Dorothy ran a small fever again yesterday. It’s not anything the doctor is very concerned about, though they are going to run another set of cultures and review some chest X-rays to be safe.
They changed her sedation medication yesterday. A side effect of the previous medication was to increase triglyceride levels. Dorothy was experiencing that, so to protect her pancreas and other organs from damage, they initially lowered the dosage. That didn’t work, so they made the switch. The downside of the new medication is that it can take longer to wean off from. The new medication has also increased her heart rate, so they are keeping a close eye on that.
She continues to improve her oxygen levels. In the past two or three days, they have been keeping the ventilator up in the 70 to 80% range when she has been on her back. She is down to 55% today.
The plan for today is to keep on doing the same things they have been and to watch for further improvements.
Brian,
Thank you so much for giving me this site where you have posted Dorothy’s daily condition. You have done a fantastic job of describing all the procedures. I’ll let the R. Society know so they can post it for everyone. We care a lot about Dorothy and pray for her strength to get better. Charlotte Holt
So is Dot sedated 100% of the time? Or is she intermittently away? Are you able to go in a visit with her?
*awake
Yes, she is being sedated 24/7 at this time. I am actually grateful that she isn’t really aware of what is happening to her right now given the duration of the healing process.
Even if she weren’t being sedated, we would not be allowed to visit her since she in the ICU. Once they wake her up, we are told that we will be able to video chat with her.
Thank you for the continued updates, Brian.
Thank you for taking the time to give this updates!