Today is Friday, 9/24/2010
I know this for sure because it’s written on the whiteboard in Dad’s room. Every room in the ICU has one of the whiteboards where date is rewritten faithfully every day. The days do run together in here. And some of these folks are in sorry enough shape that I see why they’d need to write the year down too.
Dad is definitely on the mend physically, and now his mental health is a concern. He’s just been cleared to receive liquids, which means he will get his bipolar meds after four days without them. He’s begun to show signs of mania (only got about 1.5 hours of sleep last night — on his current dose of narcotics, he should be asleep most of the time, which means he’s manic in slow-motion). Right now, he’s Fun Jim, the mildly manic, jokey version of himself, yukking it up with us and the staff. We just need to get this under control before he’s running around the floor with his rear end flapping out of his gown while the staff tries to sedate him.
They do that date thing when you have a baby, too. Is it bad that I laughed at the image of your dad with his rear flapping out? It was mostly the phrasing that got me. I don’t want him to really GET to that point. Give him love from us and lemme know what i can do. We love you!!!