Angela's cough is getting better. She is coughing up some nasty stuff, and the respiratory therapist was able to suction quite a bit of it out. She responds well to the percussion over her lung - so well that tonight they are even going to wake her up a couple of times for that, instead of letting her sleep. Today, she sat up in the chair for about three hours. She stood up for much longer - maybe a minute or so - with Physical Therapy and took some very small shuffle steps in getting from the bed to the chair.
The tentative plan is for her to move from ICU to a rehab hospital a couple of miles away some time next week.
God is continuing to bless her with healing and we are continuing to thank Him.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Looking Better
Angela had a great day today. Her chest x-ray is looking much better and so is she. She still can't swallow, but she is starting to cough a little. And her respiratory therapist today had a couple of neat tricks. He has a machine called a cough assist that blows air into someone's mouth via a mouthpiece and then sucks it out, encouraging a cough. The hospital has only had the machine a year or so and not everyone is familiar with it or uses it. When he told us about it I was reminded of the Bible verse that says "Before they call I will answer". I was praying for some help for Angela's cough and there it was. Another machine he has does a percussion on her chest to loosen things. She thought it felt a bit like a massage.
She sat up a couple of times and tried to stand with Physical Therapy but wasn't entirely successful. Tomorrow they plan to try a special kind of walker that they said would support her in a way she would feel more secure.
Her voice is coming back. It is weak and a bit squeaky, but I am starting to be able to hear her, and she actually talked to Mike on the phone, a couple of words.
Most of the day today, when she wasn't sleeping, she was using just a plain nasal cannula - at around 5 liters per minute, rather than the high-pressure one she had yesterday or the BiPAP. She was on about 35% oxygen. This is getting into the neighborhood of where she was before the pneumonia and is making everyone very happy.
God has been so good to us and I feel very blessed.
She sat up a couple of times and tried to stand with Physical Therapy but wasn't entirely successful. Tomorrow they plan to try a special kind of walker that they said would support her in a way she would feel more secure.
Her voice is coming back. It is weak and a bit squeaky, but I am starting to be able to hear her, and she actually talked to Mike on the phone, a couple of words.
Most of the day today, when she wasn't sleeping, she was using just a plain nasal cannula - at around 5 liters per minute, rather than the high-pressure one she had yesterday or the BiPAP. She was on about 35% oxygen. This is getting into the neighborhood of where she was before the pneumonia and is making everyone very happy.
God has been so good to us and I feel very blessed.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Can't swallow yet - or cough
Angela failed the swallow test - she couldn't swallow the thickened water they gave her, or the applesauce. She will try again tomorrow or soon. I was told not to worry - she would regain her swallowing ability in due course. They put in another tube to feed her, so she is getting some nutrition again.
Her lungs are still not clear; they have a lot of fluid and thick secretions in them. She needs to cough, deep and often, and that is a real problem. Even when she's healthy she can't cough very well. Now she seems almost totally unable to cough at all. If she doesn't get the gunk out of her lungs, she is likely to develop another pneumonia, so they are mentioning the possibility of reintubating her so she can be oxygenated/ventilated while they do a bronchosopy to suction out fluids down deep. It doesn't sound good at all to me, but then neither does another pneumonia. Maybe tomorrow will tell.
She did get up again today. When I got there this morning she was sitting in the chair I usually sit in - I was surely surprised. She sat up again this evening, and stood a few seconds for physical therapy. It is amazing how much strength she has lost and will have to regain.
We continue to praise God for His healing so far and to pray that she will continue to gain strength and be able to get rid of the lung secretions.
Her lungs are still not clear; they have a lot of fluid and thick secretions in them. She needs to cough, deep and often, and that is a real problem. Even when she's healthy she can't cough very well. Now she seems almost totally unable to cough at all. If she doesn't get the gunk out of her lungs, she is likely to develop another pneumonia, so they are mentioning the possibility of reintubating her so she can be oxygenated/ventilated while they do a bronchosopy to suction out fluids down deep. It doesn't sound good at all to me, but then neither does another pneumonia. Maybe tomorrow will tell.
She did get up again today. When I got there this morning she was sitting in the chair I usually sit in - I was surely surprised. She sat up again this evening, and stood a few seconds for physical therapy. It is amazing how much strength she has lost and will have to regain.
We continue to praise God for His healing so far and to pray that she will continue to gain strength and be able to get rid of the lung secretions.
Standing up
Oops - I forgot to write last night. Sorry.
Yesterday was a pretty much quiet day. The one forward step Angela made was to stand up. Physical Therapy got her to her feet for a few seconds. However, the effort tired her out and she slept for hours afterwards.
This morning a swallow study is planned to see if her swallow function is still working after all the time with the ET tube. If it is, she will get to start eating. You can imagine the smile on her face when I told her that!!
God has been so good to us and we are so grateful to Him.
Yesterday was a pretty much quiet day. The one forward step Angela made was to stand up. Physical Therapy got her to her feet for a few seconds. However, the effort tired her out and she slept for hours afterwards.
This morning a swallow study is planned to see if her swallow function is still working after all the time with the ET tube. If it is, she will get to start eating. You can imagine the smile on her face when I told her that!!
God has been so good to us and we are so grateful to Him.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Extubation day
Angela's breathing tube was removed today, and she is no longer on the ventilator. We were expecting this soon, but not necessarily today, so it was a nice surprise when the doctor and respiratory therapist both said she was ready. She is now on BiPAP, which is the same thing she sleeps with at home for sleep apnea. Tomorrow, she'll get to try some food and maybe be able to talk.
God has truly blessed us.
God has truly blessed us.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Treading Water
Today, Angela's respiratory therapists made some tests to see if she could come off the ventilator. Three of the four she passed fine - the one where she has to inhale as big as she can and then blow it all out was not easy for her. It's hard to tell, but she may have forgotten how to tell those muscles what to do. After the test she started practicing deep breaths and seems to have gotten the idea. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
She did more exercising with the physical therapist, much the same as yesterday, but they didn't come until after 4:00, and she was tiring easily.
Tonight she wrote me something on a piece of paper to bring in tomorrow. It was difficult for her, and hard to read, but nice to have that available. Tomorrow, I think I'll take her a large size tablet and a crayon.
We continue to thank God for His healing hand on her and everyone for their support and prayers.
She did more exercising with the physical therapist, much the same as yesterday, but they didn't come until after 4:00, and she was tiring easily.
Tonight she wrote me something on a piece of paper to bring in tomorrow. It was difficult for her, and hard to read, but nice to have that available. Tomorrow, I think I'll take her a large size tablet and a crayon.
We continue to thank God for His healing hand on her and everyone for their support and prayers.
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