Latest from the home front:
Uneventful night. They started him on CPAP mode a few minutes ago. Dr.Tuso came in He has been out of town the last week, and is very pleased with Lee's progress. He commented that this is a weight loss program for Lee. Another round of dialysis today. More later as updates are provided. ❤️
Update to Update:
0945 - Praise יהוה! I know that sounds a bit overkill but Lee is still on CPAP mode. They switched him to this around 0730, and after 90 minutes, his saturation is still at 96% right now. RT says he is doing exceptionally well. Bali the RT took him off the fentanyl and to me his eyes seem a lot clearer. I asked Lee if he knew who I was and he shook his head yes.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Updates on Lee - Tuesday, April 19 - 2215
In the words of our illustrious center of attention: SOSDD.
Nothing really more to report from earlier today. Numbers look good and steady. The body is being cleansed of all the stuff that kept him in the coma...a little here, a little there (for those of you in the room at times, there is a double meaning in that last statement).
The amount of work for Lee today took a toll on his energy levels:
* He was breathing on his own for 45 minutes, maintaining good O2 saturation levels.
* He is nodding, blinking and raising those bushy brows on command. Someone mentioned a clarinet stack.....if he is not able to hold it, put it on his eyebrows. They are getting stronger.
* I am quite sure he is really enjoying this attention. Hard not to dream of a life sitting naked in a room full of strangers, getting poked with things, and processing all kinds of toxic materials from natural and unnatural openings.
* For those wondering about his energy levels, keep in mind, he has to build back up to his svelte self. All this real breathing stuff is hard work, compared to playing all those woodwind instruments, which requires little effort. The most exercise he recently produced was getting from the truck to his next gig. Heck, right now, he is more active than most days sitting at the desk in his office.
On a serious note: Few of us have any idea what he is enduring. One clue would be his current desire to NOT want any music playing. The white noise from all the background machines might be the most soothing right now...
Of course it is still a good thing to go and visit, tell some great stories, and bring two or three small instruments and practice quarter tone Long Tones. Better yet, get two speakers into the room and hook them up out of phase, That always gets his attention....he has three pairs of these shelf speakers in his garage just waiting to be put into service.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Nothing really more to report from earlier today. Numbers look good and steady. The body is being cleansed of all the stuff that kept him in the coma...a little here, a little there (for those of you in the room at times, there is a double meaning in that last statement).
The amount of work for Lee today took a toll on his energy levels:
* He was breathing on his own for 45 minutes, maintaining good O2 saturation levels.
* He is nodding, blinking and raising those bushy brows on command. Someone mentioned a clarinet stack.....if he is not able to hold it, put it on his eyebrows. They are getting stronger.
* I am quite sure he is really enjoying this attention. Hard not to dream of a life sitting naked in a room full of strangers, getting poked with things, and processing all kinds of toxic materials from natural and unnatural openings.
* For those wondering about his energy levels, keep in mind, he has to build back up to his svelte self. All this real breathing stuff is hard work, compared to playing all those woodwind instruments, which requires little effort. The most exercise he recently produced was getting from the truck to his next gig. Heck, right now, he is more active than most days sitting at the desk in his office.
On a serious note: Few of us have any idea what he is enduring. One clue would be his current desire to NOT want any music playing. The white noise from all the background machines might be the most soothing right now...
Of course it is still a good thing to go and visit, tell some great stories, and bring two or three small instruments and practice quarter tone Long Tones. Better yet, get two speakers into the room and hook them up out of phase, That always gets his attention....he has three pairs of these shelf speakers in his garage just waiting to be put into service.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Updates on Lee - Tuesday, April 19 - 1100
Greetings,
There is slow and steady progress, so here is what we have to report this morning:
0800 - Peaceful night for Lee. Nothing new to report at this point. Numbers are fine.
0855 - Switched ventilator to CPAP mode. This will allow him to breath on his own, and if needed, assistance will be given.
