Patience Required

Heather seems to be holding steady. There really isn't much new to report. Her numbers are all really good and she is doing quite well, considering. They doctors all seem really relieved and happy with her progress. They hope to lighten her sedation, but every time they do so she seems quite uncomfortable (wincing, rolling her head back and forth, breathing irregularly, etc.), so they increase the sedation again. They say it will be slow and gradual. When she is able to breathe more normally on her own and respond to commands (eg., hold up two fingers, lift up your head, etc.) they will take her off the ventilator. It is clearly uncomfortable for her (as it would be for any of us), as she tries to bite it and use her tongue to push it out when they let her wake up at all. Her arms are tied to the bed so that she cannot reach up and pull it out. Last night, because she was biting the tube so much, they put a device called an "enforcer" (pleasant sounding, isn't it?) on her face. This looks like some kind of orthodontic headgear. It is a plastic mask/mouthpiece that prevents her from biting through her tube. It looks worse, but seems like it would be far more comfortable. Before, they just had a ribbon that looked like a horse's bridle that cut into her cheeks holding the tube in. Heather has had a bit of a fever, so they are doing cultures of her blood to find out if the elevated temps are due to infection.

The hard part for me right now is being patient, while we wait for her to be well enough to come off the sedation and to get off the ventilator. I know I should be grateful that she is doing so well (and I truly am), but I also want her to be well NOW! I'm sure regaining consciousness will not be a pleasant experience for her.