sunday......yikes

First off Emily is doing very well this evening, spending sometime cleaning and grooming. The long transplant operation, extended sedation and long hospital time leave you feeling a bit on the funky side. With four chest tubes and a couple of IVs there is no real bathing in sight for her. So she is doing what she can and for the first time since last monday wearing some regular clothes. A nice change from those butt baring robes that they so elegantly clad you with in the hospital. Today Peg and Nicky unpacked the decorating box. This was packed before listing  and based knowledge from way too many hospitalizations through the years. Hospital rooms don't tend to be all that cozy, the first time Emily was admitted at about 5 years old We looked at this this little kid in that big white room with a real sinking feeling Not a warm place. So we plastered photos of friends, families, favorite places and things. Most importantly pix of Emily doing some of her favorite things. Folks coming into the room saw the pictures and would stop and really look. We still do this.  There are five, poster size montages of photos. This reminds Emily of who she is and of the things she has done and will soon do again.  Nurses, docs, techs , and visitors will often study the posters. Asking where was this or what are you doing here. She becomes more of a life loving person rather than only a patient.  There is also a string of prayer flags and misc personal items. A string of christmas lights will be next if they will let us. The decorations are personal and fun.

So to the  yikes in the title bar. Sunday, morning at least did not workout quietely as hoped. In fact it got a little sideways. The transplant has gone so well that it is easy to forget the massive nature of this surgery, recovery and real fear of rejection. The surgery and series of hospitalizations that stretched on for three months exactly three years ago are very fresh memories. I think that we have all been prepared, perhaps expecting something. Last night was my turn sleeping in the room. Peg had the night before and Nicky before that. I was up until about four and had been asleep about a half an hour when Emily gave a small cough, as I went to the bed asking if she was ok, the door flew open and in ran a nurse asking very loudly if she good hear us and was breathing. Their screens at the nurse station told them that her oxygen levels were down and falling rapidly. Not a good thing at all. They increased the O2 and activated a call for help and it came in hurry. A special nurse from ICU with a respiratory therapists  and a few steps behind the surgical resident always present on this floor. Emily by then was sitting up, dazed and less than lucid due to being drug out of a deep sleep and lack of O2. It was horribly confusing for her. The RT got some special treatments going and these helped bit but not enough. Finally Emily started some serious and painful coughing and out came a huge plug of mucous, almost instantly her O2 soared from the upper sixties to 99%.  Upper 60's bad, upper 90's good. A quick xray was taken. The fear was a pulmonary  embolism or pneumothorax(collapsed lung). Before long she was on her way to imaging for a CT scan which is one cute trick with all the tubes in place, it was the damnest pile of stuff imaginable.. Then back up to the floor. She was now feeling pretty good and returned to her room. It was

 about 8:30 and time to start the day. Turns out the air leaks are still present and she haas some crepitis( air neath the skin causing puffiness.) She is asleep now. As Emily was on the gurney waiting to a third lung transplant patient came up . Yep, petite,blond,CFer, transplant, few years older. go figure.

late and tired typed over the course of evening.

Keith

Keith