Dad is continuing to improve! The kidney seems to be functioning okay again. His levels are back to where we would expect them to be, so we are so thankful for that! Last weekend was very scary when everyone thought his kidney had shut down. When you only have one to begin with, that is a big issue!
He got up and walked for the first time on Monday, and was told to "walk all day" yesterday. My mom set her phone alarm to go off every hour so that they could take a walk around the unit. He goes a little farther and a little faster each time! The physical therapist also had him climb a set of stairs to make sure he would be safe at home. My parents' house doesn't have direct access to the inside without climbing stairs, so this is a must.
He is still on oxygen, so we are working toward getting him weaned off of it. I am hopeful that today he can be without oxygen while he is just sitting in his chair or lying in bed, and then perhaps use a little when he is up and moving. Our goal is for him to go home without oxygen, because we know that the longer he is on it, the more his lungs will start to depend on it. But we need to make sure that he can sleep all night without oxygen (and keep his saturation levels up!), and be able to walk around and climb the stairs without it as well.
Our specific prayer request is that Dad gets weaned off of the oxygen successfully. That is the big obstacle to getting to go home at this point. Thank you for your love and prayers!
He got up and walked for the first time on Monday, and was told to "walk all day" yesterday. My mom set her phone alarm to go off every hour so that they could take a walk around the unit. He goes a little farther and a little faster each time! The physical therapist also had him climb a set of stairs to make sure he would be safe at home. My parents' house doesn't have direct access to the inside without climbing stairs, so this is a must.
He is still on oxygen, so we are working toward getting him weaned off of it. I am hopeful that today he can be without oxygen while he is just sitting in his chair or lying in bed, and then perhaps use a little when he is up and moving. Our goal is for him to go home without oxygen, because we know that the longer he is on it, the more his lungs will start to depend on it. But we need to make sure that he can sleep all night without oxygen (and keep his saturation levels up!), and be able to walk around and climb the stairs without it as well.
Our specific prayer request is that Dad gets weaned off of the oxygen successfully. That is the big obstacle to getting to go home at this point. Thank you for your love and prayers!
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