Hi Everyone. Mom had a tracheotomy today, which went well and without complication. She is now completely off the sedation. Geoff, Heather and I went in to see her shortly after the procedure and she was asleep. Although we were hoping she could come completely off the vent all at once, it sure is nice to see her restful and comfortable and to see her face without all the tubes down her throat - the white tape holding them in place across her face. There are no visiting hours from 3 - 4, so we took a break from the hospital but will head back there in the next few minutes. We'll post a more thorough update this evening.
Thanks, again and again, for your support.
love,
jennifer
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sunday Update
It's a lot like the movie Groundhog Day around here. Mom is still too anxious to do well on the breathing tests. However, she is breathing on her own and doing well at that... they just have to make sure she can sustain it before removing the tube. Today, it seems like the weekend pulmonologist, in tandem with Mom's day nurse, RJ, made some good decisions. They will put her on a low dose of anti-anxiety medication 24 hours/day, so that she is more regulated. As it's been, they give her the anti-anxiety when she needs it, then it knocks her out, which works against her for the breathing tests. So, they're working hard to get her anxiety under control, since that seems to be the major obstacle for her at this point.
It was an especially heavy day in Neuro ICU today. (She's in Neuro ICU, just b/c they had a nicer room available there.) A 29 year-old local police officer was in an auto accident yesterday and has been declared brain-dead. They're keeping him on life-support to see if organ donation is an option. Other stories of tragedy unfold daily. Neuro ICU is just a heavy place to hang out... no one in there is necessarily doing well, and guests often pass by completely in tears. I'll be so glad for Mom to get out of there. It really feels like she's in the wrong place.
We'll know more about what's next tomorrow, since Mom's doctors will all be back after the weekend.
love,
jennifer
It was an especially heavy day in Neuro ICU today. (She's in Neuro ICU, just b/c they had a nicer room available there.) A 29 year-old local police officer was in an auto accident yesterday and has been declared brain-dead. They're keeping him on life-support to see if organ donation is an option. Other stories of tragedy unfold daily. Neuro ICU is just a heavy place to hang out... no one in there is necessarily doing well, and guests often pass by completely in tears. I'll be so glad for Mom to get out of there. It really feels like she's in the wrong place.
We'll know more about what's next tomorrow, since Mom's doctors will all be back after the weekend.
love,
jennifer
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday Again
Well, Mom is still on the vent. They took her off sedation this morning, and, again, she got anxious and her breathing was too rapid to "pass the test." Geoff and I were both extremely disheartened to get to the hospital this morning to find her sedated again, when we had been expecting extubation. They'll try again tomorrow morning, and Geoff and I have requested that they do not take her off sedation until visiting hours, so that we can be there when she wakes up. We hope that it will relax her a bit to see familiar faces when she wakes up, and, that with our help and reassurance, she will remain calm for enough time to satisfy the doctors, so they can proceed with extubation. If our Jedi mind trick doesn't work, they will most like do a tracheotomy tomorrow, which will keep her on the vent, but allow them to decrease the sedation (since she won't have a tube down her throat) and get her moving more, which will be good for her lungs and muscles. Also, with the trach, it is easier to regulate the frequency of breaths given to her by the ventilator. They can take the trach out as soon as she is doing well breathing on her own, which could be a short amount of time, given that mom's lungs are in pretty good shape. After seeing her sedated again today, I just want her to be comfortable - to have the tube out of her mouth however she can. She's far too anxious when she isn't sedated, since, as I've been told, breathing through a ventilator is like breathing through a straw. Not fun for anyone.
Today was not an easy day. Geoff and I try to be 50% advocate/50% asshole when dealing with the nurses and doctors, and today we were certainly the latter. When we walked in and saw her sedated again, we lost it. It made no sense, since we had been told yesterday that she had done well on her breathing tests. And, we found out that when they took her off sedation this morning, they did not give her anti-anxiety medication, which we have told every one of her nurses is very important for her. That was just the start of the day.