0900 - Another BM! Hard to get excited about this one (and I know how much he will appreciate all sharing this information), but it does show his body is now processing more than fluids. Also means there are some oboes trying to tune somewhere. His fever is also gone!
They will be monitoring him closely on the CPAP. Saturation should stay above 90/92. Breathing rate and etc... The RT told Lee that he is doing good and that although he probably will not get the ventilator removed today, maybe tomorrow or the next day, if he continues to breath on his own with CPAP help. Saturation started at 94% and went to 97% Great news!!
0940 - Switching ventilator back to Assist Control. He was working on his own for about 45 minutes. The RT is very pleased. In his current condition, it is quite a workout, so we look forward for Lee to gain strength and they will try this again soon.
We are told that now is a good time to get started on some physical therapy, as he has not moved around too much, and the next stages of improvement will require him to use full body motions. We are waiting for the Docs to give us the go ahead on this.
Once again, Lee needs to do some hearty laughing, so bring some good stories in to share.
1015 - Nanette asked Lee if he wants to hear some music, he shook his head no. The good news is: He Cares. The bad news is: We might be playing the wrong music.
Bring on the oboes!
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
There is slow and steady progress, so here is what we have to report this morning:
0800 - Peaceful night for Lee. Nothing new to report at this point. Numbers are fine.
0855 - Switched ventilator to CPAP mode. This will allow him to breath on his own, and if needed, assistance will be given.
0900 - Another BM! Hard to get excited about this one (and I know how much he will appreciate all sharing this information), but it does show his body is now processing more than fluids. Also means there are some oboes trying to tune somewhere. His fever is also gone!
They will be monitoring him closely on the CPAP. Saturation should stay above 90/92. Breathing rate and etc... The RT told Lee that he is doing good and that although he probably will not get the ventilator removed today, maybe tomorrow or the next day, if he continues to breath on his own with CPAP help. Saturation started at 94% and went to 97% Great news!!
0940 - Switching ventilator back to Assist Control. He was working on his own for about 45 minutes. The RT is very pleased. In his current condition, it is quite a workout, so we look forward for Lee to gain strength and they will try this again soon.
We are told that now is a good time to get started on some physical therapy, as he has not moved around too much, and the next stages of improvement will require him to use full body motions. We are waiting for the Docs to give us the go ahead on this.
Once again, Lee needs to do some hearty laughing, so bring some good stories in to share.
1015 - Nanette asked Lee if he wants to hear some music, he shook his head no. The good news is: He Cares. The bad news is: We might be playing the wrong music.
Bring on the oboes!
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Monday, April 18, 2016
Updates on Lee - Monday, April 18 - 2100
Good evening,
Lee completed a round of dialysis. All went well, however, he is now running a fever of 101. There is no concern at this time, but they are scratching their heads as they track down the source.
His nurse gave him some Tylenol. Other than that his stats are fine:
Pulse = 96
BP = 116/44
O22 30%
PEEP 5%
O2 sat = 98%
He continues to respond when he is awake. He is a little sluggish following the latest dialysis treatment, but has figured out how much people enjoy his eyebrow movement, so he doing his best to keep those looking good.
Several of his buddies came by today and were pleased with Lee's progress. They are taking turns asking him to move his eyebrows, and when he does not fall asleep in front of them, he responds.
He does cough on his own, but the next big event they are using as a benchmark is to have him cough on command. For those of you with some great stories (that you know will force him to access the big belly laughs), come on in and take turns. Or bring in a couple of oboe players, and try to get them to play in tune.....
Thank you all for your ongoing love, encouragement and support, and for continuing to visit Lee.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Lee completed a round of dialysis. All went well, however, he is now running a fever of 101. There is no concern at this time, but they are scratching their heads as they track down the source.
His nurse gave him some Tylenol. Other than that his stats are fine:
Pulse = 96
BP = 116/44
O22 30%
PEEP 5%
O2 sat = 98%
He continues to respond when he is awake. He is a little sluggish following the latest dialysis treatment, but has figured out how much people enjoy his eyebrow movement, so he doing his best to keep those looking good.
