Progress and Setbacks

Today was a combination of good progress and further disappointments for our time in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.

The positives:
– 6 tubes, 5 wires/lines, and 2 additional lines have been removed
– down from 11 IV medications to 3, plus morphine on demand
– extubation was successful (despite an initial scare) and Walter is breathing on his own without a ventilator
– the fluid in Walter’s third space cavity and lungs went down to acceptable levels and his chest tube drain was removed
– WE SAW HIS EYES OPEN! And our little warrior is starting to look back like a little boy.

Setbacks:
– the doctors suspect that as a result of changes in blood flow during surgery, Walter may have a section of his intestines damaged. It requires further X-rays and monitoring before we know if surgery is necessary
– though Wally got to move up to unflavored pedialyte this morning, because of the intestinal concerns, he is off all “food” again as he begins a course of antibiotics (and will be receiving nutrients via IV)
– we won’t know if he needs surgery on his intestine for 7 – 10 days, which will keep us in the ICU for at least that time, lengthening our hospital stay to maybe 3 weeks
-we’re quickly learning that ending up in the hospital on holidays and weekends makes everything run extremely (and concerningly) slow. From labs to radiology, to rounds, almost everything is running far behind and taking twice as long as what we are told is normal. Though we are less than thrilled with CHLA as a whole, we have had some truly phenomenal nurses.

We’re glad that we are getting to see more of Walter’s personality return, and continue to pray for good recovery and limit complications.