Pop is steadily improving and the roller coaster ride is a bit smoother today. However, we remain cautiously optimistic because the nature of roller coasters is to lull you into a false sense of security, and then scare the bejesus out of you.

I just got back from the hospital where Pop is undergoing dialysis and things are going well. He is awake. Yes, awake! He is still in quite a foggy state, but his eyes are open and he can move them, and he is responsive to people around him and can respond somewhat to questions by blinking his eyes. His blood pressure and respiratory function are good, and his intestinal tract is unstoppable at this point (at least I’m sure that’s what his nurse thinks!). The doctors will be aiming at removing 4.5 liters of fluid during his treatment and will clean his blood again as well, as there is a full schedule of ICU dialysis patients lined up for tomorrow. The current plan is to skip treatment for Pop tomorrow to give someone else a turn. He currently weighs in at a hefty 404 lbs, but will probably be about 10 lbs lighter than that about three hours from now if the dialysis treatment goes as planned.