From Jeff’s Caringbridge site:
On Monday, Jeff was extremely agitated. He had been awake since 5 am on Sunday with no naps, very restless and having trouble finishing sentences. The meds we had on hand were not able to relax his state of mind at all, so the doctor called in Thorazine. He finally fell asleep after 8 pm on Monday. He's been unable to really communicate since then. He cannot swallow without choking and all the fluid his body was retaining is going to his lungs which makes his breathing sound awful.
The doctor came to see him yesterday and told us it won't be long now. We are giving his medications through two ports that are just under his skin. And he has a patch to help dry up some of the excess fluid in his lungs I know you probably have questions that I haven't thought to address here. I apologize for that. It's so hard to know how much information is too much or not enough.
We know he can still hear us, as his eyes flutter when we talk. He smiles when we say "I love you." So please feel free to continue writing messages to him, and I will read them.
We declared last night to be our "Christmas Eve." One of Jeff's family's traditions growing up was to open a gift on Christmas Eve. I am a purist and always thought we should wait until Christmas morning. (Partly because I'm one of those silly people who is still wrapping after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve.) Last year, I finally gave in and we announced the beginning of the "One-gift-on-Christmas-Eve" tradition. When I told Jeff's doctor how much Henry was hoping Daddy would make it until Christmas, he said "Christmas is a season, not just a day." So when Henry asked again if Daddy would make it until Christmas, I decided we should just make last night our "Christmas Eve." And don't you know, they got two gifts out of it instead of one. :)
I know there's no good time to lose a loved one, but Christmas seems to be an especially hard time for this to be happening. Please pray for a swift and peaceful passing. And continue to pray for our family as we make our way through this unfamiliar territory.
