Duane Here

I've just had the honor of being with Ginger for a few hours this morning. She has been quite coherent at times, but the coherence is primarily due to the fact that the morphine has worn off... so a button press later she is back to fading in and out of consciousness. The pain without morphine is still intolerable, but she's a trooper and has smiled through the bulk of it.

There are so many bright sides to this experience, especially when considering the remarkable physical trauma her body has gone through and how well she is doing just 2.5 days after surgery. You can tell Ginger is a kind and warm-hearted person right down to the core. She will hear a knock on the door (even if it's a neighbor's door and not her own) and politely tell whoever it is to come in, even though she doesn't know who it is and is barely conscious.

At other times, it brings me a smile or two to hear her semi-conscious mutterings. It's like a window into her dream world as she sleeps. I'll hear her say things like, "I've forgotten this fellow's name... (a few seconds later) and he's not here anyway (as she opens her eyes)." It's possible to have short conversations, but they usually last fewer than 30 seconds.

More later...