A Bad Day - A Busy Week

After spending as close to 100 days in ICU last year, we have become quite familiar with the protocol of the ICU unit. So, walking in comparing yesterday with today was quite a difference.

To contrast, yesterday (Saturday), dad was fully alert even while on the ventilator. He was doing his physical therapy, listened to the football game, shook hands with the visitors that came by. Even though he is not able to talk due to the ventilator, he was still able to communicate. And, we had a wonderful nurse who kept us informed about information, tests. The doctor was impressed with Dad's energy and strength.

Today, I went down to visit dad after church. Mom and my sister had gone down earlier. The nurse had him fully sedated with his hands tied down. And she wasn't full of information for Mom on the reason why. When I showed up, I got a few more answers out of her, but not much more. In fact, she rushed out of his room pretty quickly and was not around for most of the afternooon.

After being gone for over an entire hour, she popped in and said that only 2 people could be in his room. Since she was there, I let her know I wasn't happy with the level of care that he was receiving this afternoon since she has not been around. While she was gone, dad was coughing and needed to be suctioned, but she wasn't there. He had several monitors going off, including one on his ventilator that needed to be adjusted, and she wasn't there. We had to inform her that it had been that way for over 2 hours. I've never seen a nurse totally leave a critical patient for over an hour without transitioning care to another nurse.

I left so that Mom and my sister could be the two in the room. And my sister stated the nurse stayed by dad's side the entire time catching up on everything she hadn't done. As they found out, there were several other things the nurse had neglected to do for dad today.

As you can tell, I'm a little upset. You see, I revere our ICU nurses. I have always been in awe at how they can work 12-14 hour days with such intensity and with such critical patients. We have always had great nurses with Titus. And Dad's nurse on Saturday was fantastic and a great advocate for dad all day. Today though, it just didn't happen.

The doctor did come by later that afternoon and we did learn new information. Apparently when they gave dad blood yesterday during surgery (and he had an allergic reaction), it was because they gave him the wrong blood type. The doctor was incredibly apologetic, but after the day we had had with the nurse, it was a bit unsettling that this mistake could have happened. The doctor did switch dad's pain medication this morning and did want him to be sedated all day so he could rest. If only the nurse could have told us that this morning, it would have made things go much smoother.

A lot of Dad's swelling has gone down, but they are now believing he has an injury to his lungs - they just are not able to really detail what that injury is. And they believe he is still having some small internal bleeding, but they have not pinpointed where that could be coming from.

They will also be putting in a filter in his arteries to catch any blood clots. This is pretty standard and a good preventive measure to take since Dad is going to be down for awhile and is unable to take any anti-coagulant since he's still internal bleeding.

Please continue to pray for Dad. He has a lot of healing to do. I know he's a strong and healthy man, and I have to pray that he is protected and safe when we are not there. I pray his nurses will care for him, watch over him, and follow the doctor's orders. Mom is tired and this is a whole new world for her. Please continue to pray for her strength and rest during this time.

Titus has a busy week ahead. Along with therapy tomorrow, Titus several pre-op checkups this week before his cleft-palate surgery a week from Monday.

The boys also start back to swimming practice, tickets to the King Tut exhibit, and Homeschool CO-OP this week, and we are arranging for all the care the following week when Titus has surgery.

And, I don't even want to bore you with the details of my work schedule, but let's just say, I have some intensive work to do over the next few weeks that requires me to be accurate, alert, and very detailed. I know when it rains it pours - and this is just how it's going to be. It's a good reminder that no matter how busy I think I am, how self-important I can get, how righteously indignant I may get with a nurse (or think I did), my steps are numbered and "my light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs it all. "

Well, I should go to bed. I've rewritten this 3 times. My head needs to let it go and put my trust (and my dad) in the Lord's hands. Bad days happen. Mistakes happen. Tomorrow is a new day, with new nurses, new doctors, more tests. So, let it rain, let it pour, bring it on.