6/5/09

Today has been an up and down day. The doctor said that Jon's xray looked a little better maybe. Jon's white count was up a little. His temp is down still. His heart rate is good. Jon's blood pressure is a little high but the doctor said that he'd rather it was a little high rather than low. The doctor said that he thought that Jon was better and going to continue to get better. It is just going to be a long recovery for his lungs. Another doctor (either rehab or pt) came by and said that the doctor had asked him to stop by. He said that he would be helping stimulate Jon's brain when he was ready. When the nurse changed Jon's sheets and gown today, she had him reclined. When she sat him up, his oxygen went down. It finally was coming up about an hour later and we discovered that his bed was reclined too much. The nurse sat him up and the monitors all went off. Jon's oxygen went down to about 88-92. They were having a lot of trouble getting it up. As we were sitting there watching everything, we noticed that Jon began to move his head and mouth. It made us wonder b/c he was on paralytic. We stopped the nurse and she said that he was dreaming. Jon continued to move. We talked to her again. She called in RT. It looked like Jon was trying to breathe through his mouth. They took off the vent and used the bag to try to dislodge a mucus plug. They didn't get it but did get it moved. The put the vent back on. They figured out that the paralytic medication was not getting to Jon in the proper amount at least for a brief time and it was allowing him to move. They got it corrected...They have also been in contact w/ the doctor on call. He said to move the oxygen to 70% and do a blood gas and then call him. The RT/nurse figured out that a tube on the vent was loose and that the pressure on the vent was wrong. Hopefully, with all of these things corrected, Jon's oxygen level will increase. It is so stressful to see Jon go through these ups and downs. I have gotten up and gone to the waiting room several times today...Please continue to pray for Jon to have a speedy, healthy recovery. It is remarkable, no matter your situation, be thankful for what God has given to you because as you look around, you will find that you have been given many blessings. Never count anything out when you have God on your side:)

6/4/09

Last night around 10 the nurse was giving Jon a bath and changing his sheets. They had Jon flat for about 30 minutes. When they sat him back up, his oxygen went down to about 87 and was not going up. They increased the oxygen to 70% and it still didn't go up. The doctor was next door getting a new patient situated so when he was finished he decided to do a bronchial scope. The doctor was able to get a lot of stuff out of Jon's lungs. After the procedure they had Jon's oxygen at 100%. By this morning his oxygen was already down to 50%. Jon's x-ray looked a little better today. Jon's white count was up a little bit today. The infectious disease doctor is also monitoring some of Jon's mucus. Some bacteria has grown on it, but everyone has bacteria so they are waiting to see if it turns into anything else. They also got Jon a vibrating bed. It vibrates and rotates. They will be able to use this for Jon's respiratory treatments. Jon's condition seems to change sometimes with his position. Jon's body fluid level is at 12. The normal level is 8-10. They are giving Jon medicine to help with this. Continue to pray for Jon's recovery. He is still very sick and has a long road ahead of him, but we have faith that he will continue to get stronger each day.

6/3/09

Jon has had a good day. His temperature is down to around 99. His oxygen level is good as well as his heart rate and blood pressure. His blood gasses were in the 90s today. Yesterday they were in the 60s. His xray was better. The doctor said that he was pleases with the change in the xray and that he is optimistic. Jon's white count is in the normal range now. God is once again answering our prayers one by one. The doctor wants Jon completely sedated and paralyzed today so that it allows his lungs to heal faster and he doesn't try to over breathe. When he is more aware his respirations go up. Earlier this morning he was less sedated and he raised his eye brow when I told him that I was here for the day. When I told his nurse that he was that aware and raising his eye brow at me he raised it again so I told Jon that I was going to sit down so that he would rest and get better. Please continue to pray for Jon's continued healing. He needs strength. We appreciate everyone's continued support and prayers.

PRAY! PRAY!PRAY!

