Today, not much has changed with Collin as far as his condition. His liver enzyme levels are about the same, which are way too high still. This is an indicator of the condition of his liver and the stage of failure that it is in. It went down a little yesterday, but it remained about the same today.
They added another pain medication for as needed use to ensure he is kept comfortable. When I was there yesterday, I noticed that he has been much calmer the last couple of days on the other new pain medication they started a couple of days ago. He doesn't get quite as worked up as he did before, though he still does get worked up from time to time. But overall he is calmer and resting more now than before. They are pretty sure he is pretty comfortable at this point, which is very helpful and comforting for Julie, Heath and the rest of the family! It is hard enough to see him as he is, but it is much worse when he is in pain or uncomfortable.
He is still responding when people speak to him by opening his mouth a little and scrunching up his face. He is still moving his arms and legs around as well. He slept a lot yesterday, probably because he was wiped out from Monday's activities. It seems to me that he is sleeping for longer periods of time now, but that could just be my perspective.
They are still not going to be doing mouth care to the extent they were before. You see, before they were trying to clean his mouth up really well. However, his mouth is breaking down just like the rest of his skin, and so whenever they would touch the sides of his mouth, it would cause them to break down. It is a catch 22 because if they clean his mouth, it causes breakdown, if they don't clean his mouth, it can cause infection and other problems. So, they are kind of trying to clean it a little without touching the skin by suctioning pooling blood and wiping his cheeks a little. It is a balancing act right now of trying to keep his mouth as clean as possible without irritating the skin. The ICU South nursing staff are doing a great job of trying to keep everything balanced - or keep the three ring circus going steady as I referred to it before!
He still has the catheter in to help keep his bladder from swelling up again. He is still on the low level of dialysis he has been on all week. His kidneys are still not responding to the dialysis like they had hoped.
They lowered his vent today from 32 breaths per minute to 24 breaths per minute. This is the setting that the vent will help to make sure that Collin takes at least that amount of breaths. Like I have said before, if the number of actual breaths is over the number the vent is set on, that tells us that he is breathing a little on his own. There is also a green line that shows us when he breaths on his own - it turns purple in the spots where he takes his own breaths. Every now and then, he still breaths on his own just a little.
The bleeding is still the same out of his mouth, and he is still going through a LOT of blood/blood products. We still need people to go donate blood asap to help restock the Indiana Blood Center's supply. Again, we need people to donate "in Collin's honor" but not directly to Collin because of the time and paperwork involved in donating directly to Collin. It is easier to just restock the general supply. Please spread the word to your coworkers, churches, schools, and other friends and family to encourage them to donate blood if they are able. I know a lot of people are unable to give, so spread the word so that we can find as many people who are able as possible!!!
As far as the plan goes, Julie is still giving the doctors till tomorrow or Friday to keep treating Collin. Then, she is going to spend a couple of days talking to Heath (Collin's stepfather), Collin's biological father, and the rest of the family to determine the best course of action for Collin. She is hoping to have an idea of what we plan to do next by Sunday or Monday, roughly. But, this is of course very tentative. We just like to have a rough plan in place so we all kind of know what is going on.
They are likely putting in a chest tube to drain fluid off of his lungs. The fluid is inside of his lungs. They can do this by his bedside, and they won't need to put him under anesthesia. They will just give him a local and give him some extra sedation that he is already on. We aren't 100% sure if they are going to do it today, but it is likely to be done between 2:45 and 3:45 roughly. They are hoping to do it today because the risk of bleeding is lower today because his platelet count is a little higher today. The tube is very small and won't be as invasive as the central lines are.
That is all I have for now. As always, I'll get another post up asap, and you are all welcome to call em with any questions, concerns, comments you might have. Please avoid contacting Julie if possible because she cannot use her phone in Collin's room and she has to leave the ward to do so.
However, visitation is still open to anyone over 18 who wishes to come. Just meet in the family lounge and we will take you back in groups of 2 or 3 at a time. Please do not just go into his room because we may already have visitors back there. If you do not know where the family lounge is, or need directions, etc., please contact me. Also, if you do come, please contact Julie or I so that we know you are there and can come get you! : ) My number is 317-430-0805. You can text me or call me anytime.
My family and I cannot express how thankful we are for the love and support you all have been providing to us these last few days, weeks, and months. Thank you so much for everything you do and continue to do for us!
Please also note that there is a prayer vigil being held tonight at the Whiteland United Methodist Church in Whiteland Indiana. See my previous blog entry for more details!
Don't forget to donate blood for Collin too!!
Love,
Jenn
"Aunt Sissy"
317-430-0805
jenndwilson83@yahoo.com
Sending prayers to everyone. Following faithfully.
ReplyDeleteDana W Jones