This morning has been disappointing but there's been a few small victories. First the good news - Karla was taking off her IV this morning! She ate a little dinner last night and had a "big" breakfast this morning of toast and water. The doctor said that was good and they want to see if she'll eat lunch if they take her off the IV. The bad news is that she didn't have a good night with her oxygen saturation levels and she can't go home until she sleeps through the night at 92% or above while not being on the tubes. This is somewhat disappointing because it's a regression for her breathing from the night before BUT it's clear she's breathing a lot easier now. You can't see her ribs or her stomach lurch when she's trying to breath indicating that she's not wheezing for air anymore. So it may be that now that her body is comfortable not wheezing, she's still a little short on oxygen.
I got to attend the "rounds" discussion on her this morning. More good news is that they're "pretty certain" she doesn't have TB (duh!) or whooping cough but they're still waiting on both of those tests. Karla's TB test is "done" at 1am tomorrow and if it's negative this silliness about TB can end. They also said that she definitely had pneumonia on Thursday's chest x-ray and there was a little on her Sunday x-ray but it was mostly clearing up. The doctor said that they think she actually has/had a viral pneumonia instead of bacterial pneumonia since the antibiotics didn't make her perk up after a few days. They are still giving her the antibiotics for her ears. They also said she definitely has "RAD" (reactive airway disease) and that's the bulk of her problems right now. If they can get her airways working correctly, she'll go home.
The saddest part of all of this is that she's very angry when she's awake. The slightest move towards her by anyone makes her scream in anger because she thinks they're going to do something to her. Hopefully when we go home, she'll be back in surroundings she feels more comfortable with and won't be like she is now.
Aunt Brenda is coming to visit this afternoon.
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3 comments:
Good news even if it is "small victories". Stay strong and loving. She needs this now more than ever. Keep the doctors on their toes, but not so much poking all around.
Yes, "small victories" is a fitting title for this experience!
and I did laugh out loud when I read that her gift was "the gift of healthcare..." that Jason is so practical :) it's probably tough to smile these days but your blogs are encouraging....you are one tough mama and papa bear!!!
Hi Jen,
I wanted to let you know that my sister is a respiratory therapist if you have any unanswered questions.
thinking of you.
Angela
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