"Wed, 25/11
8.20 am visit - ICU awaited doctors round at 9 am to determine if Edi would move out of ICU. Meantime, I asked the attending nurse, Sarah, if they could wheel him out into the sunshine again but although she said to wait and see, I didn't think it would happen.
Afternoon visit by Hei Meng - upon arrival, Edi had been seated up for 4 hours and had been just put back to bed. Understandably, he was tired but by the time Hei Meng, he looked comfortable.
4.30 pm visit - He's been moved into Level 4, room 18 half an hour before my arrival. Single room with view to surrounding buildings, some trees and vast expanse of sky. It faces east and I hope the morning sun will bring warmth and comfort to Edi. He was tolerating having the cuff down in his trachea; but was coughing constantly. Initially, he was wiping the spitum off himself until he must be too tired and stopped doing it. I stayed until 8 pm when visiting hours are over to give him practical and moral support.
Thur, 26/11
8 am visit - Told by a nurse that at about 3 o'clock last night, they found that Edi had pulled out the feeding tube that goes down the nostril into his stomach. It wasn't until 10'ish this morning that an X-ray was taken to confirm that the tube is sitting properly in his tummy before being connected back to the feed at 12.30 pm. I heard that a colleague of mine did exactly the same thing, the tube is such an intrusion down one's throat that he wrestled to get it out of him ! Apparently, it is mighty uncomfortable.
The dietitian, Eve, came by to confirm that the feed is lactose free (given his diarrhea, I'd asked about this). The physiotherapist asked Edi, "You know that you are going to get better, don't you?". Edi shook his head and his eyes began to tear up. My heart ached for him and tears welled up in my eyes, too. I made a pretence of having to wash my hands and left the room to gather myself before returning to his side. Mustn't let him see me cry for this will distress him further.
His ability to cough spitum out of his lungs to his mouth is so strong that the head nurse, David, recommended to the visiting trachea team of doctors that the tube be removed. He also felt that as less support systems are removed from Edi and his bedside (this tube removal also means the humidifier is irrelevant), this tells him that he's improving. One moment they were talking about it, the next they were doing it. I was taken by surprise with the speed it was carried out. I didn't even know it was happening (blocked by doctor A) until doctor B told Edi, "it's OK, it's OK" because Edi was in great pain. I moved from behind Dr A to see that it must have been the pain from the incision to his throat. After 3-5 mins, the pain disappeared judging by Edi's facial expression.
The speech therapist, Bernadette, asked Edi to try say a few words; he tried but was too weak. She will return later today to assess how Edi swallows. As she's satisfied that he's swallowing well, he can have sips of water and this will expand to include purees. As he progresses to eat more orally, the feeding tube will be removed. She will also "teach" him to talk again.
David, says it's now a matter of building up his lungs and general strength."
2 comments:
Oh Edi, I feel your discomfort. But I thank God for your recovery, for the caring medical staff and for a wonderful wonderful sister who's stood by you so firmly. Don't you feel blessed, Edi? Imagine if you didn't have these? So of course you'll get better and better everyday, Edi. The recovery process has already kicked in. You can do your part by finding peace within yourself and that's what I'll pray for you. I pray that God will bless you with great peace of mind, endurance through the trial and most of all I pray for great physical comfort and freedom from pain. God loves you Edi. He's watching over you.
Sam, the love of family. Edi is blessed with such a wonderful sister. She stands by him day and night. She deserves The Best Sister of the Year award! He's in good hands, you can be sure.
Post a Comment