Shots Across The Bow

Good News for Neenaw

The roller coaster is picking up speed. At 9AM, we were told she would be on the ventilator for a week or two at least. At 12PM, we were told that she is going to be weaned from the ventilator starting today. The did the routine screening for ventilator removal, and she went for 20 minutes breathing on her own. So, they've reduced the drugs that are keeping her unconscious just enough to let her start exercising her lungs. They've turned down the ventilator rate so that every 4th or 5th breath she takes is on her own, which is great. They've taken her off the ARDS protocols since her lungs are functioning fairly well. She's maintaining 98% blood oxygen on 40% O2, which is roughly 2x what we breath in normal air. And the pressure required to kep her alveoli inflated has decreased dramatically, another good sign as far as her lungs are concerned. Her fever is down, and her blood pressure is almost normal.

The latest from her doctor is that he expects her to be off the ventilator by the middle of next week or so, which is excellent. The only bad news, and it isn't really bad, is that she's going to be uncomfortable for a few days since they aren't keeping her so heavily sedated anymore.

She's barely conscious, but she can communicate. Her nurse asked her if she was in pain, and she indicated she was, so they gave her some morphine. When asked a few minutes later if she still felt pain, she just kind of smiled around the breathing tube.

Small steady improvement...every day a little bit better.

Thanks for your prayers; I know they've helped.

Posted by Rich at April 27, 2007 5:42 PM | TrackBack