{Karlton Bontrager}

Is it possible that we’ve been at this for over a week? The days all blur together, and we know that Karlton has made progress, but sometimes we forget just how and what steps were involved. The website preserves all of the information for us. It also reminds us of the miracles we’re seeing day after day.

Yesterday Choy and I spent a lot of time at the university, checking and responding to emails. When we got back, the physios (PTs) had Karlton sitting on the side of the bed, dangling his legs. He’d been up in a La-Z-Boy recliner before, but the chair had given him considerable support. This time he was sitting fully on his own. He sat there for about 5 mins., they said, and then he was ready to lie down again.

The exertions of sitting up–plus all the probing and stabbing that the hospital staff do–wore him out. He spent most of the day alternating between sleeping and eyeing us soberly. He was able to open his left eye wider than ever. He’s unable to open the right eyelid, however. Both eyes have only a little redness about them now, though the right eye is still noticeably swollen. The swelling in his face and hands has gone down considerably, and you can see the old Karlton in his face now.

Karlton can be playful with his hands and feet, but his face is nearly expressionless. Occasionally, he gives us an eye-rolling sneer, but he doesn’t smile. Last night I encouraged him to smile, and for the briefest second the corners of his mouth turned up a trifle. He did the same this morning with encouragement. I wonder if it’s hard for him to smile.

Full inflation of the left lung continues to be a concern. Apparently his coughing does not loosen the phlegm as much as is hoped. So the staff is having to suction him often. On the other hand, they’re reducing the amount of oxygen that he gets, since he’s breathing so efficiently.

Alec/Derek, Karlton gets anticoagulant shots twice a day in his stomach. If I understood correctly, they don’t give the shots in the arm because there’s too little fat there, and they want the body to absorb the medication gradually. But Karlton is so lean that I’m wondering if there’s really any gain to giving the injection in his stomach. On the other hand, it goes just under the skin, so maybe that helps.

This morning the physio was back, saying they were going to try transferring him to a La-Z-Boy, and he’d have to stand on the floor to make that transition! How quickly he is moving–sitting without support one day and standing the next! She warned us that he’d probably sleep for the rest of the day after he’d done that.

Last night Earl, Sophie, and Aidan–university students and rugby friends–invited Choy and me over for dinner. As students, they live simply, but they shared with us so generously. Earl was cook, and he prepared a magnificent vegetarian lasagna and a delicious curry. They have a big screen TV, and together we watched “Fear Factor” and something like “Whose Line is it Anyway?” It was so refreshing to get away for a bit.