Today I'm grateful that real life isn't how it is on TV, where there's always visiting hours. Thanks to my work understanding true priorities, I've been so lucky to be able to be with Chris in the hospital the entire time he's been here (both this time and all our previous stays). This morning after spending some time on the ventilator he had a period of respiratory distress. He went into"desat" meaning that his oxygen levels dropped into dangerous levels that set off lots of alarms. Even with his two nurses (his main nurse has a training shadow today) and the respiratory therapist were in his room, despite changing the delivery method and level of his oxygen, he kept declining. I sat there holding his hand, encouraging him to take deep breaths but nothing was helping. Inspiration struck and I remembered that his trach cuff was still inflated from being on the ventilator. The cuff makes it so air can't get around the trach, so everything that they were doing to try and increase his oxygen wasn't making it past the trach to where it needed to be. I brought this to their attention, they released the saline in the cuff and things quickly improved. Trach's aren't super common even here in the hospital, and his is a rare very custom one. I'm sure they likely would have eventually figured out the problem, but being in the right place, at the right moment is something I am truly grateful for.
Taking time to walk around the hospital, I've learned that for me, it's best to look straight ahead. While the clothing they have is surely a giveaway, the look of fear and trauma in the eyes of guests visiting family or friends is enough to make your heart break. No matter what we are going through, there's many people in the hospital in much more challenging situations. Just the signs on the door is enough to convince you that things to could be worse. When doors are open in an ICU, without your eyes straight ahead you can see some pretty scary situations. Today while looking straight ahead there was a cart with some snacks. My first thought was that it was a thank-you to the hard working staff, but walking past I noticed a ticket saying it was a bereavement cart. My heart breaks for the family who lost their loved one today.
We thought we might be going home today, but his kidneys are still declining. His potassium levels are still high, but luckily stable. If his potassium gets higher, it can cause problems with his heart. They believe his kidney's will improve, but said they they will likely get worse until they get better. So for now we are here waiting for them to improve. The past month and a half has been a challenge with lots of unexplained medical issues, and trying to get to all of the appointments has been stressful for both of us. Today I'm very grateful to be in a place where they can watch over everything and where the doctors come to you.
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