Several of his buddies came by today and were pleased with Lee's progress. They are taking turns asking him to move his eyebrows, and when he does not fall asleep in front of them, he responds.
He does cough on his own, but the next big event they are using as a benchmark is to have him cough on command. For those of you with some great stories (that you know will force him to access the big belly laughs), come on in and take turns. Or bring in a couple of oboe players, and try to get them to play in tune.....
Thank you all for your ongoing love, encouragement and support, and for continuing to visit Lee.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Updates on Lee - Monday, April 18 - 1000
The wifi crisis has been averted.
Remember to take care of your tax stuff........
0439 - Peaceful night for Lee. He was responsive to me and the nurse several times with his eyebrow movement. His stats are fine. Current as follows: HR 83 BP 123/45
02 30% PEEP 5 Saturation 96. X-Ray was taken at 0400
0745 - Things still going fine. Lee just responded to Melinda's request to open his eyes and raise eyebrows. Numbers are about the same as what they were a few hrs ago. More later. Love you all. ❤️
0950 - Dr. Nathan (Ahmed's group) stopped by. Probably for less than a minute. He did say things look better. Plan is to get Lee more alert and breathing more on his own so they can get him off he vent.
Jazz playing all morning.
1005 - Recap: wake Lee up more and get him breathing more on his own. They do not want him gasping for air so they want to see him breathing on his own much more before they remove vent.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Remember to take care of your tax stuff........
0439 - Peaceful night for Lee. He was responsive to me and the nurse several times with his eyebrow movement. His stats are fine. Current as follows: HR 83 BP 123/45
02 30% PEEP 5 Saturation 96. X-Ray was taken at 0400
0745 - Things still going fine. Lee just responded to Melinda's request to open his eyes and raise eyebrows. Numbers are about the same as what they were a few hrs ago. More later. Love you all. ❤️
0950 - Dr. Nathan (Ahmed's group) stopped by. Probably for less than a minute. He did say things look better. Plan is to get Lee more alert and breathing more on his own so they can get him off he vent.
Jazz playing all morning.
1005 - Recap: wake Lee up more and get him breathing more on his own. They do not want him gasping for air so they want to see him breathing on his own much more before they remove vent.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Updates on Lee - Sunday, April 17 - 2100(ish)
For those of you who love reading through the tidbits we try to convey, this will not be one of them.
Some time late this afternoon, the Verizon Service that feeds the Hospital wifi system went wonky. Their plan is to begin maintenance around 2300....In the mean time, we are without direct access to Nanette, as she has T-Mobile cell service. There are two or three corners on that floor that have TMO service, but it would make a very good commercial (TMO bad service vs VZN bad service)....Please refrain from making calls directly to the nurse or room. This is ICU, and each nurse is tasked with two patients. Taking time to fill you in is our job; their job is to help the sick in the room get better.
To the point:
* Lee has been responding well to the trickle feeds.There were some very productive activities this afternoon. Whew!
* The numbers we all watch are the same or better than earlier today.
* The visitors who come by are noticing that Lee is opening his eyes, so they bark out thoughts, feelings and commands. At this time, we are asking that he respond with eyebrow movement. That is the chosen movement, as it has to be deliberate. It is easy to mistake a hand squeeze, or head nod for a spasm or something else. It takes thought and deliberate effort to move eyebrows. Now that they are bushy, it is easier to see them move.
I know it may seem odd to tell it all again, but when you go by to visit, please go ahead and give him the your own updates, as he is now able to process it better. Also detail the hopes and desires for him to share it all with you again. Now that he is opening his eyes, he needs to focus on who is talking to him and what your face looks like. If desired, you can compare facial hair and quality.
