Had to force Mike to wake up this morning. I wanted to get breakfast into him and give him his medications on time. He wouldn't budge at first...so I had to bring out my serious voice. ;)

We were up a couple of times again in the middle of the night. Mike has been having trouble gagging on fluid, (possibly from his lungs) which results in him spitting up a bit in his sleep. Because I take so many medications myself to sleep, Mike's gagging startles me, and I run around in circles trying to find the basin to help him. (Yeah...I know what that must look like.) I think from that last time he gagged, until I got up this morning, I never went back to sleep, but just laid there waiting for him to do it again.

For me, it is hard to know what to look for if Mike becomes worse, because many of the signs they have told to alert me, Mike has had the past two years. Shortness of breath, pain in the abdomen and even confusion to some extent (because he's often sleeping), have always been issues with Mike since the biliary tubes were put in August 2007. So it's a little more of a challenge now to differentiate the two. I would hate to waste money running him to the emergency room when it wasn't merited, just as much as I would hate not to get him care at the onset, since the Hepatic Encephalopathy can be irreversible.

Mike is eating well. He actually ate three meals yesterday...and then at 10:30 last night wanted scramble eggs and toast. I happily obliged. He seems to be his most alert and normal, around that time. Getting him to take in fluids continues to be a struggle. I have noticed Mike having a more gaunt appearance in the past couple of days, and it is probably because he is off the IV, and he's on three medications that are pulling any fluids or toxins from his body. I don't know what to do to avoid him from becoming dehydrated. I've tried a little "tough love" to convince him to drink more than he probably feels like.

Yesterday was a productive day for me. I was able to go through a stack of paperwork, learned how to pay bills online (Mike only did this), filed some claims, and did several loads of laundry. Today I hope to resolve or replace Mike's cell phone and pick up some odds and ends we need. I'm trusting Mike will be a good patient and stay put in bed until I get back.

As always, thank you for praying and thinking about us.

"He will give His people strength. He will bless them with peace." Psalm 29:11