Well, I jumped the gun. Sumana has a few more strikes against her than anticipated so she is NOT getting off the vent today. Her chest x-ray is noticeably worse and her blood pH is off. I guess she is retaining too much carbon dioxide. She also has a lot of secretions from her nose and mouth, as well as a considerable amount of fluid draining from her chest tube.
Though this is holding her back from recovering physically from the surgery, staying on the vent sounds like the best plan at this point. They have been allowing her to breathe as she needs/wants, but that obviously has not been working. The doctors have upped her vent so that she is breathing fairly deeply and consistently. This should really help her lungs expand and maybe get that 'junk' out before it turns 'bad' on her. Also, her sedation and pain meds are back on.
So, they're saying 'at least one more day' on the vent. That probably means I'll get another good night's sleep at the RMH upstairs. Yea! I doubt I'll get much sleep after they take the sedation away. She was VERY agitated this morning as she was starting to come out of the sedation. She kept waving her hands, mouthing 'something' and raising her eyebrows. I felt soo helpless. She really seemed to want to tell me something, but didn't know what. Thankfully, her nurse said that's a common reaction to coming out of sedation. Oh, joy, we get to go thru it again when she gets of the vent!
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Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteMy mother is Barb Trautman and she has been keeping me updated on your daughter's progress. I am a nurse and all of this sounds very typical and normal. It is natural for Sumana to want to pull that tube out and be agitated. The next time they take her sedation off you could have a pen and some paper handy for her to write what she wants to say. It is really hard to read lips around those breathing tubes but with you watching her so she doesn't pull the tube she should be able to communicate by writing.
I do not know much about the surgery your daughter has had, however, the nurses should be turning her every 2hours, keep her head up about 30 degrees, cleaning her mouth every 2 hours and suctioning her frequently (if it is okay with her procedure). You can take a swab to clean her mouth out if they will let you, just be careful with the breathing tube.
I hope this helps some, you being there at the bedside is the best for her right now. I am so happy you are able to sleep at night; this is priceless! Take care of yourself and let the nurses take care of your daughter.
My parents are praying for all of you every day.
Michelle Hill
Hi Cheryl! I wasn't able to get to the computer yesterday, but I have been praying almost continually for both you and Sumana! I'm sure these days are difficult! Those damaged lungs have a mind of their own. I'll just keep on praying - no words of wisdom! Love you guys!
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