Once again, we are still in ICU, and the progress is great, but slow.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Some time late this afternoon, the Verizon Service that feeds the Hospital wifi system went wonky. Their plan is to begin maintenance around 2300....In the mean time, we are without direct access to Nanette, as she has T-Mobile cell service. There are two or three corners on that floor that have TMO service, but it would make a very good commercial (TMO bad service vs VZN bad service)....Please refrain from making calls directly to the nurse or room. This is ICU, and each nurse is tasked with two patients. Taking time to fill you in is our job; their job is to help the sick in the room get better.
To the point:
* Lee has been responding well to the trickle feeds.There were some very productive activities this afternoon. Whew!
* The numbers we all watch are the same or better than earlier today.
* The visitors who come by are noticing that Lee is opening his eyes, so they bark out thoughts, feelings and commands. At this time, we are asking that he respond with eyebrow movement. That is the chosen movement, as it has to be deliberate. It is easy to mistake a hand squeeze, or head nod for a spasm or something else. It takes thought and deliberate effort to move eyebrows. Now that they are bushy, it is easier to see them move.
I know it may seem odd to tell it all again, but when you go by to visit, please go ahead and give him the your own updates, as he is now able to process it better. Also detail the hopes and desires for him to share it all with you again. Now that he is opening his eyes, he needs to focus on who is talking to him and what your face looks like. If desired, you can compare facial hair and quality.
Once again, we are still in ICU, and the progress is great, but slow.
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
Updates on Lee - Sunday, April 17 - 1345
Hello all,
So far, today has been quite productive:
Derek and Gregg fixed the leaky faucets in Lee's domicile. No more water spewing down the drain. Also, some very important music found! Good stuff! His place is secure, and needs some slight organizing, as he a single guy, playing in many places each week, with quite a library collection to process.
The dialysis went well. Another 4 liters removed. His swelling has gone down, and slowly, the body is adjusting to the newer, cleaner Lee. As people have come in and out today, there are smiles and eyebrows raised......there is clearly a different perspective this afternoon, from just a few days ago.
The have officially started to wean him off the ventilator. There are three steps, and it will be another "adjust-wait-and-see" process to follow.
This morning, they started with 35% O2 and 8% peeps. Then 35% O2 and 5% peeps. Now, moments after Derek & Gregg returned after playing "Tim the Toolman," the O2 was lowered to 30% and peeps are still 5%. His O2 sats are still right at 96-97%.
There is now talk of how things will be when he gets home. For now, we will only go through the questions and answers, as there is much more improvement needed. Nanette & Gregg cared for his dad after a stroke, and then her dad when he became wheelchair bound. They have some experience in these matters.
Please take note, there is still a long way to go. We are still in the same ICU room. When the real breakthrough does come, he will move into a room that will require less care.
While we patiently wait, we continue to thank and praise יהוה for His mighty works!
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
So far, today has been quite productive:
Derek and Gregg fixed the leaky faucets in Lee's domicile. No more water spewing down the drain. Also, some very important music found! Good stuff! His place is secure, and needs some slight organizing, as he a single guy, playing in many places each week, with quite a library collection to process.
The dialysis went well. Another 4 liters removed. His swelling has gone down, and slowly, the body is adjusting to the newer, cleaner Lee. As people have come in and out today, there are smiles and eyebrows raised......there is clearly a different perspective this afternoon, from just a few days ago.
The have officially started to wean him off the ventilator. There are three steps, and it will be another "adjust-wait-and-see" process to follow.
This morning, they started with 35% O2 and 8% peeps. Then 35% O2 and 5% peeps. Now, moments after Derek & Gregg returned after playing "Tim the Toolman," the O2 was lowered to 30% and peeps are still 5%. His O2 sats are still right at 96-97%.
There is now talk of how things will be when he gets home. For now, we will only go through the questions and answers, as there is much more improvement needed. Nanette & Gregg cared for his dad after a stroke, and then her dad when he became wheelchair bound. They have some experience in these matters.
Please take note, there is still a long way to go. We are still in the same ICU room. When the real breakthrough does come, he will move into a room that will require less care.
While we patiently wait, we continue to thank and praise יהוה for His mighty works!
Eternal Vigilance
שבח יהוה
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