So I Lied...

As usual, what I thought was going to happen and what is actually going to happen don't exactly match up. Though Heather currently does not have an NG tube (the suction tube that goes in through her nose to her stomach so that bile and gas don't build up), it turns out that they are going to put it back in...at least temporarily. They have increased the rate of her tube feeds (liquid drink akin to Ensure sent through a tube that goes in her nose, through her stomach, and into her small intestine). As you may recall, in the past the doctors and nurses were concerned that her tube feeds may have been backing up into the stomach where they got sucked out by the NG tube. So, as they are increasing her feeds, they want to make sure it isn't just backing up into her stomach. They will put the NG tube down. If it remains clear of tube feeds, they will take it back out.

Heather has been extremely sleepy today. She can barely respond. She seems exhausted, most likely from having to breathe on her own after two weeks of assistance. The physical therapist came in and could barely get her to wiggle. They say she will get stronger quickly. Her voice is just barely beginning to return. The only intelligible word I have heard is, "No!" when I asked her she needed pain medication. She wouldn't be a good drug addict. The narcotics really seem to make her feel sick.