Please send lots of positive energy, prayers and love to mom tomorrow morning. Around 9Am PST, we'll be working with her to relax, so they can take that damn tube out once and for all. Please try to take a moment and envision her relaxed and calm, so we can all contribute to the next step in her recovery. (If you're not into all this woo woo stuff, just do whatever works for you!)
Thanks to all for your support. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
love,
jennifer
Today was not an easy day. Geoff and I try to be 50% advocate/50% asshole when dealing with the nurses and doctors, and today we were certainly the latter. When we walked in and saw her sedated again, we lost it. It made no sense, since we had been told yesterday that she had done well on her breathing tests. And, we found out that when they took her off sedation this morning, they did not give her anti-anxiety medication, which we have told every one of her nurses is very important for her. That was just the start of the day.
Please send lots of positive energy, prayers and love to mom tomorrow morning. Around 9Am PST, we'll be working with her to relax, so they can take that damn tube out once and for all. Please try to take a moment and envision her relaxed and calm, so we can all contribute to the next step in her recovery. (If you're not into all this woo woo stuff, just do whatever works for you!)
Thanks to all for your support. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
love,
jennifer
Friday, October 3, 2008
Friday, 10/3
Mom remains on the vent today. They took her completely off sedation (same story, different day) to check her lungs and her stamina as it relates to her breathing. They monitored her today... watching the depth of her breaths, frequency, and her ability to not "tucker out." I spent quite a bit of time in her room today, just sitting with her, hoping it would help her relax. I'm never sure if it helps or makes her more agitated, having any of us there and not being able to talk to us. Her nurse said she's doing well with her breathing today, but that she's "right on the fence", so she expects her to be extubated tomorrow. I guess each day she's doing better with the testing, but she's got a tiny bit more to go before getting the tube out. So, tomorrow, we'll do all this again.
I went to the doctor yesterday for a follow up and seem to be healing, although I'm still not 100%. He told me that my bruises are in the exact same places as Mom's, and that the only reason I didn't have the injuries she had was because my bones are stronger. I had been thinking that she had more impact because of the steering wheel, pedals, etc., but he said Mom's only break from any of those things was her thumb, which broke b/c of the steering wheel. Now that I look at my bruises, I see where the dashboard hit me just at the knees, exactly where Mom's were hit, which caused her femurs to fracture. Whew... just more info to process.
More updates to come, as always.
love,
jennifer
I went to the doctor yesterday for a follow up and seem to be healing, although I'm still not 100%. He told me that my bruises are in the exact same places as Mom's, and that the only reason I didn't have the injuries she had was because my bones are stronger. I had been thinking that she had more impact because of the steering wheel, pedals, etc., but he said Mom's only break from any of those things was her thumb, which broke b/c of the steering wheel. Now that I look at my bruises, I see where the dashboard hit me just at the knees, exactly where Mom's were hit, which caused her femurs to fracture. Whew... just more info to process.
More updates to come, as always.
love,
jennifer
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Out of Surgery.....
Hey Everybody,
Mom made it through surgery tonight, so that's all the surgery for now. Dr Coufal fixed her right ankle and left foot. She remains on the vent tube as her lungs are not yet strong enough to breathe on her own. Her doctor will try again tomorrow to wean her from the vent, so Jen, Heather and I will go in to help her focus on her breathing and get past this. I know the vent, neck collar and lack of communication are so hard for her. It's hard for us as well, and we will be grateful for the chance to talk to her soon. A pleasant side note is that Heather, Jennifer and I have been having fun together. I'm glad we get along!
Love,
Geoff
Mom made it through surgery tonight, so that's all the surgery for now. Dr Coufal fixed her right ankle and left foot. She remains on the vent tube as her lungs are not yet strong enough to breathe on her own. Her doctor will try again tomorrow to wean her from the vent, so Jen, Heather and I will go in to help her focus on her breathing and get past this. I know the vent, neck collar and lack of communication are so hard for her. It's hard for us as well, and we will be grateful for the chance to talk to her soon. A pleasant side note is that Heather, Jennifer and I have been having fun together. I'm glad we get along!
