In a nutshell Max had a pretty OK night which in the big picture is not bad after open heart surgery. Most of his numbers, i.e., lab work, vital signs, etc. looked good. There were a few things that needed "tweaking" but there always is. Max spent most of the night decidedly NOT knocked out as he should have been. No matter how much pain medication they threw at him he continued to fight the breathing tube. He and I spent a good part of the night playing a game of charades as he tried desperately to talk to me over the tube. As many of you can guess the two words he mostly mouthed to me were "hungry" and "water". Classic Max.
By the time they decided to take him off the ventilator early this morning the drugs decided to kick in and he was just too sleepy to breathe on his own. However, when his surgeon came in mid-morning Max was ready to go and out came the tube.
Here's where the ride begins. Once the tube came out Max was doing well enough for me to leave Michele in charge for a bit while I ran home to take a shower.....very short lived. Max has a pretty regular routine after being extubated and he decided to follow that routine once again. His left lung is now almost completely collapsed and he is needing a decent amount of support to keep his respiratory numbers more or less where they should be. As you can imagine he looks miserable and now needs pain medication. Of course there is a very intricate dance that takes place when mixing narcotics, poor breathing and a need to "cough things up". We need to give Max enough to make him comfortable and willing to cough but not so much as to suppress his breathing.
All of this is part of the "ride". The good news is that everyone is working as a team and we are still very hopeful that we can move past "stable" and get back to "improving". After all, Max and I need to get out of the PICU and to our private room quickly. Neither of us share space well!
So today's prayers are for better breathing, re-inflation of his left lung, and to hold off the low grade temp he seems to be running.
Thanking everyone for following us and continuing to pray....stay tuned.....
5 comments:
I have never liked roller coasters but I do like team work!!
Praying with Love and Hope,
~ Chris A ~
Hope Max bails from the PICU soon. Sounds like things are going as expected and that is all good.
P.S., those residents in the PICU should be implementing the Touchstones program - ask to see their stone :-)
Love ya'
Ann
Checking on you tonight. Hope it is an easier night for all & the ride levels out soon.
Stay strong Marangella family! Max is a fighter.
Praying for a quick recovery for Max. Tell him I decided to hold off on the fundraiser for RFJ because I want him to be home and feeling well enough to come! He is, after all, our ambassador! Praying for you and Michele too. Love, Tory
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