Scott is resting peacefully. It will likely take him the rest of the day to work off the anesthesia, and they will continue to keep him sedated throughout today anyway, so... the focus for the rest of today is to recover from surgery, and to work the anesthesia through his system. He has big swollen cheeks now, following the surgery, and we anticipate the swelling to increase over the next couple of days. He looks better, though, because the ventilation tube is gone and all of the tape strapped around his head.
Victories for today:
1. The final surgery (we hope) is done and were uncomplicated and went well.
2. The ventilator is removed.
3. The radial artery pulse is twice as strong today as it was yesterday.
4. The swelling and bruising in his right eye continue to decrease substantially each day.
5. So far, he has maintained a normal temperature today.
6. Personal victories for Ashley and I.... we had an acceptable amount of sleep last night and food today. Michael and Carol (Scott's dad and step mother) have been much smarter along the way than Ashley and I have been. So... this is big progress for us and our energy reserves.
7. We are getting very close to a final decision on an LTAC facility decision.
8. We have now found most of his belongings that were scattered around the scene. (His bike bag with his belongings in it was torn in the accident, so things went flying.)
9. He didn't need his jaw wired shut. 2 plates were able to do the trick.
Challenges for the day:
1. Still not awake, and won't likely be with all of the sedation.
2. Did need a trach and PEG tube, rather than weaning directly off of the ventilator.
3. We learned that we will need to watch for seizures in the future, which are a common complication/side effect of brain injury.
4. Flagstaff is expecting a HUGE snowstorm today and tomorrow. Not sure if this will impact things in any way.... staff not being able to get in to work, more admissions due to MVAs (Motor vehicle accidents) (although this ICU has been BUSY busy busy already!).....
So...overall the pros outweigh the cons! Yeah! Although, the #1 Challenge has a lot of weight to it!
They are anticipating being able to transfer Scott to an LTAC sometime next week. Scott has been well taken care of here, but we are excited to be moving on to the next stage. Movement forward is always good...it gets him closer to the end!
A observation that his night nurse made last night is worth sharing, I think. He said that in his experience, patients who lead clean, healthy lives are more sensitive to pain meds and sedatives. (Common information, but helpful reiteration in this context.) He theorized that Scott might take longer to wake, in part, due to a stronger reaction to the sedatives and a slower flushing of the sedative out of his system. Scott has only been taken off of the sedatives completely for a few minutes at a time on 2 days. ...and he has had anesthesia 3 of the 5 days he has been here. It comforts us to think this might be the case, or at least play a role. No way of knowing for sure, but if it allows his brain to relax and heal faster/better/anything good, we are all for it and are willing to "patiently" wait for him to awake.
They will not try to wake him today. They want him to recover from his surgery today. Tomorrow, they will be more aggressive at trying to waken him.
He looks so peaceful right now.... he is sedated, and resting peacefully...no fidgeting or fussing.
I doubt I will have anything new to report until tomorrow. So.. I would expect this to be the last post for the day. Talk to you tomorrow!
We love you all!
Patti
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