Contact has been Initiated!!!

A couple of things before I get to the best news:

1. Torrey is getting a nuclear scan tomorrow to check for any obstructions in his gallbladder; According to the doctors, his liver is still 'angry', but they don't know at what. So, they are hoping the nuclear scan will help them locate the culprit - something such as an obstructed gallbladder.

2. Torrey's lungs were looking better this morning; they opted to give him a rest from dialysis today, but expect to start again tomorrow.

Great news! Torrey opened his eyes much more this evening - for as long as 15 minutes.

He was able to 'nod' when they asked him if his name is Torrey Ward.
And he shook his head 'no', when the nurse asked him if he was in any pain.

That alone made me feel so much better - I was really worried that waking up would be very traumatic for him. And it comforted me to know that the nurses are thinking of his comfort first, to ensure the wake-up process is as painless as possible; still, the longer he is off any sedative or pain killers, the quicker he will wake up.

I know we still have a long way to go, and I know it will be no picnic for Torrey once he does fully wake up, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it; hopefully tomorrow he will respond to more questions.
I could swear when I said goodbye/goodnight to him as we were leaving, that a little scowl appeared on his forehead. We stayed a few extra minutes until the scowl subsided, and I set the TV to A&E in hopes that 'The Deadliest Catch', or 'The First 48' would come on later for him.

Let's hope he can watch some b-ball tomorrow!

If we can hold off on any visits until the afternoon, that would be great (Jen O, this does not apply to you since you won't be able to come back to the ICU anyway). I am hoping tomorrow morning to ask Torrey if he is ok with his friends visiting.
As you all know, Torrey is a very self-conscious person. I would hope that he is open to seeing you all, especially since you all have been so instrumental in getting us to this point; but, in his haziness, I am afraid he may revert back to being embarrassed or self-conscious, and therefore not try as hard to wake-up if non-family members are in his room.

If he isn't responding at all to this question, Or, if he responds positively, then I would like to continue with visitors....it helps keep my spirits up to be able to talk about his progress in person and I know it helps Torrey progress with is wake-up process.

So, I am going to bring my laptop to the hospital tomorrow, and will update this blog as early as possible, indicating whether visitation can continue; no worries for anyone who may stop by in the morning before reading this entry.....

I am so wired now I can't even sleep!

Here's hoping for more great news tomorrow!

BTW, Michele N - Thalia is all set for our plan. She is already counting down the days.

-Monica