Virginia Busts Out!
Virginia has been busy this week. Almost two weeks ago (Tuesday) Virginia had a tracheostomy. Then a week later (actually Wednesday) she had a longer tube inserted. Once the duplicate (for backup) showed up the therapies (physical, occupational and
speech) got busy. Within several days she was sitting up in a chair and soon was ordered to be up four times a day. She has been sitting in a recliner or wheel chair.
She hasn't been able to swallow food very well. She has a tube through her nose (nasogastric or NG) to feed her. So, with the trach tube and feeding tube in there the food competes for room! So one thought that had life for a few days was surgically inserting the tube directly to her stomach (gastric tube or GT). This would get the nasogastric tube out of the way of the breathing and eating. She would still work at eating and better breathing. When she was able to eat and/or breathe
without a tube, the tubes would be on their way out.
They keep testing her swallowing but the results are not always good. Some times she is just tired so they retest the next day. She does love her ice chips and popsicles. however! The popsicles are now low sugar (her favorite brand).
I was just thinking about her having visitors lately. I found out today (Sunday) that she was upgraded from ICU status to PCU status
(which is better) several days ago. I didn't know it because she was physically in the same room. Sometimes they do that if PCU doesn't have room or if the patient needs equipment built into the room.
Today (Sunday) she worked hard. They had her up doing therapies. Once she was up in the wheelchair and was wheeled around the ICU for a couple of laps with the oxygen in tow. Her goal is to visit the gift shop.
Someone out there has an occassion coming up for whom she desperately wants to buy a card or gift. I told her I would get her a doctor's excuse for being late but she is undaunted in her requests.
{Happy Dance mode ON}
Then today (Sunday) shortly after noon she was moved from PCU to 5 West (a med-surg floor) room 525-2. We kept her up from earlier and wheeled her up in the wheelchair.
We got her up yet again into the wheelchair for a trip to the imaging department for a chest x-ray. She was accompanied by myself, transport, respiratory, an RN
and an oxygen tank. The regular x-ray equipment gives better information than the portable views.
This is the second time she was able to get out of her room and both in the same day!
{Happy Dance mode on PAUSE}
Upon arriving back at the room it may have been just too much for her. While in the chair just before we could get her into bed, she started turning ashen colored in the face and her oxygen saturation dropped quite low. It was reading 41% but she was gripping her fingers tight. When she relaxed a bit the oxygen read 54%. The RN's swung into immediate action but also called for respiratory backup. They got her back to re-oxygenating. The doctor had her go back to PCU for 1-2 nights where they can keep a closer watch on her (the nurses have 1-2 patients).
So at 7:15 pm we arrived back on the second floor for another night in PCU.
