Great Day! Marion was extubated at 2:45pm and after a cautious hour, it seemed to stick. Tomorrow will tell us how ready he was. But today he was coughing and able to spit, both good signs.
He wanted to scratch his nose, but would completely miss his face as he raised his hand, so there are definitely signs of the head injury that he has suffered, but the success he has had just since last Saturday is wonderful. Karen and I left at 5:45. He decided that since he was no longer tied down it was time to get up to use the bathroom. The problem being that ICU has no patient bathrooms. Bedpans or just plain beds for all, as the nurse told me today, with his injury, he will have to be told and retold things to remember the facts. As he is so weak, he is not walking just yet, but hopefully soon, as we all know, he is one determined man!
Thank you again for the prayers,
love, sue
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Jan 6th
Good evening. When I arrived at the hospital this morning, Kristen, Marion's nurse for the day greeted me with a big smile and said she hoped this was the day to extubate him. However, it turned out to be an optimistic wish as his lungs were still too "wet". He gets 1 or 2 more days to get less "wet" and strong enough to cough up secretions, or he will be trached. Trached because that allows them to wean him without having to re-entubate him if necessary and perhaps causing possible damage to his airway, anyway, that is what I understand.
Also, an RN from the Post Acute Liaison crew came to visit, that's the Rehab team. She was preparing me for the possibility that if Marion was not strong enough to go full bore in Rehab, that he might have to go into a Skilled Nursing Home for a period of time to gain strength and also do rehab there, until he had the strength to get the full benefit of the inpatient time at Renown Rehab Hospital. She gave me advice that it was wise for the family to not consider that the end of the road or not to visit or keep up appearances. I don't think that she knows the Condies and how much time that we spend at the hospital and time with Marion, that was one bit of advice that we did not need to hear!
Marion's eyes are so bright and alert when he is awake. He looks all around and is taking it all in. Today he spent almost 2 hours in what is called a "cardiac chair", a BIG chair that helps him to just get out of that prone position he has been in for over 2 weeks. That will help his lungs and digestive systems both.
Karen and I worked with the letter board with him, but as much as he wanted too, it probably is early, and frustrating for all. It sure will be better with the tube out of his throat!
I will e-mail this message, but I have been told that the object is for people to look as they wish, so after today, I will post each evening and it will be there for you to look and send notes back to me as you desire. Once again, many thanks to all for your prayers and support, love, sue
Also, an RN from the Post Acute Liaison crew came to visit, that's the Rehab team. She was preparing me for the possibility that if Marion was not strong enough to go full bore in Rehab, that he might have to go into a Skilled Nursing Home for a period of time to gain strength and also do rehab there, until he had the strength to get the full benefit of the inpatient time at Renown Rehab Hospital. She gave me advice that it was wise for the family to not consider that the end of the road or not to visit or keep up appearances. I don't think that she knows the Condies and how much time that we spend at the hospital and time with Marion, that was one bit of advice that we did not need to hear!
Marion's eyes are so bright and alert when he is awake. He looks all around and is taking it all in. Today he spent almost 2 hours in what is called a "cardiac chair", a BIG chair that helps him to just get out of that prone position he has been in for over 2 weeks. That will help his lungs and digestive systems both.
Karen and I worked with the letter board with him, but as much as he wanted too, it probably is early, and frustrating for all. It sure will be better with the tube out of his throat!
I will e-mail this message, but I have been told that the object is for people to look as they wish, so after today, I will post each evening and it will be there for you to look and send notes back to me as you desire. Once again, many thanks to all for your prayers and support, love, sue
Monday, January 5, 2009
Jan 5th, Exciting Day!
Marion was bright eyed when ever he was awake today. He was able to answer questions with a nod quite often, and all 40 staples were removed from his head!! Hooray, on the road to recovery! He is still on the ventilator, but having oxygen, and not having the machine breathing for him during the day, not even after almost a half/hour of physical therapy. It left him very tired, but they did not have to have the machine breathe for him as they did last week, another milestone passed. About 8:45pm this evening we both got very frustrated as his tried to spell something out for me. ICU has a plastic sheet with letters, but his fingers are not nimble enough yet to point to a single letter. So I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home and while unable to get magnetic letters, did get poster board and a vinyl type, larger letters to try to allow him to spell out his wishes. As I said, a red letter day. He has awaken so much just from Sat, it just makes me smile. He even was able to gesture to ask me to get the RT person to have her suction out his vent tube, not pleasant, but necessary. Hope to have as much good news to report tomorrow. Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers, love, Sue
Late Jan 4th
Good Evening! After a wonderful first Testimony meeting at our new Ward, the Galena Ward, I was off to see Marion. It was terrific, his body was working QUITE well Raul, his nurse for the day told me, and Marion had his eyes open. In fact Pat and Mike Nicholls, friends from Mogul Ward came to visit, and he opened his eyes for them as well. This was more awake than he had been since the 23rd, the day after his surgery. A step in the right direction. Now if he will wake up enough to be strong enough to cough and swallow and be able to breathe, and remember to breathe without the ventilator, that is the goal the doctor is aiming for at this point.
