Late last night before I went to my sister's house to get some sleep I was able to sit down and talk with Heather for quite a while. She was very coherent and definitely understood what I was telling her, even though she obviously could not talk with the ventilator tube in her throat. We were able to work out a better system for her to communicate with me, and it was wonderful to feel like I was able to "connect" with her again. I was able to tell her more about what has gone on, how Hannah is doing, all that so many of you have done for us, etc. It was really nice.
I haven't seen her yet today. They won't let us into the ICU during the nursing shift changes, which are 7:00-8:30 in the morning and evening. However, this morning I called the nurse that was taking care of Heather overnight and she said Heather did really well last night. She said that Heather slept much of the night and has told her that she is not feeling any pain. The nurse was able to reduce her pain medication (Fentanyl) from 140 mcg/hr to 80 without Heather feeling pain. The nurse also said Heather's fever came down to normal, and she was able to have a bowel movement with the help of an enema (Hooray!!!!). The nurse said that it was a good, big bowel movement, and some hard stool came out suggesting that she has been backed up. I'm sorry if this seems too graphic or personal for some of you, but I know many of you want to know and I'm pretty sure Heather doesn't care. The nurse said that immediately after the bowel movement Heather's heart rate dropped to between 70 and 75, which is the lowest it has been in weeks. Her blood pressure has been in the 120s, which is great. In addition, her respirations per minute are down in the teens, while they were up in the 30s yesterday. All in all, it is great news this morning. Please keep the prayers coming! Thank you.
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4 comments:
What a relief!! We are so glad to hear some great news about Heather! We will continue to keep her in our prayers:) Our love to you, Heather, Hannah, and the rest of your families. Robert & Leilani
That's incredible. What a miracle. We are so glad it's progressing so well and that she's not feeling the pain. AMAZING! Again, can't wait to talk to her. We'll continue to pray.
Love, Kev and Janna
So glad to hear things are getting better everyday. I think you would be amazed at the number of people who are following the blog, and are praying for you! Here's hoping for another good day!
Love, Mike and Holly
Dear Mark,
So glad to hear things are looking better. We are praying for all of you and hope things will continue to improve. Know that we love you. Take care.
Uncle Denny and Aunt Francine
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