A Change of Scenery

After more than a day in the Intensive Care Unit, Gerry's nurses moved him to a regular hospital room on Thursday afternoon. Instead of a 24-hour view of the nurse's station and a battery of monitors, Gerry can now see outside. Instead of a curtain separating him from other patients, there is an actual wall. Most importantly, he's now in a more relaxing environment, and is no longer surrounded by other patients in various stages of intensive care. It's a refreshing change of scenery, and a good sign of recovery.
Gerry stood for the first time since walking into the hospital early Tuesday morning. He's shaky and has unsteady balance, so doctors say he'll begin physical therapy soon - that's a normal practice after such an intensive surgery.
A speech therapist stopped by to check on Gerry's facial mobility. Though he is still suffering from partial paralysis on the right side of his face, the therapist said he's on track to recovery.
One family member overheard nurses commenting that Gerry is much more relaxed and appears to progress more rapidly when his wife Debbie is at his bedside. She has spent many hours at the hospital since the surgery began.
Today, she brought with her a discman and a collection of cd's, including Gerry's recent favorites Casting Crowns and Jeremy Camp. The music provided some relaxation for him.
We'll let everyone know as soon as Gerry is able to receive visitors. At this point, it's important that he remains calm and gets as much sleep as possible.
Thanks for your continued prayers!