Update on dad: The past several days have had a certain routine to them. The day begins with the doctors and nurses hoping today will be the day the tube comes out. The fentanyl gets turned off in the hope dad will become more alert - he doesnt, his pulse, blood pressure, and breathing rate go up, and the fentanyl gets turned back on. The infectious disease doctor, the surgeon, and the hospital doctor make their daily rounds, along with the neurologist occasionally, who lets us know that even though dads not alert yet he seems to be doing fine. We wait for the results of the blood cultures, the chest x-rays, and the white blood cell count. Theres a low-grade temp here, a blood clot there. Todays routine was similar; however, today they have not turned the fentanyl back on. Hes still not very alert, but for someone who has 2 torn rotator cuffs, chronic back pain (he never sleeps on his back but has been on it for 14 days now), and a large tube down his throat, hes not doing too bad for someone who is off pain medication. There is also a sense of urgency by the nurses, doctors, and respiratory therapists to get him alert - time is ticking before theyll have to do the tracheostomy on Monday. They are doing their best to give him every opportunity to get the tube out, and you can tell they really want it to happen - without being careless or too risky. If they take it out and he cant cough up things like mucus, he could get it in his lungs and develop pneumonia. If they take it out and he cant breathe on his own, its risky and somewhat dangerous to reinsert the tube. If they give him the tracheostomy, it still includes the risk for infection and pneumonia. As the decision gets closer, its nice to know that one way or another, there will be progress; however, it also gets a little scarier because it all involves risk. Right now things are stable, but it ultimately wont bring him forward movement to stay like this. Please be praying - for my dad to show significant improvement, for relief from pain and for the tube to be able to come out, for encouragement for him when hes clearly discouraged, for wisdom for the doctors and nurses, and for strength for us. Its a journey. My dad continues to fight, and we must too. Gods grace for each day. Thanks for praying!!!
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 02:56:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015