Friday, January 31: Update on Dad

Thanks for all of the expressions of concern and for the many prayers, rosaries, and Masses being offered for my dad's recovery.  My brother Tim did a masterful job of getting Dad to eat yesterday and last night.  He said that Dad is "looking more alert this morning.  They didn't wake him up in the middle of the night for tests so that is a positive step.  He did well on the tests this morning.  Last night [he] gave him a glass and he drank by himself.  Shaved himself and did a pretty good job.Without a mirror it is about what [he] would have done."    Tim says that he ate all of his breakfast this morning and they even found another apple sauce cup for him.  So that sounds good.  My own observations are that I'm very pleased to see him eating and that his speech, hearing, and understanding are decent.  It would seem to be a good place to start with his rehab.  It sounds like that will be taking place at Norseland Nursing Home in Westby.  The plan, at this point, is to move him on Monday.  Again, thanks for all the spiritual support.

Thursday, January 30: Update

Update on Dad: happily, things seem to be looking up. The small bleed in his brain is not something that is concerning the doctor at this point. Dad is eating some (ice chips are a favorite) and is very happy to listen to music and talk (when he's awake). There has also been more movement in his left leg today than we have seen in a couple of days. While there are a couple of concerns yet, the doctor is thinking that if all remains stable he will be out of the hospital and into a rehab facility on Monday. Let us hope and pray! Thanks for the prayers, rosaries, and Masses offered on his behalf.

3:00 pm Update

It has been a day of ups and "maybe's".  Dad ate his first meal since Sunday: mashed potatoes & gravy, tomato soup, apple sauce, and thickened coffee.  He ate well and didn't have any difficulty swallowing.  He also had another CT scan: the doctor hasn't been in to tell us what they saw.  The "maybe" is his blood pressure.  It's higher than they'd like it to be, so it is being watched closely.  Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming!  :)

Wednesday, January 29 - 9:15

Update on Dad: Little difficult in the middle of the night, Dad decided he was done cooperating with all the questions and poking and prodding. However, he's opened his eyes a couple of times now, which is a first since the stroke. Another scan to make sure there's no bleeds and then a check up to see if his diet can be expanded from ice chips. Thanks for the prayers and keep 'em coming. Thanks!

7:00 pm

Dad has been kicked out of ICU!  They are still keeping an eye on the brain swelling and a low fever, but he's in a regular room now.  Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes.  Keep the prayers coming!  :)

3:20 pm

Everybody has been in and out including speech therapy.  Dad swallowed ice chips and pudding without any difficulty.  He was willing (earlier) to trade his best tool for a glass of ice chips.  Now he's upped the anti to orange popsicles! They're working on getting him out of the ICU now.  The doctor says that we will know his long-term prognosis better Friday, he hopes.  Dad's not out of the woods yet; they're still watching the swelling.  But there's plenty of hope.  Thanks for the prayers!

First Posting

Dear Friends,
My father, Ed Klos, had a stroke on Sunday evening, January 26, 2020.  So, I'll be using my blog to help our friends keep up with his condition over the next little while.  Thanks for your prayers on his behalf and on behalf of my mother and family.

Late Sunday night Mom noticed that he wasn't responding and called the ambulance.  Because of difficulties in getting a clear CT scan it took awhile to figure out what was really happening (Dad can be very fidgity!).  The doctors were able to determine that it was a blockage of an artery rather than a bleed and administered the drug for dissolving the clot just about at the 4-hour mark and sent him immediately to Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse.  Upon arrival he went immediately to surgery (2 am) where the bulk of the clot was removed.

Monday was spent recovering from surgery and constant checks to see what he could do, remember, and say.

Tuesday after an early morning CT-scan it was determined that his brain had swollen further and the doctors have said that while there are positive signs with his memory, speaking, and other signs the swelling is concerning.  The next 24-hours will be critical.  Please keep the prayers coming!  :)

Baptism of the Lord

     With our celebration of the “Baptism of the Lord” we come to the end of our formal celebration of Christmas.  Greens will come down and decorations put away over the coming days.  The one exception should be our manger scenes (créches) which are traditionally kept up until February 2: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

     It’s a wonderful tradition to allow our observance of the Mystery of Incarnation to linger.  Too often our celebrations are a “one-and-done” affair.  By leaving out our créches and allowing them to continue as a focus for prayer we find ourselves taking deeper into our hearts the particular points of reflection that arose over the Christmas season and extending them into our daily lives – including in our ability to take these points of reflection and put them into practical action.

     Indeed, this is an element that is too often missing in our own baptism: is it more than a nice ceremony making us members of this institution known as the Catholic Church?  We need to recognize that the graces (indwelling of the Holy Spirit) given to us in baptism are still in us.  What we need to do is activate them, shake them up and let them inform / color our every thought, word, and action.

     I would also point out that we are not done with hearing in the Gospels about those epiphanies of the Lord.  This is important because one of the principle reasons we allow our baptismal grace to lie dormant is a lack of real, internal, activating belief in the unique place of our Lord, Jesus Christ plays in the salvation of the human race; or possibly even the need for salvation.

     Moving forward it is very important that we keep our recognition of Christ’s unique, divine power in the eternal life we have been offered.  It is also important that we recognize our need to continuously activate that salvific grace received in baptism and in all of the sacraments we have each, thus far received, as well as those graces that are showered upon us everyday as we find ourselves cooperating with the will of God.

     “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Trial, or distress, or persecutions, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?  Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of Him Who has loved us.”  (Romans 8:35, 37)