Updates: (11/23/2025)

Eli had a slightly better day today, which felt really encouraging.

He moved up another level after his swallow test and is now able to eat more solid foods. This is another big step forward in his recovery.

His catheter was removed today, which is a huge win. The doctors still don’t want him using the actual bathroom yet, but they may try again in a few days.

This afternoon, the nurses helped him into a recliner chair, where he sat for about an hour and a half. He doesn’t enjoy sitting in it and would much rather stay in bed, but he tolerated it well. He didn’t complain about his shoulder while he was in the chair, and they applied Biofreeze to the area, which he said helped a little. While he was sitting up, they dressed him in regular clothes, which I can only imagine felt really good.

They played Mexican Train together while he was in the chair and he did pretty well at understanding the game. His dexterity was noticeably better. He was able to pick up three dominos at a time, which is an improvement from where he has been recently.

Eli playing Mexican Train with Amy, Dan, and Lindsay

One of the doctors recommended getting him into a wheelchair and taking him outside for some sunlight. Eli wasn’t quite in the mood for that today, but hopefully he will be more open to it tomorrow.

After the game, they moved him back into bed and allowed him to rest for about an hour. When he first woke up, he was extremely disoriented and less cognitively aware. We are noticing a pattern that when he is either very tired or just waking up, it takes him quite a while to return to a more lucid state.

My parents have been working hard to help him stay awake and be more alert throughout the day. While he is most comfortable lying flat and drifting in and out of sleep, they are encouraging him to stay awake a bit longer and keep his mind active. One or two short naps during the day are okay, but the overall goal is to avoid him sleeping through the entire day.

We are really hoping that physical therapy will be able to start more consistently tomorrow. They were not in the hospital over the weekend, so we are eager for that next step.

Things tend to move more slowly in the hospital over the weekends, especially on Sundays, so we are looking forward to seeing a bit more progress in the coming days. ❤️