Eating Actual Food

Angela passed the swallow test today, at least well enough to have thick liquids. So, for lunch she had thickened apple juice, mushroom soup, tapioca pudding, and a strawberry shake. All serving sizes were small and she didn't even finish everything, so I didn't really think she had overdone it. But a little later she started complaining of nausea and just not feeling good. We decided she had put too much in her stomach after such a long time without real food. This evening, she ate less and I don't believe had similar troubles.

Her physical therapist was trying to get her to stand with his help, and she was refusing, and I couldn't figure out why. Finally, she got it out that she didn't want his help, she wanted to do it herself, which she isn't capable of quite yet. Anyway, he was very patient and helped her just enough so she stood for him three times, each only a few seconds. But tonight, with two nurses helping her to get from her bed to the chair to eat, she took about three baby steps. That made her feel great.

The respiratory therapy treatments are really helping and she is coughing quite a bit. Her lungs still don't sound great, but they are a lot better. The doctor said that yesterday her chest x-ray looked pretty good but today it was another 40% improved. I looked it and it actually did look like a chest x-ray, not all white like it was the last time I looked.

She is talking in short sentences now. Her voice sounds a little like she inhaled some helium - it is a bit high and soft.

She was using a regular nasal cannula with oxygen at about 5 liters per minute this morning, but the doctor wants her to use the high-pressure cannula because the extra pressure helps her lungs to open up better. She doesn't like the way it feels and complains that it is hard to breathe, so she uses it a little. When she sleeps, she is using the BiPAP, with settings only little higher than she was using before getting sick.

God is continuing to bless us, and we continue to thank Him.