9/23, a doozy of a day!

Today brought a lot of good news, and a fair bit of change.

The best news is that Linda is off of the ventilator. She still has the trach, and now they're saying that she probably will even after she's home, but there is no pressure through it. They are giving her a little extra oxygen to help her, but all the power behind the breathing, every time she draws a breath, is all her. That's GREAT NEWS!!!! Sometimes these patients take a very long time to breathe on their own, so again Linda is amazing us all.

With the ventilator gone, she was also able to get rid of the sedative they were keeping her on. If you think about it, it'd have to be pretty unpleasant to have a machine blow your lungs up like balloons 14-20 times a minute, right? So they keep ventilated patients on a sedative so they don't freak out during the process.

The sedative they had her on, propofol, is the same one that supposedly had a role in Michael Jackson's death. So, it apparently has a new nickname in the medical profession, "Jackson Juice." Hee hee! I was glad to see the Jackson Juice go, because it kept her groggy, and because it makes it very difficult for patients to remember anything while it's being administered. There's no way to tell where her brain function is with this kind of drug in her system. So, farewell propofol, I hope we never need to cross paths again!

Because she isn't on the propofol today, she was awake most of our visit, which was a real treat! But it was a little troubling, too. She's still on the painkiller, so that's affecting her memory, and I'm not sure how long the propofol will take to get out of her system, but it was obvious that today, at least, her memory is not at all together.

She seems really sharp on everything before the aneurysm, but nothing since. She doesn't know why she's in the hospital, and she's terribly worried that no one is taking care of her dog. It's very sweet, she asks about Scruffles's care more than anything else, because she doesn't remember that she's already asked and been told that he's safe and living with Davin and the kids and I right now. She's afraid that everyone's forgotten him, and he's in her house alone, suffering. Isn't that a horrible thought?

So, today I took a photo of the kids with Scruffles and I brought it to her at the hospital, so she can look at it. So far, she doesn't seem to remember that the photo is there, but I am hoping that will change as the propofol leaves her system, and hopefully as the painkiller goes, too.

Here's the photo:


Isn't he a cute dog? My kids say he looks like a cloud! :-)

Monday 9/21 (Last Day of Summer)

Linda's new room has a nice view!

Today they are working more on getting her off of the ventilator, so between the CPAP trials (trying for 4 times a day) and getting her standing on her own (!) she was pretty worn out. Most of my visit was spent trying to keep quiet and not bug her.

Linda didn't write any notes today, but there were some from last night. Some of the time she seemed pretty well connected to reality, other times less so. Her nurse today said that's very common with the medications she's on. Two in particular can cause these problems, and they will go away when she can get off of the ventilator.

So, when she's off of the vent she can get away from the meds that can be causing a little loopiness, AND she will have the kind of trach that will allow her to talk. No more of this note-writing nonsense! Two excellent reasons to pray for her to have the strength for that, and to keep rooting her on. :-)

I got a chance to speak with the hospital social worker today, too, and she helped me to sort out what insurance issues we need to pin down right away, and what questions we need to ask at Linda's work. That was really helpful. If you have a loved one who's going to be in the hospital for a while, ask to see the social worker, they know all the ins and outs and can point you in the right direction!

Other news for today, the nurse told us that they may keep her in the ICU until the risk for vasospasms has passed, usually 21 days after the surgery. Since the surgery went so well, the vasospasms are now the big worry. Any time in the next 3 weeks, the blood vessels in her brain could clamp down and cause a stroke, which could lead to brain damage or even death. They're watching carefully for signs of that happening, and taking every precaution, because that could undo all the good news she's had so far.

So, we're just praying and waiting.

THIS JUST IN!!!! Just got word from Brian that he's located her glasses and he's taking them to her right now. We've been looking for them for days. Brian's a HERO!!!! Hopefully he'll tell you all about it when he posts next :-D