Dear Friends:
Adam had a good day but it was emotionally draining, too. Several
things went very well today. First, they wanted to take him off the
ventilator
for four hours; however, he did so well that they left him off for nine. So,
he breathed on his own with only an oxygen mask loosely placed over his
tracheostomy opening. The oxygen level was set at 48% (a lower setting) and
Adam's
oxygen saturation readings stayed consistently at 100%.
The second exciting thing was Adam's case manager gave us four names of
physical rehabilitation centers as possible next steps to bringing Adam home.
Once Adam is completely weaned from the ventilator and he remains medically
stable he will probably be transferred to a rehabilitation center in about 48
hours. After getting advice from our friends Donna, Cheryl and Rick, and a
couple of the nurses at Shock Trauma, we have decided to send Adam to the
Kernan Hospital. They are an orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital that is
used to handling patients from Shock Trauma. So we are getting closer to the
48
hour window before a transfer.
Third, Adam, so far, has passed his swallowing tests. He has enjoyed
blue applesauce and has not enjoyed blue puréed chicken and gravy, potatoes,
and squash. Puréed to make it easier to swallow (if not for the taste).
Blue
so they can make sure he is not aspirating any of it.
Fourth, they placed a speaking valve on Adam's tracheostomy and he was
able to whisper. It will take a little bit of time for Adam to use this
without adding to the stress of breathing on his own. There are several
reasons
why Adam only can whisper from the vocal cords having been irritated by the
previous breathing tubes to a consequence of his aorta surgery. Everyone
feels
Adam will probably overcome this.
Fifth, all drain tubes have been removed from his chest and abdomen. His
blood gasses were "fantastic." His strength continues to grow.
It has been an emotionally draining day because Adam is very agitated.
He has the ICU's version of "cabin fever." As he continues to wake up he
goes through stages of dealing with the reality of his situation. Today has
been the strong desire to "go home." It is a very common stage that you can
hear other patients go through. However, it is hard to look into your son's
eyes and tell him, "no, you have to stay here." It was a day of trying to
keep
him calm. When the nurse came in with a needle and syringe, Dave asked,
"What is that?" "It is for anxiety," was the reply. "Great!" Then Dave
rolled up his sleeve but it turned out to be for Adam.
Over the last several days we have gone over the accident with Adam
including the death of his dear friend, Jonny. The medicine he is on for pain
has kept him in a fog, though we can have conversations with him sometimes he
does not remember them very well. Again, a very common problem as patients
"wake up."
Pleas continue to pray
• Adam will not develop any infections
• He will continue to be successfully weaned from the ventilator
• His body will grow stronger and his "numbers" remain good.
• His vocal chords will regain full function
• For Adam's siblings, Aryana, Ian, and Conor as they deal with
Adam's absence and the frequency of us being gone.
• God will bless those attending Adam, especially his nurses over
the last couple of days: Roy, Brian, Julie, Colette, Ashley, and Tasha.
• That we will represent the love of Christ well to those we come
in contact with during this journey.
• For the Bailey's and those at Stevenson University as they plan
Jonny's memorial service on Thursday, November 13. Below we have included
information regarding this.
A verse we shared with Adam is John 14:1 (NIV) where Jesus said, "Let not
your hearts be troubled, Trust in God; trust also in me." We share it not
just
to remind Adam about Christ's words but ourselves, too. It is easy to sink
into the anxiety of circumstances and we remind ourselves to keep our faith
focused on Christ.
We thank God for Adam and for each of you. And thank you for your prayers,
and kind words and thoughts.
Dave and Lisa
>>On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, Jonathan Bailey, a junior Information
Systems major, was tragically killed in an automobile accident. During his
time at
Stevenson University, Jonathan left a positive and lasting impact on so many
of the students, staff and faculty. To honor his memory and celebrate his
life, the University has planned a "Memorial Service & Celebration of Life" for
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. in the St. Paul Pavilion on the
Greenspring campus. Please join the Stevenson University Community as we
reflect
and remember the special way in which Jonathan impacted so many of us.<<
**************
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