His right lower lung is still no good. The pulmonologist (a different one this time - they work in teams) showed us the sequential progression - well, regression - on his lung X-rays from admittance until this morning. The left lung looks OK, but that right lower part is all cloudy (as opposed to dark i.e. filled with air) but he explained that they don’t want to suction too often because each time causes abrasions and further trauma, which can exacerbate the mucus further.
Lungs can be wonky and I’d say they don’t want to be too aggresive unless really necessary. He’s got a lot of things stuck in him and that’s uncomfortable, too. Is he getting some kind of pain meds and/or periodic sedation still? Sleep is a good escape. He could be having weird drug dreams, tho. You probably won’t know until later when he can tell you all about it. Keep telling him what’s going on; he may be forgetting from time to time. (I don’t know how groggy he is.) Slow and steady is good. “Marathon” is so right. He’ll have muscle weakness when he gets home…weak as a kitten for a while. You’ll get to wait on him to your heart’s content until he finally says Let ME do it—and you’ll know he’s getting better. Wishing you all there as swiftly as possible.
May I be the first to tell you how silly you are being with the highlighted part? We care, if we don’t hear something, we will start nagging. Please keep us updated, OK?
I’m sorry for worrying you. I was trying to be comforting. Now I’m worried about him yanking his trach tube out as well.
I don’t know if this will comfort you much, but people can live with just one lung. AND…lungs recover. Remember all the public service ads about smoking that show lungs and how they can recover from the damage?
Please just get rid of that thought completely. As you can see from the view numbers, lots of people are keeping up with your husbands progress. Strangers from all over the world are keeping you and your husband in their thoughts. Post as often as you need to.
Roughly the same, but when we made noises about his thirst to a different orderly, he brought us ice water in a cup with this little toothbrush-sized sponge on a stick to go with it. Shoe was happy. The resp. tech said “give it to him three times” and his parents did, to his content, and then, when they left me alone with him for a few minutes, I cheated like crazy and gave him three or four more spongefuls, two of which had ice chips perched on top. Crunch, cruch, smile. He kept breathing OK, didn’t sound raspy or gurgly, so I feel OK about cheating.
I did, however, go to Catholic school long enough that giving a dying man a drink on a sponge on a stick has … connotations. Serious connotations. (Matthew 27:48 So one of the men ran off at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink.)
Very, very groggy, probably not remembering much from hour to hour, let alone day to day. (I hope!) He is still receiving propofol to sedate him, plus a bit of morphine at night to help him sleep. However, he has been bitching about “being treated like a baby” since the night I brought him to the friggin’ ER in the first place, over two weeks ago. He is, I already know, going to be a BITCH of a therapy/rehab patient. I love him, but I know him.
Glad to hear that he got to have a (very small) drink, or at least have his mouth sufficiently cold and wet for a little while. Yay for the nice orderly.
Poor Shoe. He’ll probably be VERY determined to recover quickly - might not make him a pleasant rehab patient, but he’ll probably be a successful one.
I hadn’t posted yet, but I’ve been following the whole thread and have been sending all sorts of positive things that direction. So, another stranger on the Internet caring, for what it’s worth. {{hugs}}
I’m only awake and posting now because as I was lying down, congratulating myself on going to sleep early, buzz buzz buzzunknown local number “… Hello … ?” Authoritative-sounding nurse identifies herself, says they were getting ready to move him down to the next floor for the scan and his oxygen numbers (saturation, etc) plummeted and he has another mucus plug and they’re going in for another suctioning session. They’d already started giving him Mucinex to thin it but it either hasn’t kicked in yet or isn’t strong enough and am I okay with them starting the suctioning? Do they have my permission?
Yes, YES, do what it takes to make him healthy and breathe better, yes, you have my permission. Yes. Yes.[/QUOTE]
Huh??? they phoned you to ask permission for doing what sounds like routine (for him) patient care??? Do they ask you if it’s OK to feed him or empty his bedpan???
Not really routine. Sending a scope and a suction tube down his bronchial tubes is relatively invasive, and could actually cause further mucus production by irritating the linings. Not sure, however, what they would have done if they couldn’t reach me, or if I’d said “no.” :dubious:
Third time seems to have been the charm, though. He’s been starting “spontaneous” breathing assistance, meaning he’s still got the trach tube and is hooked up to oxygen, but HE has to initiate each breath. He did that well for a couple of hours yesterday, and today they had already switched him over to that again when we visited at noon and he was STILL initiating his own breathing when we came back at 5. And was sound asleep when we left. Plus, they are starting to make initial noises about possible thinking about maybe starting to plan for the possibility that he could be moved out of the ICU this week or early next week, and into a therapy facility.
The same doctor who gave us, factually and honestly, the bad news that horrible Sunday two weeks ago exactly used the phrase “cautiously optimistic” today. No idea when he’ll come home, let alone be able to work, but for now, at least, I can banish nightmares of widowhood from my mind. Mostly.
I’m so glad to hear the cautiously optimistic news! Hoping everything continues to improve and he’s none the worse for wear once it’s over. Also hoping that him being out of work isn’t going to be too terribly hard for you guys and that if it is, you’ll reach out for what you need.
Wishing you all there as swiftly as possible.
And was sound asleep when we left. Plus, they are starting to make initial noises about possible thinking about maybe starting to plan for the possibility that he could be moved out of the ICU this week or early next week, and into a therapy facility.
Hoping everything continues to improve and he’s none the worse for wear once it’s over. Also hoping that him being out of work isn’t going to be too terribly hard for you guys and that if it is, you’ll reach out for what you need.