A Fever

Heather has done reasonably well today. It has been really nice to be able to communicate with her, if only a little. She seems scared and distressed to me, which is hard to see. She clearly wants to talk, but it is really hard to guess what she wants to tell me when she cannot say anything. It is also hard to know how much she understands about what is going on. I have tried to explain what she has been through.

The nurses who have seen many people in similar situations as Heather's say that people typically want three things: to get the tube out of their throat, a drink, and to go home. They also say that people don't tend to remember much of what is said while they are in this state. So, it is hard to know if I should explain what has happened to her repeatedly or what I can say to help her gain some sense of where she is and what is going on. She has been awake often throughout the day, but she also sleeps quite a bit. She hasn't needed any sedative, but has been given a lot of the pain killer.

Her bowels are still quite sluggish, if they are moving at all. This afternoon she spiked a fever of about 103 or 104 (39.6). They are unsure what that might be and are running several tests and cultures to figure it out. It could be infection in any number of places, her lack of bowel action, etc. They have given her an antibiotic. They have also given her a medication that counteracts the narcotic they are giving her just in the bowel. Hopefully all of that will help.