Two steps forward, one step back...

Rob started out today with another step down on the ventilator settings. They took him down to a PEEP level of 9 and an oxygen level of 40%. They backed down a little on his sedation medication and switched him from his current pain medication, fentanyl, back to morphine. They felt he was stable enough in his breathing to handle morphine again so they made the switch back.

Just in the last hour or so, he wasn't handling those ventilator settings as well as they would liked him to. So they had to increase his oxygen level to 46% but left the PEEP at 9. They moved his sedation level back up a bit and are checking his breathing tube. They were having some problems suctioning it and needed to see if there was a kink it in that was causing that. So for the rest of the night, they are going to let him rest and maintain on the settings they moved him back to and try again a little slower tomorrow. This morning the doctor said that it could be a couple days to a week to get him completely off the ventilator and they may still have to consider a trache in the meantime. But we'll see if that happens.

Otherwise his other levels are great. His sugars are very good and his triglyceride and cholesterol levels are wonderful. But those are due to the fact that he hasn't had a "normal" meal in over 2 weeks. His output levels are acceptable but they are still giving him assistance with lasiks, a diuretic that helps him put out more fluid that he would normally do on his own.

As much as we all hoped he could get his tube out tonight, he doesn't seem to be physically ready for it yet. He's more than emotionally ready. I'm sure he would have had it out by now if he weren't restrained. But that's the exact reason for restraining him. And let me tell you, it takes a lot to keep a big boy like Rob in that bed. He constantly tries to sit up or move around and it's hard to convince him to relax. God speed to those nurses and doctors that get to fight him on that when I'm not in there.

On a more comical note, during a visit this afternoon, the rubberband that was holding the trash bag in the trash can snapped off and hit me in the rear end. I'm convinced that Rob had it rigged for me. :)

Here's to hoping for a more progressive day tomorrow!

Kelly