Trials have commenced...

This morning when we arrived for the first visit of the day Rob had just started his first trial off the ventilator. They remove the vent tubes and put an oxygen mask over his trache so all he gets is oxygen support and he has to do everything else on his own. He went for 45 minutes this morning on that first trial. The doctor would have liked to see him go longer but Rob was tired so they put him back on the vent. They let him try another time this afternoon and he lasted 30 minutes the second time. So he's done very well. He was on the ventilator with full assistance for 3 1/2 weeks so it's going to take him some time to get back to breathing on his own. The vent not only gives him oxygen support, it puts pressure into his lungs to open them each time he breathes. When he is off the vent and on just the oxygen mask, he has to do that all on his own, just like we do when we breathe. So he'll have another round of baby steps to work up to the full 24 hours that is required off the vent before he can have the trache removed. I was mistaken in thinking he could talk with the oxygen mask on. He has to make some more progress before he will be able to talk. That involves nothing hooked to the trache, only a cover put over it so he pass sound over his vocal cords. That will be a little while yet since he has to build him time that he can be on the mask only first. But he's come so far already!

This is tremendous progress for him. The trials really tire him out so he's sleeping quietly now. They will have him give it another shot tomorrow to see if he can break his previous times. So please keep the prayers coming to cheer him on!

Kelly