Jun 21, 2007

June 18, 2007 - Day 4

By Day 4, we were starting to get into a bit of a routine, which I think will be very helpful moving forward. In the morning, D and I visited Andrew....he was doing well, and there still wasn't much in the way of changes in his vitals. D's mom was staying with us to help with stuff around the house while she continued to recover, and it was a great help to have her around.

In the afternoon I went back with my mom, and Andrew was actually quite active. They keep him well sedated so that he's not in pain and won't move around too much, and they also give him paralytics so that he won't pull out the ECMO tubes....that would be a BAD thing. However, because there's an ebb and flow in his medication and sleep cycles, he is sometimes more or less awake, depending on what time we visit. When we were there in the afternoon, he was moving his leg a bit, taking some breaths, pushing against my mom's hand with his foot, and even trying to open his eyes. The sedation kept him groggy, but it was really nice to see some activity, and to be able to bring home video and pictures of him opening his eyes (just a little).

His vitals stayed normal throughout the day. There's always something that's a little high or a little low, and it's occasionally alarming, but we're starting to get used to the idea that they can regulate these things with the appropriate medication, and one number out of whack is nothing to be alarmed about. It's a time for patience, as we just have to let things happen naturally and let Andrew fight to get better. The ECMO has given him the best opportunity to do so, and we have to let it happen.

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