Dear friends,

Dad continues to be in stable health and is enjoying his own room. He welcomed several distinguished visitors this week:

His niece Maureen dropped in while he was doing physical therapy and inspired him to show off. She also updated him on Humboldt sports news. 

High school buddy Tom Libbs and his wife came by over the weekend and shared pictures of the St. Bernard's  class of '57 high school reunion at AT&T Park.

Denny watched some of the World Series games with Pam. It was a special matchup pitting his childhood home team against his adult home team. As many of you know, his dad once sold peanuts at Tiger Stadium, where uncle Tony worked as a cop. Despite this, dad was pulling for the victorious Giants.

Also last weekend, Denny got a chance to go outside and see Grandson Sean (5 months) and Grandaughter Ila (2yrs). He blew them kisses and waved while enjoying the mild October morning.

Dad's writing continues to improve and we hope that someday he will be able to author these updates himself.

Dear Friends,

Dad has moved back to the rehab facility in Walnut Creek. He now has his own room with a sliding glass door to the courtyard, so Mom is able to roll him outside while he is in his chair. Yesterday they saw a large woodpecker on the beautiful trees in the courtyard.

His infections are clearing up, and the therapists think he looks much stronger than when he left for the ICU. In particular, he is sitting up better, not using pillows for support.

Mom reports that today he was clearly printing words, and that is a great help with communication. The speech therapist also put the speaking valve back on his trach, and he was able to more clearly enunciate words. This will continue to improve as his throat gets even stronger.

He watched the Giants game with Mom last night. He was wearing his NLCS playoff hat from Mike Ayers; clearly it is a lucky hat! He'll be wearing it again tonight (sorry (but not too sorry), Cousin Maureen in Michigan!).

Thank you for keeping him and us in your thoughts and prayers!

The view from Dad's new room!

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to give you a quick update on Dad. He is still in the hospital, but in the progressive care unit where they're keeping good care of him.

Today, he's going be watching the Giants game with his good buddy, Mike Ayers, who came up from San Jose to sit with him. Mike brought him a Giants division cap to wear for the occasion! He would love to see two of his favorite teams in a Tigers/Giants series.  We've also let him know that Notre Dame seems to be doing pretty well this season.

Mom was with him this morning and they were looking at old family photos that his Cousin Christine sent. They were reminiscing about his time in Detroit and the various family members in the photos.

The hospital has given him some tests to check his white blood cell count, etc., but they haven't come back with the results yet (things move a bit slower on the weekends). It is likely that he will be moving back to the rehab facility tomorrow, but we will keep you posted.

His physical therapy has been going well. They are working the muscles in his arms and legs. Today, being Sunday, he is having a day of rest from most of the therapy, but they did put him a his chair so he can sit and strengthen his core muscles for a  few hours.

Dear Friends,

Just a quick update on Dad.  Some better news today. He moved from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the progressive care unit (PCU) of the hospital this evening, which is a great sign. The doctors have him on a series of full spectrum antibiotics for his infections, and he will remain on those for a few weeks. While in the hospital, they have continued to give him his physical therapy, and they are organizing a schedule for the other therapies (especially speech and occupational) for tomorrow. He has also continued to have some movement in his left arm and is working on strengthening it.

He continues to have some moments of confusion, but he is more often lucid.  For instance, when they moved him this evening, he was aware enough to ask the nurse to call Mom to let her know where he'd be. Thanks for keeping us in your hearts and minds.

Dear Friends,

I am afraid this is a two steps forward one step back kind of week, and this is a one step back post. Dad had to go to the hospital yesterday because of another lung infection.  The doctor at the Walnut Creek facility wanted to treat it right away, so sent him to the hospital as soon as they realized what was happening. This seems like a much better response than at the previous facility where they waited several days before sending him, and his lungs got much worse.

His condition is no where near as bad as it was last time in Redding. He is responsive, answering questions, recognizes people, etc. He is on oxygen, but not the ventilator (so he is breathing on his own) and antibiotics. As of this evening, his white blood cell count had dropped, which is a good sign, so we are hopeful that this will be a brief hospital stay.

 

Dad is definitely frustrated, and we can't blame him, we are, too. But, we are all hoping for the best. Knowing that we have so many people out there thinking of us and praying for us helps a great deal. We'll keep you posted over the next few days.

 

Dear Friends of Denny,

Dad is slowly, but steadily making progress. His body is healing, and he is on less and less mechanical support. He was taken off the breathing ventilator about a week ago, and while he is still connected to an oxygen mist, he is breathing on his own. Today, they removed the tube that was draining the infection in his lung cavity. That is a huge step, because now he is much more able to move around. In fact, right after they removed it, they took him out of his room and to the therapy gym for the first time in this facility!

In the gym, they put him to work on leg exercises on a ball, working on his posture, practicing sliding in and out of bed and in and out of his chair. His left leg (the side affected by the stroke) is weak, but was responsive today.

He watched part of the Giants game today, and we are sure that he will be excited when he hears about the A's victory tomorrow!

Dear Friends,

Dad has had a busy few days. Mom went home to check in on things there, so his brother, Paul, and Ed and then his sister, Sally, came up to sit with him. He really enjoyed their company, and Mom really appreciated their help. Today, Mom, Christine, and Kevin went over to visit.

Generally, there was good news this week. While they have still been working on adjusting his medication to help him readjust to a night time sleeping schedule, they seem to be getting close. The infections in his lungs are completely gone. He just has one left in his gut that is being treated. The speech therapist has continued to work with him, and he has been doing a great job. He has been more oriented and able to answer questions about his life before the stroke and about his family that are encouraging signs. He is also writing more and more things down. Today, for example, he asked Kevin about the sheep.

But the most exciting news, was that while sitting in his chair doing some arm exercises he was moving the muscles in his left arm, the side that was affected by the stroke. While he wasn't able to lift the arm, he could flex the muscles and moved his thumb! 

Keep those thoughts and prayers coming! Slow but steady progress is great.

Dear Friends,

Some of you have had trouble seeing the blog, so I'm going to try reposting the last message from Monday (we've only updating every other day or so). I hope this does it. So here goes:

A quick line to let you know how Dad is doing. He had his ups and downs over the weekend. Mom has been there everyday, and (daughter) Christine and (son-in-law) Bill also went over for a visit. They are very impressed with the level of care Dad is receiving at Walnut Creek, and we are so thankful for such an attentive and knowledgeable staff.

Dad has been exercising his vocal muscles by whispering through the trach cap. He was also communicating by writing names on a piece of paper. They are hoping to get him weaned off the ventilator as soon as possible (especially because he sometimes tries to take it out on his own). 

This weekend he talked a lot about the people he knew in seminary at Mount Angel, Oregon, as well as asking Mom and Christine about what the various Cahill and Davis cousins were doing. He definitely has a few times when he gets confused and disoriented. And sometimes he is frustrated by his situation and wants to go home, but most of the time he understands that he needs to work hard to heal.

As my brother, Kevin, put it: Keep the Faith in Dad. He's a Cahill and a fighter!