He was trying to speak words at times, but the tube really inhibited that effort! I'll let you know what the steps forward tomorrow brings. Hope everyone had a good night's sleep. Love, Sue
He was trying to speak words at times, but the tube really inhibited that effort! I'll let you know what the steps forward tomorrow brings. Hope everyone had a good night's sleep. Love, Sue
Saturday, January 3, 2009
January 3rd, 6:45pm
On a better day, we would be having dinner with the Ralston's to celebrate Timmy's 9th birthday. Darn, wish that was what we were doing!
Well, success, the CT scan on the belly showed no obstruction, perhaps because when he was downstairs at 5:30 am this morning, he performed, and even again this afternoon, so 2 times today!! Hooray, no bowel obstruction. No where but ICU would you walk in and a sweet young woman would greet you with that news and a smile that your husband had done that while down having a CT scan of his head. How our lives have changed, very little privacy left for Marion, but the most personal things tend to be among the most important.
The neurosurgeon said today that his head injury is not the concern now. The medical condition and waking up enough to be able to cough, swallow and have enough gag reflux to get off the ventilator are the next big steps. I heard him say that a man not as strong would not have made it this far. Not a surprise with Marion, we all know what a fighter he is.
Tomorrow I plan to attend Galena Ward, something Marion and I had looked forward to doing together since we have just been back in the Shale Creek home 3 weeks. Unfortunately, I'll be going alone, but our church families at both wards have been extremely supportive and the prayers are keeping both of us going.
Thank you so much, Sue
Well, success, the CT scan on the belly showed no obstruction, perhaps because when he was downstairs at 5:30 am this morning, he performed, and even again this afternoon, so 2 times today!! Hooray, no bowel obstruction. No where but ICU would you walk in and a sweet young woman would greet you with that news and a smile that your husband had done that while down having a CT scan of his head. How our lives have changed, very little privacy left for Marion, but the most personal things tend to be among the most important.
The neurosurgeon said today that his head injury is not the concern now. The medical condition and waking up enough to be able to cough, swallow and have enough gag reflux to get off the ventilator are the next big steps. I heard him say that a man not as strong would not have made it this far. Not a surprise with Marion, we all know what a fighter he is.
Tomorrow I plan to attend Galena Ward, something Marion and I had looked forward to doing together since we have just been back in the Shale Creek home 3 weeks. Unfortunately, I'll be going alone, but our church families at both wards have been extremely supportive and the prayers are keeping both of us going.
Thank you so much, Sue
Friday, January 2, 2009
Marion's Jan 2nd
Jan 2, 6:50pm
Hello,
I spent the day with Marion, and left when he went to Cat Scan at 6pm for them to look at his belly. There seems to be a bowel obstruction and this will tell them how to tackle this problem. He breathed on his own around the tube today, but was tired and they turned the ventilator back on when he went down for the scan. He lifted his right arm for the first time that I have seen this afternoon which was a wonderful accomplishment! They are not giving him any plasma at this time, just his regular meds and extra blood pressure meds as needed. The television has a channel with classical music only and we have that playing for him, hopefully he can hear it and not the beeping machines. Thank you for the prayers.
Hello,
I spent the day with Marion, and left when he went to Cat Scan at 6pm for them to look at his belly. There seems to be a bowel obstruction and this will tell them how to tackle this problem. He breathed on his own around the tube today, but was tired and they turned the ventilator back on when he went down for the scan. He lifted his right arm for the first time that I have seen this afternoon which was a wonderful accomplishment! They are not giving him any plasma at this time, just his regular meds and extra blood pressure meds as needed. The television has a channel with classical music only and we have that playing for him, hopefully he can hear it and not the beeping machines. Thank you for the prayers.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Day
Marion had a pacer check last night and an ultra sound to check his liver because of slightly elevated liver enzyme levels, we await the results. Otherwise he had a quiet night. In the last post when I said it is Weds, it was Dec 31st. He is opening his eyes, but on his own terms, not necessarily when asked to! He is moving forward, while still on the ventilator, he spent yesterday breathing on his own. They do not want to extubate him too early as he is so sleepy and might not be ready to breath on his own completely. Keep those prayers coming. Love, Sue
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