Thank GOD!! And thanks to each of you for your thoughts and prayers!!
The ICU staff has taken Jack off the ventilator this morning, and Sandra says he seems to be breathing well!
The ICU has some "goals" for the day, and I'm sure they include making sure he can continue to breathe on his own, without any distress. We hope that this change will also help the kidneys begin to function better, but only time will tell.
Now, the scary part - After Sandra saw her dad without the breathing tube, she returned to the waiting room, and there sat a woman playing a harp!!! Now, Sandra has been in that waiting room for TWO WEEKS, and there has NEVER been a woman playing a harp!! Any of you who know Sandra well, know of her intense belief in all things "angelic", and when she call me this morning, the first words out of her mouth were "There are angels here!!!". She is so excited, and I'm excited for her and for Jack.
More to come, I'm sure, as we still have a long road to recovery, but maybe with the ventilator being removed this morning, it'll get a little bit easier!
We love you all!!
Chip
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Wednesday - Day 15
Not much to report today.
Sandra and Aunt Peggy spent the afternoon at the hospital, and Sandra will be spending the night tonight.
In preparation for removing the ventilator, the pulmonary specialist ordered a series of x-rays of Jack's lungs and throat. While he was not "alarmed" with the results, he was concerned that they were not what he had hoped for. So, he ordered the vent turned down further, with the idea that if all goes well overnight tonight, they will probably get him off the machine tomorrow morning. We are all very hopefull that he keeps to that schedule.
Not much more movement on the kidney function, however, the dialysis machine did, according to the nurse, John, remove a LOT of fluid from Jack's body today. You can tell that it's working; his face, arms, and hands don't have that "puffy" look, and he has good color in his face. Sandra thinks he's feeling better, even though he can't say that.
We'll hope for more progress tomorrow, and let you know when the breathing machine is GONE!!!
Chip
Sandra and Aunt Peggy spent the afternoon at the hospital, and Sandra will be spending the night tonight.
In preparation for removing the ventilator, the pulmonary specialist ordered a series of x-rays of Jack's lungs and throat. While he was not "alarmed" with the results, he was concerned that they were not what he had hoped for. So, he ordered the vent turned down further, with the idea that if all goes well overnight tonight, they will probably get him off the machine tomorrow morning. We are all very hopefull that he keeps to that schedule.
Not much more movement on the kidney function, however, the dialysis machine did, according to the nurse, John, remove a LOT of fluid from Jack's body today. You can tell that it's working; his face, arms, and hands don't have that "puffy" look, and he has good color in his face. Sandra thinks he's feeling better, even though he can't say that.
We'll hope for more progress tomorrow, and let you know when the breathing machine is GONE!!!
Chip
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday - Day 14
Good Afternoon, All;
Good news - another "quiet" day in the hospital. I haven't been down to see Jack yet, but I just talked to Sandra and Peggy, and they say he is having a good day. The ventilator has been decreased again, and the nurse and pulmonary specialist both say they want to get him off this machine as soon as possible. Jack seems to be breathing well, on his own, and I'm sure they will get the tube out as soon as it is safe (and comfortable for him) to do so.
As always when a patient is on the "vent", the nurse still keeps him somewhat sedated and comfortable, but Sandra said her dad was very awake and very alert this morning. They are truly mastering the art of "sign language", and when the breathing tube is removed, it's a safe bet that Jack is going to tell us what he thinks!!! That's a good thing!!
Not much else to report today - Peggy (Jack's sister from Virginia) is still here, and probably will be for a few more days, and we've had visits in the past couple of days from a lot of friends and relatives, and we appreciate them all!!
Pray for continued progress, and give us a call if you have any questions. We love you all!!
Chip & Sandra
Good news - another "quiet" day in the hospital. I haven't been down to see Jack yet, but I just talked to Sandra and Peggy, and they say he is having a good day. The ventilator has been decreased again, and the nurse and pulmonary specialist both say they want to get him off this machine as soon as possible. Jack seems to be breathing well, on his own, and I'm sure they will get the tube out as soon as it is safe (and comfortable for him) to do so.
As always when a patient is on the "vent", the nurse still keeps him somewhat sedated and comfortable, but Sandra said her dad was very awake and very alert this morning. They are truly mastering the art of "sign language", and when the breathing tube is removed, it's a safe bet that Jack is going to tell us what he thinks!!! That's a good thing!!
Not much else to report today - Peggy (Jack's sister from Virginia) is still here, and probably will be for a few more days, and we've had visits in the past couple of days from a lot of friends and relatives, and we appreciate them all!!
Pray for continued progress, and give us a call if you have any questions. We love you all!!
Chip & Sandra
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday - Day 13
It's day 13, and it's been a VERY "quiet" day. Jack has been asleep most of the day, but he must be feeling better. When Peggy and Don (his brother and sister) were in with him this morning, he wanted to fight everyone in the place.... Don, the doctor, the nurse, etc. This afternoon, they disconnected the kidney dialysis machine (temporarily), and they have relocated his feeding tube from his throat into his nose - it's safer, and more comfortable for the patient.
The nurse (John) said that they are still planning to try to get the ventilator off sometime tomorrow; I'm sure he'll feel a LOT better when that tube is out of his throat!!
Sandra and I just went back to see him, and he's still knocked out. The nurse said they have him on some drugs for his "itching" - just a by-product of lying in bed for almost two weeks.
Tomorrow will be another day, and we're excited and thankful for each and every day and the improvement Jack experiences.
