Pushing the vent

I couldn't make it up yesterday to see Sara, so my sweetheart Don went by. I had a training session to give over the Internet and a project depending on it.

Don has this great way about him. Although he is a well-spoken, educated man he can be a big warm teddy bear. He's been around Sara, indirectly, for the past 3 years. He has never been interested, nor have I for that matter, been interested in him participating in the raising of my children. But he is a significant part of my life, as are my children, so paths do cross. Invariably, there is laughter. Don has this way of taking his easy manner, and quick wit, and poking fun at and with about anybody. It is no less the case with my kids.

So, when he gets around Michael they start playing two big dudes crashing into each other. Each one nudging and taunting the other the way that buddies do.

When he gets around Sara they trade silliness and poking fun at or pulling my leg. But he can always make her laugh, even when she doesn't want to.

The fact that he is able to make her laugh now, about anything and everything, is truly great. I know that when I can't get there he will go see her for me, and give her a familiar face to grin at. I'm sure that when she is again able to talk that I will hear all about it. But for now, it makes her smile and that's all that matters.

I found out today that they changed her over from a ventilation rate to spontaneous ventilation again = so she is breathing on her own, and triggering the ventilator. She is on pressure support, and it is actually fairly minimal. She went to spontaneous yesterday after being on full support since Christmas Day. But today, for some reason, the doctors decided to try and take her off the ventilator. Well, it didn't work. Too much too fast. I guess they saw how well she tolerated going back to triggering the ventilator herself and decided after seeing her push the ventilator at a good rate that she was ready. Well, she was clearly not.

I have a problem with this, as they have done a vent off test yet again without me there. I have told them that I want to be there. Sara has blinked agreement that she wants me there. It is written in her chart. And still they pull her off, watch her struggle to breathe, and put her back on. I am not there to encourage her, comfort her, reassure her afterwards. It is always apparent to me when they have been monkeying with her breathing, as she is drenched with sweat from working so hard, and gets scared when ever she even seems to have an issue starting.

I'm calling her main doctors tomorrow to see if they can get it through their heads that I am serious that I want to be there and not to try another vent off without me there. I also want to check when they are going to start working on getting the collar off her. it has been 9 weeks now. So, we'll see after tomorrow what the (coordinated) plan is for the next week...

As for the special for today - her Grandmother spent a few hours with her. They watched Stargate SG1 and just hung out. Sara really seems to enjoy it. I'll let Sande tell you all about it...