Friday, February 20, 2015

Update # 165

8 Years

This has been a more difficult day for Jeff. We pray there’s only one day like it.

About 2:00 AM, Jeff had an extended time period (15 min.) of high blood pressure. His current continuous med seemed to work so thankfully no additional med was needed.

The morning x-ray was better than yesterday’s but his lungs are still not normal.

Blood sugar remains high so insulin shots remain part of Jeff’s day.

The oxygen level of the ventilator was lowered this morning. A sign they want to wean Jeff from the vent. His O2 has remained high which is what they want.

One of the sedation meds was changed this morning. Jeff had been on it long enough and the docs did not want it to begin bothering his body. This new one is better for the body.

Then we had a clash of various things to agitate Jeff. Ten minutes after this new sedation,I held Jeff’s head to one side for about 10 minutes while the nurse changed the dressing on the arterial line. It took a bit longer than she had planned since one side of the dressing would not stick due to his beard. (wait till he sees that beard) Jeff tried to open his eyes and blink several times. Then his blood pressure began to rise again. He was given some pain med and increase of the new sedation. Jeff was just too agitated so he was given an additional sedation to calm him down. I knew this would work since he would always receive it when he had bone marrow biopsies and he was loopy/sleepy the rest of the day.

Jeff’s potassium level has risen a little so an automatic EKG was done. All looks fine.

Mid-afternoon another clash of things really put Jeff into a tizzy. They began using a feeding tube for nutrition. And with no bowel sounds for a week, they also gave a med to help move things through. Both things together must have been too much. Jeff immediately gave us hand signs and body movements that he has not done before to show distress. So more new sedation then more of the one from biopsies. After he calmed down, chest and abdominal x-rays were taken. Chest remained the same and abdominal showed nothing.

Breathing treatment #13 was given late afternoon. Halfway through it, when Jeff got the new sedation, his blood pressure went up again. A few minutes later, he was given that bone biopsy sedation. The decision was made to wean Jeff off the new sedation and put him on a continuous line of the old biopsy one. Two breathing treatments remain and we can’t wait for them to end. Jeff seems to have some issue with each one. But we know they are working cause the x-rays look a little better each day!

Jeff’s body has calmed down again but the lower level of oxygen has been upped for the night. And was even put higher for a while when his oxygen level dropped.

Everyone has a “bad” day once in a while so we pray this was Jeff’s one and only. The pulmonary doc said this morning that it’s tricky trying to wean folks off vents. And he said the young ones, like Jeff, fight it the hardest. The day nurse spent quite a bit of time with Jeff helping and trying with different things but was counting down the hours till 7:00 PM when she then was heading out for a 2 week vacation.

Ken and Meridith did get time this morning for him to show her the drive to and then tour Hope Lodge. Meridith and I each did a load of laundry this PM here on the floor. A pastor friend of ours stopped by mid-afternoon to visit -- right before Jeff began one of those difficult times.

So we pray tonight and tomorrow will be much better than these last 24 hours. We thank you for your prayers that help Jeff get through these tough situations. Our thanks to you cannot be truly expressed.

love,

Marcia