More Curves

The feedback from my early morning phone call to Acute Care indicated that Joy had a restless night after experiencing episodes of confusion and anxiety to the point they had to restrain her in bed. This could possibly be attributed to lack of sleep, trauma from the surgery, reactions to the new meds but more likely to the low blood gas and variable oxygen levels. They were still planning to insert the stomach feeding tube by early morning.

Upon arrival to the hospital, she was awake and generally alert but said she had not slept much and pain level remained tolerable at a two-three (one to ten scale). An x-ray taken of her stomach revealed the barium had not reached its desired target and it would be necessary to postpone the stomach feeding tube until later in the day. In the interim, they inserted a tube in her nose to the stomach area to accelerate the barium movement. Later, they took her for a walk but Joy said she got really dizzy and they quickly returned her to the bed. She continued to labor with her breathing for quite awhile, at least during our brief time with her.

Later in the afternoon, one of the doctors came out to tell me that Joy's progress was hindered by her refusal to use the Bipap machine and the surgeon told her he must re-install the vent to assist in her breathing process and help with the blood gas / variable oxygen levels. He said she would have the ventilator for at least seventy-two hours. So they gave her some sedation and installed the vent. Another x-ray indicated the barium procedure was satisfactory and they would proceed with the surgery as soon as possible. She had the stomach feeding tube installed and returned to her room late afternoon still sedated and asleep. I do not know when they will begin inserting food into that tube. She was asleep when we left and it was uncertain if they were going to let her sleep the night or gradually awaken her. They had planned to remove the epidural from her back but the vent install has delayed that progress.

We called a few moments ago and they had brought her out of the sleep gradually but she was very uncomfortable with the vent and restraints so they increased the sedation. A chest CT Scan completed sometime in the late afternoon or early evening indicated something of concern but we do not know what that might be.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, a better day.

Wayne