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| CHAPTER TEN UPDATE: MARCH 11, 2004 Dear All,
As I write this tonight, Ivy is resting comfortably. There have been
some changes made this week that couldn't be even be considered in the past,
which seems to suggest to me that her condition has improved over the
past. More on that in a bit. Ivy is stable, with good
oxygen sats of 99 - 100 percent on 80% oxygen. This is down from the
previous week and her PEEPS have been lowered to 40 from 41 the previous
week. She is still on 12 hour CRRT dialysis treatment which she is
tolerating well. Ivy's fever stays low grade now when she is not on
dialysis, and she is much more alert to her surroundings.
Ivy had developed a rash that first appeared as a small patch on her chest
then later spread up around her neck, over her shoulder and on her face.
Because it had raised blisters, it was originally thought to be shingles, but
the cultures have never been able to identify exactly what it was. It has
all but disappeared now and we are very relieved that this condition has
improved. As for the blood cultures that came back positive for
infection, it seems that the sample may have been "contaminated" and that there
was no issue at all. While I am very pleased, I am also very confused and
somewhat troubled. Ivy's kidneys are still shut down and they have removed
her catheter for her comfort. The Nephrology doctor still feels
that her kidneys will come back to normal function.
Ivy's bed sores on her tail bone have worsened considerably. On
Thursday, she was moved to a new type of bed (sorry, I can't remember the name
of the bed) that was designed to help patients with bed sore injuries. It
is filled with silica sand that is constantly moving to provide support for
her without any pressure. On Saturday, the Plastic Surgeon came in
and removed the dead tissue from Ivy's wounds to speed the healing
process. This was a very tough procedure for Kathie to witness, but as
always, she is there for Ivy, holding her hand. Once the procedure was
finished, they applied a vacuum dressing to keep the surface of the sores clean
and dry so that the wound would heal from the inside out. Hopefully, this
isn't too long a process as I know it must be very painful for Ivy.
On Friday afternoon, I called Ivy's nurse to check on her and he asked me
to think about moving Ivy from her room in the CCU to another one that was much
larger and would be more comfortable for both Ivy and us. We (Kathie and
I) were a bit concerned about moving her, but knew her nurse would never suggest
it unless he felt it was something she could handle. We also knew how nice
the bigger room would be for her. When we got to the hospital that
evening, we all went to work and moved Ivy to her new room. Everything
went perfectly and the nursing team plus Mom, Ivy's Aunt and Dad made the
job happen in no time at all, with no problems either. Ivy is now resting
comfortably in room 645, no longer 644.
Last night was again, a busy night for Ivy and her nurse as her dialysis
catheter and her A-line both clotted and refused to work. While her
catheter was able to be cleared, her A-line wasn't and had to be removed.
This is problematic because without the A-line, blood used for her labs has to
be drawn by needle, making the Arterial Blood Gases tests (ABG's) very
difficult to perform, since only Arterial blood can be used to get accurate
tests. The Pulmonary Doctor has decided to not perform the ABG's for the
next couple of days while he decides what to do. This is somewhat
troubling for Kathie and I because they are the way we really gauge her
condition. Ivy had the best ABG's she has ever had on Saturday morning,
which is wonderful. But now, without an A-line, we won't be able to tell
if the trend continues or not. Hopefully, when Monday comes, they will
decide to have another A-line put in.
I received some very encouraging news when I called the hospital this
morning when her nurse told me that the x-rays are SHOWING IMPROVEMENT!!!
This is a FIRST! We have been told they looked the same for so long that I
almost didn't believe what I had heard. This follows the excellent ABG's
we had on Saturday and the fact that in spite of all of the things she has been
through this week, Ivy's sats have not dropped! The only time she would
drop at all is when she would have fits of coughing or got anxious and
"over-breathed" the vent. This is the best news I have had in a very long
time and I am excited to share it with you.
As a final note, Ivy continues to communicate with us through nods yes and
no and by mouthing out words. Kathie has become very good at reading what
Ivy mouths, but I'm afraid I'm not very good at it yet. She is very aware
of her surroundings and awoke from resting, looked around and mouthed out
"shit"...Can't say as I blame her one bit. As I left for the night
tonight, I took her hand in mine, just to hold her for a second. Her eyes
popped open and she smiled at me. I told her I loved her very much and
that I had to go home and rest. I asked her if she knew I loved her, to
which she nodded yes and mouthed out "I love you too". I asked her if I
could kiss her good night and again she nodded yes. I got a bit of a
surprise when she kissed me back...I'm still smiling from it right now, as I
type this...(as a note, Kathie has been getting kisses for a couple of days
now...she just had to let me know that...after my first kiss of
course...*chuckling*).
Thank you once again for all of your wonderful support. Your prayers,
kind thoughts, cards and letters all mean so very much to us all. And I
must say also that the nursing staff has had a wonderful time playing with all
of the wonderful stuffed animals and creatures that Ivy has received...you are
all so very special...God Bless you all.
With my Best Wishes Always,
Michael
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