Oncoming Tasks and New Doctors

I confess a slight feeling of abandonment today. The doctors that we have learned to trust and respect are moving to a new assignment. It is the first of the month and it seems an entire new team of doctors rotate to the Burn Unit so we’ll have new names and faces to get to know. Dr. Esteroff was making rounds with Dr. Muralirat J. He introduced himself to you then kindly mentioned to both of us that “the speech people” will come visit with you. He told me that they are good at working with the trach. He is beginning to plan the next steps for you. Talking and having some food may be coming up. Oooh, Jell-O: YUM. I have a feeling any flavor will taste good to you after more than a month of nothing by mouth except a wad of plastic.

It seems you can give your sister the raspberries. I was somewhat skeptical yesterday when you wrote, “They made me sit in a chair for an hour and a half.” It seemed way too big a leap from the previous day to me. Today when I got to your room, you were sitting in a special chair, foot twitching. Shanna, your lovely nurse for today, said you had been sitting up for about and hour and 20 minutes. You waved your arm, shook your head, and starting doing the right hand count down. Five, ten, fifteen, ….. forty. Forty minutes more than an hour? Head nod. Shanna looked at the clock you were watching and acknowledged that you were keeping tabs on her. She said that it really helps your lungs to sit up. She reported, “A lot, I mean a lot of fluid is on his lungs and this helps him cough it up.” She gave you an injection of blood thinner. She explained that nearly all their ICU patients get that.

“To ward of blood clots?” “Exactly”

I waited outside while she gave you a bath and got you into a fresh bed. Boy, were you zonked when I returned. We held hands for a while. When I told you I’d see you tomorrow and said, “I love you,” you replied in kind. Progress squared. Hooray.

Status: No more PEEP Oxygen: 99% Temperature: normal