Status Stuff
Susan's birthday was yesterday--she turned 51. She was sent home from long-term rehab the day before, and although she has gained a lot of hand motion, that's a relative term and she's still technically considered a quadraplegic.
In Dad-news, we're still not out of the woods. The CT Scan was clear, the EEG the next morning was good, and later that day (yesterday), the MRI was clear, so we're thinking that maybe there was no neurological event that precipitated the siezures.
What we do know is that before he started siezing, he vomited and aspirated stomach acid which burned his lungs. He'll still intubated and will be until at least tomorrow--and that makes him SO angry! Whenever he wakes up, he makes motions that he wants to pull the tubes out. He doesn't actually pull at them, just makes the motions, because he know that if he did more than that the nurses would have to restrain his arms again.
My dad's arms in restraints... I just want to cry.
Last night at about 2:00am, with tears in his eyes, he made a gun-finger and pointed at his head. I told him we wouldn't make him live on machines forever, but he has to stay intubated until we're sure there is no infection in his lungs, and we have to leave the NG tube in until Tuesday or later because after stomach surgery he can't eat for a number of days.
I promised him, but I'm not sure he believes me.
He was also very angry with me last night when I didn't know the score of the baseball game.
As with all ICU patients on respirators, he has a daily chest x-ray. Yesterday, his right lung was a white out. This morning it's better, but his left lung is gunky now. I'm not sure what any of this means, but Teri, my local 3rd year med student, is assuring us this is all normal.
I wish I had more/better news to share. If his lungs are infected and we can't take him off the respirator, I don't know what we're going to do.
I just don't know.
Keep praying, or whatever.
UPDATE, SUNDAY MORNING:
Last night we were watching the World Series together. The TV in my dad's ICU room is way up near the ceiling. I was standing at the foot of his bed and said, "Can you see the TV, or am I in your way?".
He held his pointer finger and thumb about 2" apart as if to say "a little bit".
Deborah said, "She's a little bit in your way?"
My dad shook his head slowly, got a glimmer in his eye, and held up his hand again.
Oh.My.God. The doofus is intubated and can't speak and he's making fun of me for being short! I said so, too. "Jeezez, Dad--are you calling me short?!"
He nodded and laughed.
******
They have not extubated him yet this morning and he's upset all over again. The pulmonologist wants to do a bronchoscopy and breathing test first (which is sound, but still frustrating). We are all very hopeful that they'll pull out that damn tube before the end of today.
Thanks everyone for your continued support. I know I'm not responding to individual comments, but I'm reading them and REALLY appreciate them!
(Sandra, would you please update Andre whenever you read this? Thanks.)
In Dad-news, we're still not out of the woods. The CT Scan was clear, the EEG the next morning was good, and later that day (yesterday), the MRI was clear, so we're thinking that maybe there was no neurological event that precipitated the siezures.
What we do know is that before he started siezing, he vomited and aspirated stomach acid which burned his lungs. He'll still intubated and will be until at least tomorrow--and that makes him SO angry! Whenever he wakes up, he makes motions that he wants to pull the tubes out. He doesn't actually pull at them, just makes the motions, because he know that if he did more than that the nurses would have to restrain his arms again.
My dad's arms in restraints... I just want to cry.
Last night at about 2:00am, with tears in his eyes, he made a gun-finger and pointed at his head. I told him we wouldn't make him live on machines forever, but he has to stay intubated until we're sure there is no infection in his lungs, and we have to leave the NG tube in until Tuesday or later because after stomach surgery he can't eat for a number of days.
I promised him, but I'm not sure he believes me.
He was also very angry with me last night when I didn't know the score of the baseball game.
As with all ICU patients on respirators, he has a daily chest x-ray. Yesterday, his right lung was a white out. This morning it's better, but his left lung is gunky now. I'm not sure what any of this means, but Teri, my local 3rd year med student, is assuring us this is all normal.
I wish I had more/better news to share. If his lungs are infected and we can't take him off the respirator, I don't know what we're going to do.
I just don't know.
Keep praying, or whatever.
UPDATE, SUNDAY MORNING:
Last night we were watching the World Series together. The TV in my dad's ICU room is way up near the ceiling. I was standing at the foot of his bed and said, "Can you see the TV, or am I in your way?".
He held his pointer finger and thumb about 2" apart as if to say "a little bit".
Deborah said, "She's a little bit in your way?"
My dad shook his head slowly, got a glimmer in his eye, and held up his hand again.
Oh.My.God. The doofus is intubated and can't speak and he's making fun of me for being short! I said so, too. "Jeezez, Dad--are you calling me short?!"
He nodded and laughed.
******
They have not extubated him yet this morning and he's upset all over again. The pulmonologist wants to do a bronchoscopy and breathing test first (which is sound, but still frustrating). We are all very hopeful that they'll pull out that damn tube before the end of today.
Thanks everyone for your continued support. I know I'm not responding to individual comments, but I'm reading them and REALLY appreciate them!
(Sandra, would you please update Andre whenever you read this? Thanks.)
posted by Aimee at
10:15 AM
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