Jon is very, very sick. The ARDS (Acute Respiratry Distress Syndrome--this is what Jon had earlier when he was so sick) and pneumonia are both affecting his lungs. The x-ray from today looked worse than yesterdays. Yesterday, there was only a small spot at the bottom of his right lung. Today, both lungs are cloudy. They have him completely sedated and paralyzed so that he is not breathing at all on his own. They want the ventilator to do all of the work. They do not want Jon to be coughing or anything. This is a VERY serious situation. The doctor told Mom that he is very concerned and that the next 24 hours are very important!

What we have to be thankful for: A nurse told Mom that they had seen lungs in worse shape and those people ended up fine. Also, Jon's white count is down today. They do have some room to make changes in his ventilator. It is set at 40% oxygen and the PEEP is at 10 so they have room to go if they need to. Before, the ventilator was at 100% oxygen, at least 15-20 on the PEEP, he had the ossilating ventilator, and nitric oxide...we are still better now than we were then...

PLEASE PRAY FOR JON AND THE DOCTORS AND NURSES TO KNOW HOW TO TREAT HIM APPROPRIATELY. WE ARE VERY WORRIED, YET VERY FULL OF FAITH AND TRUST IN GOD. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY FOR JON! I CAN'T ASK IT ENOUGH TIMES.

Last night

Jon had a good night. His vitals were all good. His temperature was actually down to normal for a few hours during the night. Jon's respiration and heart rate did go up when they were taking his blood. They had to do this in an arterie and this is supposed to be painful. Not very much is draining from Jon's chest tube which is a good sign. I feel so repetitive but I also feel so strongly...prayer and God's will has gotten us this far--Please continue to pray for Jon.

6/1/09

The infectious disease doctor came today and said that Jon's white count was a little lower. They are pretty sure that he has pneumonia, but if he is not better in a day or two they will do a scope and see what is in his lungs. He might have a mucus plug in his right lung?? If he does, they will clean it out when they do the scope. His fever is down to around 100. They are keeping his antibiotic the same. They also told us that the small "cough" like things he was doing is actually not a cough at all; it is a bronchial spasm. They have Jon very sedated in order to allow him to rest and heal. They do not want him coughing or fighting much. It is also helping to keep his respiration rate down and his heart rate down. Please say an extra prayer or two for Jon (and the rest of our family) tonight or whenever you read this. Jon needs extra strength. He needs to fight this infection and have healthy lungs again. Thanks for all of your support. It means so much to us all...

This weekend

Late Saturday afternoon Jon was moved back to ICU at Specialty. He ended up with a collapsed lung and pneumonia. They have taken cultures to see if there is anything else going on. They also put Jon back on the ventilator and on light sedation. The sedative that they chose is a short acting sedative so it will not have to be weaned. They also inserted a chest tube. Once they had Jon settled in ICU he looked MUCH better. He was really having a hard time Saturday. They started him at 100% oxygen on the vent but by late evening they had it down to 60%. When we went back Sunday morning he was at 40%. His fever was down to about 101. The doctor was pleased with his breathing and said to turn the vent to pressure support which means that Jon is breathing on his own and the vent is only a back-up in case Jon doesn't breathe. The doctor said that he wished that his fever was gone. They also consulted with an infectious disease doctor to decide on the appropriate antibiotic. Jon had a really good day on Sunday. Although he was on a sedative, he was still awake for parts of the day. When we would talk to him, the "dazed" look seemed to be gone from his eyes. It was so good to see him this way. The doctor told us that Jon needs a period of medical stability--a period of time where he does not have an elevated heart rate, bp, respiration rate, pneumonia, etc...--so that he can focus on the neuro side of Jon's recovery. About 4 am on Monday, Jon woke up and was lightly feeling of the tubes around his neck. The nurse told him that he could feel of them but not to pull on them. She also told Jon that Mom and Dad would be back in a little while that they were sleeping. Near this time Jon's heart rate and respiration rate went up...(we think maybe he got nervous b/c Jon really doesn't like to be at the hospital) so they put him back on ventilator support and gave him some more sedation. Pray for a quick recovery from this minor set back, a time of medical stability for Jon and that the doctors and nurses have the knowledge to treat Jon in the best possible manner. Also, please pray that we can all continue to have strength. Prayer is such a powerful tool.