Tiny Baby Steps- Millimeters

I wonder if Mom is ever going to unwrap this package.


Yesterday, the nurse told me not to expect to see an improvement for several days. Limbo.  Today his chest x-ray finally shown some improvement.  Yay!  The Dr. finally gave him a good dose of steriods and they think that's what did it.  I was wondering why they hadn't given them sooner, and figured it was because they were trying to figure out what was wrong and didn't want it to mask any of the tests.

Starting on Sunday, he had started taking breaths on his own, between the ventilator breaths.  Last night they turned the machine down from 16 bpm to 11 bpm (breaths per minute.)  They have also been slowly decreasing the O2 flow down from 100% to today 70%.  His blood gasses are coming back good with the decrease.

They have the tilt going at 30% for 2 minutes each side when I left this afternoon, and so far tolerating that well.  They want to get it to 60% tilt.  Not sure for what duration each side.  The nurse had his sedation down to 3 when I left.  She said she doesn't want to turn it down too much while on this bed as it gives the patient a sensation of falling.

He's a science fiction fan (the quality kind, not syfy channel crap).  I'm reading him a book by Roger Zelansky.  I told him to pretend the bed was a space ship and he's towards Mars.  He would like that.

His blood pressure is still requiring quite a bit of medication support.  That concerns me as they don't have much to play with should something happen.  The dr. wants to do a bronchoscope tomorrow and make sure he doesn't have a super infection in there.  Crossing my fingers that he is stable enough to tolerate that.  I would hate for them to do something to send him backwards.

So, while I remain hopeful and celebrate the tiniest improvement, I'm also a bit apprehensive about what unknown monster might be lurking around the next corner.  I'm still a bit nervous about his being conscious while on the ventilator, though I know it's necessary.  I'm looking forward to the day he's conscious and can respond to me.  Wish this were a book so I can skip ahead a few pages to see what happens next.

Oh boy, these bunnies of mine.  Nippit was good about going to her cage for a few days, then last night she made me chase around the living room several times. Betty was just a little bad the morning, that is in comparison to Dammit.  Oh my, it was like he was young Dammit again, when he made it so hard for us to get him back in his cage, we just left him out.  He ran circles, round and round the living room, then he ran circles around under the futon.  He had so frustrated, I called him by all three of his names GFD. (Figure it out and don't be offended.)

Bootsie is so desperate for attention she actually let me, the cat slave, pet her last night.  Then got upset that I wasn't D and bit my arm.  Hang in there, Bootsie.

I took the bus this morning.  A was going out of town, I wasn't able to leave as early as she would need me to and I wanted to give her break since she has been transporting me back forth the past three days.  Not that it's that far.  She live 5 minutes north of the hospital and I'm 5 minutes east from there.

The bus came down the street and was just arriving at the stop at the same I did.  What a refreshing change.  On the way back, a car shot out around the corner just as I stepped off the curb when the light changed, almost made me a grease spot.  Her window was open and so was her mouth shouting something.  I shouted a few curses, and was glad I didn't trim the inch long nail on my walking finger (same as most people's driving finger. *grin*)  Got on the wrong bus back, jumped off at the next block and crossed the street just in time to catch the right bus.  I thought only the one bus went down that street. Oh well, lesson learned.

That's today's update.  I hope to have more good news tomorrow, even the tiniest bit is welcome. I read to for five straight hours this morning.  Headed back up now for my evening session.

 Thank you all for sticking with me and letting me know you are thinking about us.  Amazed.... me....   I have started reading blogs again, the very rare few moments I have a chance.  Eventually I'll get around to you all.  Need to get a bit normalcy to my life and the world at large.  Hope everything is going well in your world.