Update #80

Aww geez (that's a good "aww geez" - I'm doing a happy dance as I type this)...

Monday - no trach collar
Tuesday - 4 hours on trach collar
Wednesday - 12 hours on trach collar
Thursday, Friday... - 33 hours and going strong!

Yes, folks, we may in fact be done with the ventilator! No official word from the doctors yet, but Dave has surpassed the doctors' 24-hour mark for being on the trach collar, and he is doing amazingly well! He started breathing on his own around 8:00 a.m. on Thursday and still seemed to be doing well last night when we came back from dinner, so I told him I would stay with him until he came off the trach collar. Unfortunately, I had to break my promise, because at six this morning, when the nurses kicked me out (more on that in a minute), he was still breathing comfortably, and I had to leave him breathing on his own. His heart rate is normal (better than it has been in a while actually, running consistently in the 80s), and he seems relaxed and comfortable. There is no way to describe how excited we all are - and we can't wait to get that blue machine out of his room for good.

As for getting kicked out, the SCC (Surgical Critical Care - ICU, essentially) has switched from specific visiting hours to open visiting hours for the entire unit. This means that two visitors per family can stay with each patient at all hours except during shift changes from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dave's night nurse last night asked his dad and me what we think about the new arrangement, and we both had to laugh and admit that it has actually been MORE restricting for us than it was before because the nurses are actually enforcing the "two visitors per patient" rule for the first time since we got here and kicking us out during shift changes, which they haven't done in a few weeks. It has been nice not getting dirty looks or questions from other patients' families wondering why we get to stay so much, but otherwise...

Even aside from the great news about the ventilator, Dave continues to do well. His drainage levels are remaining pretty stable - even seem to be decreasing during the night shift - and his wound is healing well, growing new, healthly tissue every day. He sat up in the chair for almost two hours today, and he is moving his arms and legs more and more (he can lift his left leg - the one that had the blood clot - completely off the bed, and he also wrote a few short but completely legible sentences with his right hand this afternoon).

One other HUGE positive - for the first time in weeks, Dave said that he actually slept okay last night, which I got to see when he was asleep for three and a half hours straight at the beginning of the night (got woken up to take a chest x-ray at 3:00 a.m.) and only woke up once more between then and 6:00 a.m. when I left. The doctors have gone back to using Ambien, a slightly stronger dose, and we are working really hard to keep Dave from napping during the day so he will sleep at night. Hopefully tonight will be another great night as Dave continues to recover.

One specific prayer request - Dave's left hip continues to bother him a lot when he sits up at a 90 degree angle, when he rolls to his left or, more recently, when he coughs really hard. One of the residents stopped by today and, after talking with Dave at length about it, determined that the pain is probably an offshoot the fractures in his lower back, which are still healing. The doctor is going to talk with orthopedics to see if Dave should/could start wearing his back brace when he is sitting up to help alleviate the pain. Be praying that those fractures, as well as the break in his femur, will continue to heal and that the pain will go away.

I think that's it! Incredible update after two great days. There has been talk of moving Dave from where he is in SCC2 to SCC3 upstairs, which, from what we hear, is a slightly more mellow unit. Although it is still an ICU, it would be a step in the right direction and a positive change of scenery...even if he does have to give up his corner room with two windows. :-)