September 27 PM

Mom is a lot more alert this afternoon. This morning (actually it was almost 12:00) when Ali and I finally were allowed to see Mom, she was still somewhat sedated from her CAT scan, so we didn't get to see her lovely smile. But it was sure there this afternoon when we went in! It was like night and day compared with how she was a couple of days ago. Her eyes stay open for 10-20 seconds at a time, and her facial expressions look like "Mom." You can tell she WANTS to talk, but she hasn't tried to yet. In all honesty I am not sure whether it is possible for one to talk with a trache tube in place or not. She is able to signal "yes" with a slow blinking of her eyelids--that's how she responded to Debbie Page this afternoon when she walked into Mom's room and asked if she knew who she was. She is also able to nod her head slightly.

Mom's drain is still in place and functioning normally. I quizzed the nurse about it, asking her about the fluid we could see draining from it. The nurse said that everything looks as it should, that every person's brain produces a certain amount of fluid all the time. Because of the swelling in Mom's head, her cerebral fluid is not able to circulate normally, and therefore would build up in the cranium causing a lot of pressure if it were not drained out. As the swelling goes down, the amount of fluid that drains out will decrease. I guess it's not a very lovely subject to talk about, but I found it fascinating. I am glad the nurses here are so approachable and willing to tell you what they know so as to combat uncertainty.

Alice has gone up to Gorham to stay with Dad for now. She will enjoy getting to see friends at Community Bible Church! Mom and I will stay here at the hospital and have our own private service tomorrow morning. I will probably let Charles Spurgeon preach for us, since I have my Morning and Evening devotional book. I am still staying at the Upper Valley Hostel, which provides very affordable accomodations for patients and their families. There are two sisters also staying there, who have offered me transportation to and from the hospital while they are there. Please pray that I can be a blessing and a testimony.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers...it is exciting to see God answering.