[getty src=”117039879?et=JJmWsufzzECCOQqkxq2kWw&sig=Fz5v2-N2ppFPJEO2-5hWlwTrWhEeCcmA-zGZfRtJVkA=” width=”400″ height=”669″]
Seems simple huh? We hear this command a lot from the nurses every time the dang vital signs monitor alarm goes off. Dad spent most of yesterday and last night on BiPAP and was able to be taken off that this morning. He is now on a high flow nasal canula which means no annoying mask. No fumbling with the mask everything he wanted to drink something or when he needed to take oral medication. It meant he was able to eat. It also meant he was more easily understood when he talked.
He was looking much better today, even if his chest x-ray showed no improvement in the pneumonia. At least there wasn’t any worsening of the pneumonia. The doctors are a little bit puzzled that the various antibiotics haven’t worked yet. Perhaps it is time to call in Dr. House 🙂
He was in much better spirits today. His eyes were clear and alert. He was holding conversations with the nurse and with mom. He is still very emotional and worried about how much it is costing to stay in the hospital, but as the nurse told him, he can worry about that when he is well. He joked that he will have to get a broom and start earning his room and board. I noticed on the status board in his room that under ‘Activities’ the nurse has written ‘Bed rest’. I said, “Bed rest? Where do they think you will go?’ He laughed. It was good to see him looking better.
My sister had a bit of a panic attack today. She called the hospital to find out how dad was doing. The nurse wouldn’t tell her anything other than he was the same and that she should talk to me or mom. That sent her into a fit as she started thinking something was wrong and she wasn’t being told about it. When we got to the hospital, the nurse asked us to please talk with my sister and let her know that the nurse felt bad that she could not give detailed information over the phone to my sister. That she could tell my sister was getting upset and wanted to give her information, but by law she can’t. Mom explained to my sister that the nurse was not trying to be nasty and that she couldn’t give information over the phone because she has no way to verify who she is giving information to. I hope my sister understands this because that nurse (she was there two days in a row now) is so sweet and is really a wonderful nurse. She has been very upfront with information to us when we are there and she treats dad like royalty. At one point today she spent at least 15 minutes just talking with mom and dad about all sort of stuff. Like how this area has changed, sharing information about her fiance and what kind of wedding she wants and listening to mom and dad tell stories. It was really nice. At one point she got a page from one of the other patients and she said she was going to check on that patient, but she would be right back and she was right back to continue chatting. I am sure if my sister was here, she would see a much different person than her impression of the nurse over the phone.
Anyway, I hope that the physical improvements are a sign that his pneumonia will be clearing up soon. The nurse was able to collect a small sample of lung butter for the lab to analyze. Maybe they will be able to determine what the bug is and what cocktail will kill it. The infectious disease specialist was asking more questions about my bird. It worries me that something related to the bird (dust, bacteria, etc) could have caused this. I don’t know how I will handle it if I have to find a temporary home for Apache if he is the cause of the problem. It is difficult to say what might have triggered this bout of pneumonia, but it is possible that it’s related to the bird. I keep the door to this room closed, the window open and try to keep the amount of feather dust (it literally looks like a heavy dust that protects a birds feathers) down to a minimum, but birds and people with respiratory issues do not mix well.
Oh ya, mom had another good day. Though she did have a bit of an issue with acid reflux today, which she had never had before so it was strange for her. For those who have had acid reflux (aka heart burn) you know the burning and the bad taste in your mouth when you burp or hiccup can be annoying.
Well I think that sums up the day. We shall see what fun stuff tomorrow brings!