Shanna Allen Hamershock Update 2/02/14 By Marcus Powell This update gets a little more in depth and may be difficult for the soft of stomach. Ash has just been re-intubated. She ha been having a difficult time with anxiety but the real issue was her in ability to mobilize secretions (couldnt cough with enough strength). With Ashleys old lungs secretions were a problem but Ash had better control of those. The anxiety she was experiencing is due to the transplant procedure. When Ashleys old lungs were removed all of the nerve ending she had were severed and now with the new lungs she needs time to make new connections and to retrain her brain to tell her lungs what to do. Without the nerve connections she constantly felt as though she was not breathing. Even when Lisa or I would calm her down she was not willing to take a deep enough breath to create a forceful cough. The surgeon said that when her old lungs came out they where in suck bad shape that there was no way to remove then with out spilling infected secretions into the chest cavity. This lead to her current infection and is why her body is now creating an abundance of secretions. She receiving a bronchoscopy now to remove as much of the secretions as possible, they will also examine the lungs while they are in there. The MDs feel that the lungs are fine and that extubation yesterday was the right call just to give her the chance to cough up her secretions, which can be more effective, as opposed to suctioning her through the endotracheal tube. Ill know more later but Ash looks as though she is calm and relaxed now. *Corrections and additions: The MDs now feel that the main reason Ashley could not clear her secretions is simply because of being deconditioned due to her long hospital stay and numerous fluctuations in health during her stay.*
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:42:23 +0000
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