Unfortunately, there isn't much to report today. Visiting hours in the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) are only 11-11:45 a.m., 4-4:45 p.m. and 8-8:45 p.m. that's it. A very small window of time to spend with mom. As you all know by now, we spend the better part of a day with mom...this is really difficult for us all. Dad pretty much stands by her bed and ends up crying after his gentle plea to mom, "Dee Dee, please wake up. Open your eyes for me my girl." It is heartbreaking to watch. We asked about extending visiting hours but to no avail. Sister Suzanne came to see mom around 3:00 p.m. and was also told she couldn't visit then and had to leave and come back if she wanted to visit. But, she's getting a lot of medical attention, which is good. We found out today that mom is on Profonix (for indigestion), Atrovent and Albuterol for breathing, heparin (for blood clotting, God help us...here we go again with side effects...), and Labetalol for her blood pressure which has been on the high side again since all this happened. Her top number on the blood pressure number has been as high as 160 and they want that down. They use the blood pressure cuff to read it not the monitor. There is supposedly no insulin they are giving her....God help us that they keep her off that poison!!! Mom had been off everything, including her blood pressure medicine, since we fought tooth and nail in August. As the hospital doctor stated though, she needs to be on all of this medicine due to her acute condition on arrival. Once her heart and lungs are more stable, all the medicine can be stopped and she can be released. All the medication she is on now in the hospital is necessary for adequate heart and lung functioning. There was talk of dilantin yesterday and I fought that one!!!! Praise the Lord!!! She doesn't need that!!! She will be released whenever she is ready.
Anthony, Dad, Claudia and I saw mom this morning and she was the same...asleep and unconscious. The pulminologist said that mom's lungs are fine and her lung is expanded and looks good and the tube will be removed soon but not yet. Claudia told the day nurse about mom's sometime belly breathing and the need to be suctioned and the nurse said he suctioned her periodically and routinely so don't worry. The pulminologist also said it is all a matter of how much time she was out of oxygen during the event and time will tell her mental condition. Claudia and Anthony said that they touched mom's feet to see if mom's feet were floating off the bed (bed sore alert again---there is no sign but we are vigilant again) and she pulled away which is good. When the nurse suctioned her mouth, she opened her mouth on command. She also reacted to the suctioning. The nurse said that she responds to painful stimulation but when he "bothers" her for a reaction, not much. The neurologist came this afternoon when Dad, Claudia and Aunt Sophie were there (yes, Aunt Sophie returns!!). The neurologist said that mom's eyes looked good, her reactions were good, but that she was actually sleeping. There is another CAT Scan scheduled tomorrow because it takes time for anything to show up on a CAT Scan and even if it comes out perfectly, doesn't mean that there is no brain damage. The neurologist also said that she could have had a 60% loss of oxygen (hypoxia) and still be fine, but since we really don't know exactly how long she was without oxygen, or if she was, time will tell. Claudia sang Christmas carols to mom and mom moved her feet to the music as she did... Anthony, Con, Ava, Terry, Dad and I saw mom this evening. She slept. No response. So much of this is reminiscent of her time in the hospital in June...but we won't give up hope or working with mom. Just take one day and moment at a time.
"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
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