Monday

Sorry so long to get on here. Mom is so anxious for us to stay with her. She worries if we aren't close. And also she coughs and gags on her phlegm , so need to suction her. She is still so weak she can't use her hands. She has not really slept since she woke, so we are going the opposite! I asked the nurse if this is normal. And three nurses said in unison....oh yes it is called ICU psychosis. They said it will get better when they start Physical Therapy. She is still very clear in her mind. My cold is miserable to day, decided to run away with my nose and I have been sneezing like crazy, not fun with a mask on. But hopefully it will run itself out. The doctor said this morning that she has a heart murmur. He thinks it might be from all the fluid she has had in her body, but they will do an ekg eventually to check it. She choked during her swallow test so no foods or drinks yet, she can eat ice chips but she is not too interested yet. I think her throat is very sore. She cannot talk either. even an whisper hurts her. So need time to heal.

Sunday Morning

I Don't even know how to begin. Mom is awake, her brain seems fine. She responded to us when we came in this morning. Then they started the proceedure to remove her breathing tube. Seemed to be an extra long wait!! We did not go to meeting as we were helping to keep her from pulling the tube out her self. She was so good, and being as patient as she could be. The first thing she mouthed to us (she can't make sound yet) was "sing" she wanted us to sing to her. Barbara had gotten here by then, we called her as soon as we knew. Try singing and crying at the same time, I'm sure we sounded very wavery! Dad was so happy he cried and I cried when we first came into the room, had to say, it's ok Mom we are just soooo happy that is why we are crying. We know that she has a long recovery ahead, but just knowing she is here mentally is such a relief. Thank you all so much for your prayers and love and help. We will be having to be careful not to wear her out. I am in the waiting room right now, so she can sleep. Dad is in there with her.

Saturday Morning

Well it seems a little brighter this morning. Mom has her eyes open a little and seems to respond by turning her head when you talk to her. She is very weak, and only opens her eyes for a little while. She still does not respond to a command, so they cannot take her off the ventilator until she can. The Doc said yesterday that her lungs are all wet from all the fluid they had to pump into her. So they have to be very sure she is ready to be weaned off the ventilator. It does gag her once in a while. So we are more hopeful she is coming out of it today. We are so thankful for all the care we have been shown by friends and family Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Friday Afternoon

Not much to report this afternoon, Mom is moving her head again, and every once in a while she tenses up her arms and legs. I think I have finally understood what has been going on. They have kept her sedated.....which you are probably saying DUH! But what I mean is, I still don't really know what I mean LOL oh brother. I feel more hopeful she will wake up. Today they have her sedated, but not as deep, and when and if they get her ready to remove the tube, they will quit the sedation all together. She has been so still and limp, that I have not felt she was even really alive.

Friday

New morning. Still unable to get the feeding tube down. At this point they will feed her intravenously. We hope that the swelling will go down on the veins. We really don't know all the info yet have to talk to the Doctor. The plan for the next four days is to get her awake and responding. If that does not happen, then we will be looking at other options. Her kidneys are not shutting down, sorry if there was any confusion, they are not normal.....but that could be from all the extra fluid she has, they took two gallons of fluid off her body yesterday with diuretics and that can make her kidneys have some problems. We are holding up fine. Have lots of wonderful freinds feeding us, and bringing us cheer. All for this morning.

Afternoon

The procedure to check Mom's varices, went fine. The Doctor said it looks fine and he fixed a few more areas. For those that don't remember that is where she bled in her esopahgus. But.....seems there is always one huh? Anyway, the lovely Doctor removed the feeding tube and did not put it back in. So now the nurse is having a difficult time getting it back in. More blood, more uncomfortableness etc etc. It really is probably just as well she does not know what is going on. They were supposed to try and get her off the sedation this afternoon and take her off the ventilator if they can, but with all this going on she is on higher oxygen and higher meds. So probably not happening today. I want her as comfortable as possible. So we all must be patient. Dad just came back in here, the nurse can't get it down there, so they will have to do it with an xray. all for now. D

1/24/2008

We have a new development this morning. Mom has developed MRSA in her sputum, which if I understand right means she has staph in her system. That is the antibiotic resistant kind. We now have to wear gowns and gloves while in the room. And I have to wear a mask since I seem to be getting a cold. Also they are now saying that she has some renal failure. That means her kidneys are being compromised. This is all typical happenings for some one in critical care. So I guess that is why everyone that works here are not too upset. Lily said, (she is a friend who trained as a Doctor, and is in the ministry now) That some pull through and some don't. It will take time to tell. Today at noon she is to have a check into her esophagus to see if the bleeding areas have healed up and if there are any more danger spots. Then after the procedure they say they will be more aggressive in getting her awake. I am just taking that one day at a time, as I cannot know what happens next and don't want to speculate too much. We appreciate all your emails, and comments, I do not know how to respond to the comments so if you can email me it would be better. My email is denisebechdolt@msn.com if you don't know it. I will let you know what happens after her procedure today.