Love,
Geoff
Big Day
Geoff and I went to see Mom this morning. Her doctor wants to get her off the vent prior to surgery, so she is off all sedation at this point. He thinks it's better to take her off and just use a temporary breathing tube for the surgery, so, when she's out of surgery, she's off the vent. They are doing some breathing tests on her this morning to make sure she is taking deep enough breaths. I told her she was being tested and Geoff and I worked with her on taking slow, deep breaths. She seemed to be doing a good job at this, as much as she can stay relaxed.
As most of you know, my mom has a ton of energy, and when we got to her room this morning, she had squirmed so much that one of her legs was off the bed. The nurses quickly repositioned her. I told her that she wasn't quite ready for dancing yet.
Mom's surgery has been rescheduled to 4:30PM today, which can always change depending on cancellations or additions to her surgeon's schedule.
We'll keep you posted after surgery.
As most of you know, my mom has a ton of energy, and when we got to her room this morning, she had squirmed so much that one of her legs was off the bed. The nurses quickly repositioned her. I told her that she wasn't quite ready for dancing yet.
Mom's surgery has been rescheduled to 4:30PM today, which can always change depending on cancellations or additions to her surgeon's schedule.
We'll keep you posted after surgery.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Rounding a corner
Today was met with some progress for Mom. It started when I called the hospital this morning and asked her nurse, Chris, how Mom was doing. It was the first time I had heard "good" as a response to that question. She said they had stopped Mom's sedation in order to wean her off the vent. Geoff went into SF to do some work and Heather and I headed to the hospital. Mom was very alert and her eyes were clearer than I had seen them since the accident. It was great to be with her free from the sedation, but, at the same time, it was difficult, as she seemed to get more agitated not being able to talk to us and not having the sedation to relax her. They have been giving her some anti-anxiety medication to take the edge off, since taking off the sedation.
Dr. Coufal, mom's orthopedic surgeon, has scheduled her next two surgeries for tomorrow. She goes in at 2:30 to have her right ankle and left foot fixed. After that, the remaining surgery will be a bone graft in no less than 3 months. Once they complete tomorrow's surgeries, they should be able to take her off the vent relatively quickly. Today, they had her doing most of her own breathing in order to strengthen and check her lungs, and all seemed to be going well. They gave her a transfusion this evening when we were there, and will put her back on the vent and sedation tonight, in order to get her rested and ready for surgery tomorrow.
Looking ahead, once the remove the vent, they will do a "swallow test", which, if passed, will lead to removal of the feeding tube. Once she gets the tubes out of her mouth and can verbally tell the doctors that her neck doesn't hurt, they can take off the neck brace she's been wearing since the accident. Getting the tubes out and the neck brace off will be huge for her, allowing her to move more freely and to communicate.
We will be there to see her tomorrow pre-surgery, then head to my doctor's appointment at 3:30 to check my injuries. We will post an update to the blog as soon as we get the results after her surgery.
Keep the prayers and healing energy coming. Tomorrow will be a big day.
Dr. Coufal, mom's orthopedic surgeon, has scheduled her next two surgeries for tomorrow. She goes in at 2:30 to have her right ankle and left foot fixed. After that, the remaining surgery will be a bone graft in no less than 3 months. Once they complete tomorrow's surgeries, they should be able to take her off the vent relatively quickly. Today, they had her doing most of her own breathing in order to strengthen and check her lungs, and all seemed to be going well. They gave her a transfusion this evening when we were there, and will put her back on the vent and sedation tonight, in order to get her rested and ready for surgery tomorrow.
Looking ahead, once the remove the vent, they will do a "swallow test", which, if passed, will lead to removal of the feeding tube. Once she gets the tubes out of her mouth and can verbally tell the doctors that her neck doesn't hurt, they can take off the neck brace she's been wearing since the accident. Getting the tubes out and the neck brace off will be huge for her, allowing her to move more freely and to communicate.
We will be there to see her tomorrow pre-surgery, then head to my doctor's appointment at 3:30 to check my injuries. We will post an update to the blog as soon as we get the results after her surgery.
Keep the prayers and healing energy coming. Tomorrow will be a big day.
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