Lots of good things happened today. at 5:50AM doctors York, Arthur, Soleau, and Rao observed the exam, again conducted by Dr. Abtin. One nurse and two other residents were also there. It will be nice to move out of this room to a larger one with a view, which also would mean that Pat would be improved enough that she wouldn't have to be right next to the nurses station.
There was not much reaction from Pat at this early hour, but she had been pretty active during a lot of the night.
Pat's cranial pressure has gone down enough that Dr. Fults believes that the External Ventricular Drain can soon be removed. That is a major medical goal. He said that she has gone "over the hill."
The swelling in her arms and legs is way down, too.
Xrays showed no fracture in her cervical spine, so the neck collar was removed.
She had a tracheotomy done today, so the mouth tube was removed. That will make oral care much more effective and efficient, and it is easier to suction her lungs. The trach is below the vocal cords, so there is much less danger of damage to them.
There is still a chance of infection, but our cousin Pam will be happy to know that some doctors wash their hands when they enter the room and again when they leave.
If you feel you would like to do something but don't know what, Kay has a few sugggestions:
Donate blood. Someone donated the blood for the 3 transfusions that helped save Pat's life.
Send flowers to the Emergency Room of any hospital.
Send a card of encouragement to one of the mothers. We will have their addresses for you tomorrow.
Keep sending the PLS - Prayers, Love, and Support. We can feel every bit of it.
Love and health to you, Pat's sister Kay
 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pat’s update Friday, August 27 Today’s nurse, Marta, calls herself “Tilly the Hun.” She is going to get Pat to wake up and slug her. They are a good match – independent, feisty, and stubborn. Pat has quickly and successfully moved to the next stage in the process of weaning her off the ventilator. A CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) tube has been connected to a T-piece. It should correct her overbreathing Her ICPs are low and very good. She has been weaned off all blood pressure medication and is maintaining her own blood pressure. As I write this, her temperature is 37c (normal). When Larry and Kay got here this morning, she was sitting up in a specially designed chair and her eyes were open. She will be in the chair 1 to 1and a half hours at a time. She follows some simple commands if she is not too tired or if she is not being stubborn. She’s still not focusing and she still can’t hold up two fingers. If Pat has her way, though, I have a feeling I know which finger she’ll hold up for Tilly. She had some physical therapy today for her left side only (still a blood clot in her left leg). You know how still you are in the morning. Imagine being still for two weeks, then having someone bend your knee and stretch your tendons. What a face she made! There are still concerns. One is called neurological breathing. Maybe Uncle Dick, Mark K, Chip or Buzz could send a piece in to explain that. Another concern is that her right side does not seem to respond as well as her left side. Most of the signs are good. We can be very patient with the healing. We are so grateful that we have a chance to watch her improve. Keep sending the Prayers Love and Support that are so much a part of the process. Many thanks to all of you, Kay |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
