Pie is doing a little bit better. She is still on the ventilator, but not as dependent upon it as before. She is still getting slow feedings via a tube, and is tolerating it well. Her pneumonia is getting better in slow increments. Her kidneys are working well.
She is still very tired, and drops off to sleep quite a bit. She does wake up from time to time, and will try to smile around all the stuff in her mouth, now and then. I do worry about the lack of movement, but I suppose that will take time to heal as well.
Pie was off her sedatives, and much more alert, although still sleepy. She had a gastrostomy tube placed, for feeding her, and will probably have her first few moments off the ventilator tomorrow, or Sunday, depending on how well she does with the feeding.
Tonight she was biting on her ventilator tube, and then clamping her teeth down when she got short of breath. Lots of alarms, and the probable result will be to put the bite block back in her mouth, which will be a drag. Hopefully it won’t be for too long.
Sweetie Pie is breathing on her own, although still getting O2 from a mask. Last night she bit through her vent tube. So, the doctor decided to try her without it a few hours earlier than he had planned. She has been doing fine.
Tris, I’m so sorry that I haven’t read of your troubles until this morning. I anxiously scrolled through this thread and feel such relief to see that your sweet daughter is pulling through well.
I recall that you’re not far from where I live (Springfield now) and would like to volunteer my ear and shoulder to you if you need to vent. Please don’t hesitate.
Pie had an MRI, yesterday. I was told that it was “Normal for her.” I suppose that was intended to mean that the Pneumonia did not cause any change in her brain function. I’m not all that sure this is difinitive, since I don’t think she has had an MRI any time recently, if at all. I am still a bit worried about her total gross motor activity level.
Anyway, she is totally off the vent, they even took it out of the room. She is getting oxygen through one of those harness things that hold the tube in front of your nose. Pie breaths through her mouth, most of the time. But, her O2 saturation is fine, so I am not going to worry about that. She is still very sleepy, most of the time. Or at least most of the time when I am there.
Altogether a fairly good report, and I am feeling a lot more confident that Pie is recovering.
Tris
P. S.
AnitaThanks, and yeah, that sounds good, Email me at my registered email address, and we can do the phone number thing, and figure out when and where.
It’s very frightening when family members are very sick; it is even more scary and stressful when this person is your own child. Now, all the signs look good. My thoughts and prayers for you and Pie continue. kiffa
Pie is out of ICU, as of last night. She is still sick, but is now in a general medical unit, which is a step toward the door, so to speak. She is a bit more alert, although she is moaning, from time to time. That is being taken as an indication of pain, which might be true. I think it is an attempt to clear her airway, since it always happens immediatly after she wakes up and gasps for air. It’s hard to say that it isn’t pain, though. She got pain meds last night for it. That’s OK with me too, short term.
She still has a chest tube. She now has a functioning gastrostomy tube, (for food) and is still getting oxygen. She still seems to me to be very still, gross motor wise.
I’m glad to hear your Sweetie Pie is out of the ICU, Tris. My thoughts and prayers are still with her, and hopefully she will be home soon, resting comfortably and on her way to a full recovery.