Keep praying and sending your thoughts to the family.
Chip
The nurse (John) said that they are still planning to try to get the ventilator off sometime tomorrow; I'm sure he'll feel a LOT better when that tube is out of his throat!!
Sandra and I just went back to see him, and he's still knocked out. The nurse said they have him on some drugs for his "itching" - just a by-product of lying in bed for almost two weeks.
Tomorrow will be another day, and we're excited and thankful for each and every day and the improvement Jack experiences.
Keep praying and sending your thoughts to the family.
Chip
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Correction - Today is Day 12
Somehow, when we started this blog, I miscalculated the days since the surgery. Jack had his surgery on Wednesday, July 6th. Today is July 17th, so it's actually day 12.
Sorry about that! :-)
Chip
Sorry about that! :-)
Chip
Sunday - Day 13
It's been a good day today!
First, the good news - the ventilator has been reduced to 40%, and the sedatives Jack has been given are much lower than previously. He is much more alert today, and you can tell by looking at him that he's feeling better.
The only bad news is his kidneys. Sandra and I spoke with the kidney specialist this morning, and she says his kidneys are still not functioning as they must. He's still on dialysis, but it's working, and the fluid in his body is being reduced. The kidney doc is still very concerned about Jack, but she is not surprised with the period of time it's taking for the kidneys to get "kick-started" following surgery.
Sandra met with Dr. Snyder, Jack's heart surgeon, this afternoon, and he continues to be pleased with Jack's progress. He wants to get rid of the ventilator sometime in the next day or so, and hopefully, along with that, the kidneys will make a move.
Jack's brothers, Joe and Larry, have left Atlanta and are headed back to Virginia. His sister, Peggy, is staying here this week, to help Sandra and Darcus take care of him.
We look forward to a good week, and hope that Jack continues to make good progress toward his recovery.
Please keep Jack and the family in your thoughts and prayers.
Chip
First, the good news - the ventilator has been reduced to 40%, and the sedatives Jack has been given are much lower than previously. He is much more alert today, and you can tell by looking at him that he's feeling better.
The only bad news is his kidneys. Sandra and I spoke with the kidney specialist this morning, and she says his kidneys are still not functioning as they must. He's still on dialysis, but it's working, and the fluid in his body is being reduced. The kidney doc is still very concerned about Jack, but she is not surprised with the period of time it's taking for the kidneys to get "kick-started" following surgery.
Sandra met with Dr. Snyder, Jack's heart surgeon, this afternoon, and he continues to be pleased with Jack's progress. He wants to get rid of the ventilator sometime in the next day or so, and hopefully, along with that, the kidneys will make a move.
Jack's brothers, Joe and Larry, have left Atlanta and are headed back to Virginia. His sister, Peggy, is staying here this week, to help Sandra and Darcus take care of him.
We look forward to a good week, and hope that Jack continues to make good progress toward his recovery.
Please keep Jack and the family in your thoughts and prayers.
Chip
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Saturday - Day 12
The place looks like a circus!! <grin> This morning, Aunt Peggy, Uncle Joe and Uncle Larry (Jack's brothers and sister) from Virginia arrived, along with Uncle Don and LaFaitha from Douglasville, and Sandra's niece, Devon, from Talladega, AL. We have LOTS of help....... a good thing!!
Now, the REALLY good news!! Sandra and I spoke with Jack's surgeon, Dr. Snyder, this morning. He's very pleased with Jack's progress. He says that Jack's kidneys are starting to work (wonderful news!), and he'll probably be off the kidney dialysis machine either tonight or tomorrow morning. Most of the IV's are being stopped later today, except for the sedative that's necessary for the breathing machine, the feeding tube, and the other drugs he need to continue to fight any infection. Even the breathing machine is going to be removed either tomorrow or Monday!!! This is all VERY GOOD NEWS!!!!!
We asked why he had been given so much blood in the past few days. Dr. Snyder says that when blood is used in normal body functions, the kidneys tell the bone marrow to make more blood. Without the kidneys telling the marrow to make replacement blood, then we have to facilitate the body's ability to do that by giving him blood plasma or platelets, depending on what the body needs. Now that the kidneys are starting to work, there shouldn't be any need for him to be given more blood.
We're very excited about all of this, and hope that Jack continues to improve over the next several days. We'll update later today, and look forward to hearing from any of you that might want more details.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!
Chip
Now, the REALLY good news!! Sandra and I spoke with Jack's surgeon, Dr. Snyder, this morning. He's very pleased with Jack's progress. He says that Jack's kidneys are starting to work (wonderful news!), and he'll probably be off the kidney dialysis machine either tonight or tomorrow morning. Most of the IV's are being stopped later today, except for the sedative that's necessary for the breathing machine, the feeding tube, and the other drugs he need to continue to fight any infection. Even the breathing machine is going to be removed either tomorrow or Monday!!! This is all VERY GOOD NEWS!!!!!
We asked why he had been given so much blood in the past few days. Dr. Snyder says that when blood is used in normal body functions, the kidneys tell the bone marrow to make more blood. Without the kidneys telling the marrow to make replacement blood, then we have to facilitate the body's ability to do that by giving him blood plasma or platelets, depending on what the body needs. Now that the kidneys are starting to work, there shouldn't be any need for him to be given more blood.
We're very excited about all of this, and hope that Jack continues to improve over the next several days. We'll update later today, and look forward to hearing from any of you that might want more details.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!
Chip
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