Today we went to the hospital in shifts. We started out there all together, because we weren't sure what the plan for the day was regarding Dad's breathing tube. There was some talk about potentially taking it out today, but they opted not to. Dad was sedated when we arrived, because he was apparently agitated and overly active early this morning. He's become very aware of the breathing tube and he appears frustrated by everything. His blood pressure, pulse and respirations all shot up, so the doctor decided sedating him was the best course of action. Of course, we all want to see Dad being Dad, but we don't want him to be uncomfortable. (As a side note, I did tell him that Kate planned to paint his toenails blue, and got an eyeroll out of him, even while he was sedated!)
Late in the morning, and again in the afternoon, his nurse, Amy, lifted the sedation for a while to try and find a "happy place" - where he's not so sedated that he's out of it, but sedated enough that he's not irritated by the tube down his throat. We all saw his agitation, and understand why he needs to be sedated right now.
The plan for tomorrow is to try to get the breathing tube out tomorrow morning. The respiratory specialists plan to lower his sedation, do some breathing tests to see how he's doing, and leave him breathing on his own for a little while with the tube still in to see how he does. We're all praying Dad can handle it. Please pray that his brain will tell his body to take deep breaths. That was the problem the last time they removed it: the doctors feel his brain was not telling his body to take deep enough breaths to cough up the secretions in his lungs.
Mom and I saw his neurosurgeon while we were there in the morning. He's onboard with trying to get Dad off the ventilator tomorrow. He also said, depending on how the ventrix in his head do over the next few days, he may clamp them off early next week. If Dad can handle the pressure in his head, they will try to remove them next week. If he can't, the surgeon may consider inserting a shunt in Dad's head.
Please be praying for all of us as well, as we try to figure out what the next weeks and months will look like for us. We don't have any type of timeline of what's to come, or even what to expect. None of us want Mom to be here to deal with everything on her own, but we also can't stay indefinitely. We're trying to come up with a plan whereby we can rotate being here, at least a good portion of the time, so she'll have some support, and so Dad will see all of us on a regular basis. I'm grateful that I have a job that will allow me to be away as much as I need to. But there are lots of other logistics, both for me and for everyone else, that need to be dealt with.
As we keep saying, thanks so much for the prayer and love and support. We are grateful to know how much you all care for our Dad and for us!
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