Weekend Miscellany

First, the important bits . . . Eddie is resting well today and is as comfortable as I have seen him since we've been in hospital. His nurses are wonderful and have done everything possible to help him relax . . . a very difficult task with multiple IV lines, heart and temperature monitors, and large cannulae running along one side of his head. Eddie really loves to have his teeth brushed since it is the only way he gets any water or moisture into his mouth. I can only imagine how hard it is for him since his breathing tube makes oral feeding impossible . . . and am not surprised that the liquid nutrition he receives via his nasogastric tube doesn't quite satisfy . . . diagram included to encourage sympathy :-)

After talking with our cardiologist and the CICU (Cardiac ICU) attending, it appears unlikely that we'll need to de-list Eddie as a result of his rhinovirus. They are going to ask the surgeon to confirm, but since there is no clinical evidence of the virus, level of concern is quite low. As a precaution, however, Eddie will stay in isolation for the next few days until cultures come back negative.

Overall, his improvement has been strong and his heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, neuropsych function, etc. are in a good place. We are still concerned with his lungs since he continues to cough up fresh blood through his breathing tube, but overall, his AM x-rays look clearer and his chest sounds much looser than yesterday. Hopefully the blood will soon darken (dark brown/tan is much better than pink/red since it signifies old blood vs. new) and diminish. Also some concern about kidney function based on creatinine levels, etc., but he seems to be heading in the right direction.

For the rest of the weekend, our goal is to keep him relaxed and give his body the chance to recover from the stresses of the last week. Monday, when everyone is back in the hospital, we will assess his condition and determine when (not if) to implant the LVAD/Berlin Heart . . . most likely Tuesday or Wednesday.

On a more mundane note, I promised to share some pictures of our living quarters at the Waldorf Astoria @ Seattle Children's. As you can see, we're living quite comfortably and are in no rush to leave . . .

Ok, and when I wake up from my dream, this is actually what I see:

So while I don't have a relaxing pool at the foot of my bed, I can rest comfortably knowing that the door is only inches away. And then when the weekend comes, and I'm ready for some excitement, I can head down the hall to watch my clothes dry . . . who needs a vacation getaway?!

In all seriousness, the facilities here have made our stay incredibly comfortable. All laundry services are gratis, there are bathrooms and showers down the hall, and the fact that we have a twin bed in a private room to sleep in each night is far more than I originally expected . . . certainly much better than trying to lay down on the couch in Eddie's room. Makes me nostalgic for the 7th floor of V-Hall at DT (BYU dorms) . . . those wild and crazy days.