More Yo-Yoing

It was a day of ups and downs today. I had come in with high expectations that Roger's fever would be low, that he'd be coming off propafol which would get him off the ventilator...and a handful of other lofty expectations.

Roger's fever climbed back up to 102 at one point. Our health care team managed to get it down to the 99's where it stayed most of the day though randomly it would climb and fall. Its not unusual for a patient in Roger's condition to run a fever but a little scary for us care givers as you sit and wonder if the fever might be tied to an infection.

Unfortunately last night, the night nurse was not able to ween Roger off the propafol with the current settings of pain killer and haldol (the less intensive option to propafol). He would seize up with coughing spasms that would jack his vitals. So, they left the propafol at a higher dose for the balance of the evening which meant when the pulmonary doctor showed up this morning, Roger was not in any position near ready to be taken off the ventilator.

Fortunately, our day improved with the change of shift and our day shift nurse, Holly on staff. She is amazing. She proactively went to the doctors and told them she thought Roger's pain meds should be increased to take away the pain & discomfort of coming out of the propafol. The doctors agreed. So, the painkiller dilatin (spelling?) was increased and closely monitored for necessary "turbo" boosts. The result? An early Christmas gift for me. He was able to endure nearly 5 hours of significantly reduced....almost no....propafol which puts him closer to being pulled from the vent. He did have a few coughing/choking spasms but was able to rest comfortably. When he woke, he was able to open his eyes and try to communicate with us (charades again, and messages he tried to write out). You could see him trying to focus.

Also, Holly was able to "dangle" Roger which means that the got him to sit up and dangle his feet over the edge of the bed. this was HUGE for him to do. His vitals and breathing stayed steady. He even supported himself... the nurses did not need to hold him upright as he sat there (most patients they would have to assist). He did that once in the morning and again in the late afternoon/early evening. Even Holly was pleased. Holly was the one who proactively got permission from the doctor for Roger to do this. She knew that by doing this, it helps him get his strength and also becomes a good way for the nurse/doctors to gauge how Roger is doing as they ween him off the sedation.

If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of Holly's. We've now had her three different times and each and every time she has been amazing. She doesn't show up to work for her paycheck....she shows up for the care giving (and, ok then paycheck too). She has been instrumental in working with the doctors to find the best formula for getting him through all this stuff. If I could clone Holly and have her on all our day and night shifts - everything would be perfect!

Roger has been having a series of coughing fits this evening. I started to write this post over an hour ago and am still trying to finish. Anyway, the goal for tomorrow is to try to get Roger off the vent if all is well. I have a feeling if we can't get his coughing/choking under control, then we may have to dial up the propafol and postpone removing him from the vent.

So, I guess I'll stop here. Its 11:30. Santa should surely be on his way. All I want is Roger - healthy, out of pain, off the ventilator and back to his old silly self. If you see the big jolly guy in the red suit, please send along my request. I don't need any baubles or sparkling things....just my hubby.

I had plans of attaching a picture of our fabulous Christmas tree that we have at home...but forgot to take a picture. I'll try to do that tomorrow. I think that I'm staying the night tonight in Roger's room nestled in a chair in the corner. We'll celebrate the holidays in a big way next year. This year, December 25 is just another day which is fine by me.

Love and peace to you all on this Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas ~ A