We all had hopes of Oliver being extubated off the ventilator today, but Oliver had different ideas. Early this morning (about 4am) they switched the ventilator settings to "CPAP" which essentially are intermediate settings between full ventilator support and being off the vent. Shortly after this he had a big desaturation, down as low as 50%, and was not able to recover on his own so they intervened and went back up to full ventilator support with low settings. His morning chest x-ray showed more fluid than the previous day, his electrolytes are still off balanced, and he's been having trouble processing the carbon dioxide out of his system - all factors that work against him being able to breath adequately on his own.
So, as the doctors put it during rounds this morning, this will not be a "typical" extubation procedure.
Oliver is overall still doing well, at least compared to few days of acute illness that caused his admission here, and we're hoping that we'll be able to have him off the ventilator by Monday.
On one hand this setback was a bit dissapointing, but we're getting used to Oliver taking his own time to stabilize, so on the other hand it makes sense that his body will need a gentler, slower transition. Contrary to my natural inclinations regarding hospitals, for Oliver I am in favor of longer hospital stays, slower transitioning, and more monitoring because of the puzzling nature of his underlying condition, so thankfully I'm not stressed out about being here longer each time he takes a step back. Don't get me wrong - I can't wait to get home, but I'm very happy to wait until we are as sure as possible that he's stable enough to get there.
Thank you all for your continued prayers.
So, as the doctors put it during rounds this morning, this will not be a "typical" extubation procedure.
Oliver is overall still doing well, at least compared to few days of acute illness that caused his admission here, and we're hoping that we'll be able to have him off the ventilator by Monday.
On one hand this setback was a bit dissapointing, but we're getting used to Oliver taking his own time to stabilize, so on the other hand it makes sense that his body will need a gentler, slower transition. Contrary to my natural inclinations regarding hospitals, for Oliver I am in favor of longer hospital stays, slower transitioning, and more monitoring because of the puzzling nature of his underlying condition, so thankfully I'm not stressed out about being here longer each time he takes a step back. Don't get me wrong - I can't wait to get home, but I'm very happy to wait until we are as sure as possible that he's stable enough to get there.
Thank you all for your continued prayers.
Praying that God bolsters up your little lad, giving him strength and health in just the right time.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to love on your girlies, too! Soul food. Stretching your love over the miles must be so difficult; I'm thankful that Joel's mom is available to care for them in ways you're unable to right now, and that you're able to fill them up with some mama-love, too.