AN UP-AND-DOWN DAY FOR JOHN (actually posted 11/5/13 at 7:00am)
John had a stable night on Sunday and was resting when I joined Paul at the ICU. Through the morning they gradually reduced the amount of oxygen he was receiving and his own levels stayed steady where necessary. At 1:00 the intubation was removed and he simply had a nasal canula. All the vital signs looked good. He was still sedated a bit and unable to talk with his feeding tube in place, yet continued to respond to questions and commands.
After lunch they made an attempt to insert a "pik line" in his arm, but were not able. Then the wound team changed the dressings on his leg and hooked up the wound vac - at that point, John's blood pressure dropped drastically and he was in trouble again. He was put back on the ventilator and given critical care treatment immediately. A central line was inserted. He is now stable again and resting quietly. Finding the balance of the pain meds and other needs he has is quite difficult - all have side effects. Finding the root cause of all these problems still is illusive. He is continuing to fight, but I know he does not know what is happening.
Paul stays with him in ICU at night so I can try to sleep at home. Thanks for your prayers and concerns.
Continuing to keep you in prayer. Mary
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