Your Prayers Lift Me Up

I don't have many words tonight except to say we are being held up by the prayers of family and friends.

After a relatively quiet night due to the fact that Chris was heavily sedated, today I got ready in the hospital room bathroom to spend the day at APU training for my new temporary job there.  Jim arrived at 7am and spent nearly 14 hours here with Chris.  We are two ships passing in the night right now.  Tomorrow I will get up and do it again, as my new employer has been kind enough to give me the days off needed over the next two weeks to have family visit for my brother's burial, which was planned long before this surgery was scheduled.

I am ready for my night shift of sleeping lightly so I can awaken if Chris has a seizure and help prevent him from reaching for his head in the midst of it.  He is still on pain meds, but in between naps is a bit more alert and responsive, even telling us what he remembers about going in to surgery.  Of course, his ever-present charm is coming out as well, and the nurses are just crazy about him.  The most difficult thing for us is to see our highly articulate son struggle to find the words for a simple sentence.  We are told this is temporary and a result of the combination of meds along with the natural slight swelling that occurs after surgery.  My earthly hope rests in that word ~ temporary ~ right now.

His nurse tonight told him she has seen so many patients helped by this surgery, and the end result is worth going through the hell he is enduring now.  So many of you have told me your specific prayer was for peace to wash over Chris at this time.  I am seeing that in him now - it's a tremendous difference from last night, when he was very agitated and trying to pull out IV's, etc.  Tonight his body is relaxed, hands are clasped together over his stomach, and he is sleeping peacefully.