Communication

Today was a day of firsts. The first day off the ventilator. Writing clear words. Sitting in a chair.

Watching you write clearly one word at a time until you got an entire question on paper was pure joy. Real communication. What a great accomplishment you've made. You had several questions for me to answer today. One thing you wrote was: Not getting water is driving me nutz. The answer is you can't take a chance on getting fluid into your lungs. This morning Asia and I had talked about how it would drive us crazy for sure. Jason brought some swabs and a little water so that you could moisten your mouth. You had another terrific nurse. (He also brushed your teeth and then let you brush them. That must be another first.)

The BIG deal today is that you're off the ventilator. WOW. The machine is right there handy. Macon has been giving you a twenty minute breathing treatment with it every 4 hours. Between times, you seem to be doing well on your own.

Another first as well: you sat in a chair today. You thought it was an hour and a half. Jason said it was difficult and he did let you stay a while. Another big deal.

Your arms and legs were free of constraints. Hooray. You had a clear understanding of the trach, the food tube, and your leg wrappings.

You're still getting a very strong antibiotic for the pneumonia. In fact you're getting two antibiotics so hopefully that P word will be behind us sooner rather than later. You're coughing up lots of gunk so that's a good sign. In fact you could pull yourself up into a sitting position in bed which seemed to help.

Oh, and it seems I have a sister for the first time in my life. Apparently Jason got to meet another sister of yours earlier in the day.

You've had lots of company, lots of firsts, and lots of physical therapy today. When I told you before I left, "I love you", I got a clear "I love you", back. You must be exhausted! There is a new goal: getting your days and nights in synch. I hope you sleep well.

Status: No ventilator Oxygen level: 98% Temperature: normal