Today was a tough day. After a late night visit last night, when we saw that Dad was again struggling to breathe, BJ decided to spend the night in his room with him. We know Dad has always had some bronchial issues, but it's gotten a lot worse these past couple of days, partly because of the brain injury, and partly because of his position in bed. They just can't get him in a good position to breathe well. BJ said they did a bunch of tests and xrays during the night, and Dad seemed more comfortable. He was able to talk to the neurosurgeon's PA when he came to do rounds early in the morning. The drain on the left side of Dad's head had stopped working. They made some adjustments during the day and finally got it fixed. We also learned that yesterday's catscan showed a significant reduction in the size of the ventricles in his brain, which is a very good thing.
When the rest of us arrived at the hospital at 8:30, Dad's breathing was labored again, and it deteriorated through the morning. By lunchtime the ICU doctor decided the best thing to do was to put him back on the ventilator. We all agreed. It was difficult to watch him struggling so much. It took them a while, but they were successful. They were able to get rid of a lot of the junk that was building up. The doctor did a bronchostomy and removed a lot of what was way down in his lungs. He's sedated now, and looks so much more comfortable. He's breathing easy, and we're hoping, even though it's a setback, that it will allow Dad to get the rest he needs to heal.
We tried to see the neurosurgeon this afternoon, but missed him by a few minutes. We now have an appointment with him tomorrow evening and are looking forward to hearing what he has to say.
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