the two days since, he is now breathing on his own and sedatives have been adjusted. Unfortunately, he doesn't respond to anyone and only calms down when hearing scripture. We don't know if God's plans are to soon take him home or to be with us in different forms. Time will tell, but until then, we continue to pray for a great turn around, just like the Romeike family.