Independent breathing!

That's right! No more tracheostomy! This morning after rehab the respiratory team came and removed that horrible tube from Dad's neck. He has been eagerly anticipating this day for a week and it is so nice to see him nearly entirely tube free (he still has a peripheral IV for his Heparin drip and a PEG tube for his feedings). He says that his breathing feels fine without it and we are all so unbelievably grateful for this progress. I was thinking today back to the beginning of this nightmare when I was so thrilled to come to his room in Idaho Falls to see him assisting the ventilator on the occasional breath. I can't believe how far we have come. As I have said on here before, they told us early on that breathing is a brain stem function (the location of Dad's bleed) and that he may never accomplish this feat again on his own.

Therapy was very busy this morning. Colby encouraged him through four straight sessions with no breaks. This schedule exhausts him and he indulged in a long afternoon nap. When he woke up we went out to the patio to spend some time as a family. Here Dad made several comments about needing to return to work, his frustrations with his current abilities and even said he was worried he would 'be stupid forever'. I honestly cannot convey how deeply it hurts to hear him say these things. We have watched him make such amazing progress that it is easy to forget how exacerbating this process is for him. I was glad Colby was here because he was able to encourage him and ensure him that everything is fine back home.

Tomorrow he will have a swallow study to see where we are on his ability to eat. We are praying so much that his swallow is strong and that they can advance his diet as I know it is such a priority for him to eat food! Above all else and no matter the results, he continues to work so hard and we are unbelievably proud of him.