breathing, eating, and thinking better

Wednesday, early morning, we headed for the UC Davis emergency room to request that fluid be removed from Ed's abdomen because he was having difficulty breathing and eating from the pressure of the fluid build up. 
His legs and feet were noticeably swollen and he complained of not feeling well.  Ascites, or the build up of fluid around the stomach, is another result of the liver not working well.
3 liters were removed with no problems! Thank God.  I was a little concerned because his blood pressure had been running low and I learned that when you remove fluid you have the chance of lowering the pressure even more.  He was watched for about an hour and a half after the procedure and then released to go home.  The first time that he had this procedure was back on Dec 5th when he woke up at 2am and asked me to take him to the doctor because he was having trouble breathing.  That day he had difficulty walking, was having nausea, and the confusion level was high.  We used a wheel chair to go in and to leave.  After the procedure the next day he felt so much better.  It is quite a different story from what happened this Wednesday.  He was uncomfortable but relaxed, joking with the emergency room doctor about her cold hands, and very much aware with very little confusion.  We went to eat afterwards. 

Yesterday, he was up and active.  He went to pick up medicine at the Smart Foods pharmacy by himself while I went to fax a letter next door at OfficeMax. Then we stopped by McDonald's and I asked him to go in and get us a snack.  He did.  This is such a great improvement and I am so happy for him!  Call me crazy but this is no time for hospice this is time to keep working, hoping, and praying for more improvement and with your help and prayers we will continue strong and confident towards recovery. 


We are planning a two day vacation at Fort Mason San Francisco by the Ocean. Yeyyy!