Well, I have had one heck of a morning here at the hospital with our Hannah. I woke up this morning to a whole bunch of hustle and bustle going in in our room at about 6:00am. Not to mention i had only slept two hours all night. A x-ray machine was being rushed in, people were converging, once again. They said Hannah's breathing tube had "slipped" and that by accident, she was almost extubated (the tube was almost completely out which would not have been good considering the breathing assistance she is still requiring). A few professionals rushed in to fix her tube. This was a big deal. My poor girl had to be given a timed dose of the paralytic medication again so that they could mess with her. All of the ventilator weaning that had been done overnight was all set back to high frequencies again. So, they pushed the tube in about 2cm, which is what the x-ray showed was needed. Then after all of this chaos, they did another x-ray to confirm the new placement. You will never guess, but yep, it was in too deep. Are you freaking kidding me? Now they were going to have to medicate, untape her face, move the tube AGAIN, retape, and settle her back down. I just sat on the couch sobbing and sobbing. When the 30 minutes of Hell was over for my sweet girl, they admitted to me that moving the tube in the first place was a mistake. So, now they had paralyzed my baby again, moved the tube out, moved it back in again all for nothing. They said Hannah must have been laying the wrong way when the original x-ray was taken. She showed false misplacement of the tube. They said it should've been the nurse or respiratory therapist's job to confirm that she was laying correctly. They both admitted that they were not present for the original x-ray. I was devastated that this would be another setback for Hannah and it was all because of an error that should've never happened in the first place. Everyone kept coming in, asking what they could do for me, apologizing for the mistake. I just wanted to be alone with my Hannah.
Doctor rounds were about two hours later. I didn't say much at all. I was still so upset. Their plan for Hannah today was to continue to wean on the vent, as much as she would allow. They assured me that Hannah still has a ways to go and that she will get better on her own time. I cried again after rounds were over with. Another day of just sitting here and not much change going on.
I took a nap. I was so exhausted from such a crappy night of sleep and being so upset all morning. I woke up about two hours later. I felt like something had changed. I looked over at Hannah's monitors. Ideally, Hannah's Rate has to be 6, her Peep has to be 6, her FIO2 has to be about 30, all while her oxygen level remains over 93 to even consider being extubated. For the past three days Hannah's rate has been 12, her Peep has been 12, her FIO2 has been 50, and her oxygen level has been about 92. When I woke up from my nap, her rate was 10, her Peep was 10, her FIO2 was 35, all while her oxygen is sitting at a nice 94. These numbers may not mean much to you, but it means she is FINALLY tolerating lower vent settings and is working towards extubation. Her Peep has never been lowered until today and the FIO2 has never been below 45. She looks comfortable and the healthiest that I've seen her. She's no longer puffy with extra fluids. She looks like my little Hannah, minus the 20 tubes she still has all around.
I don't know if moving that tube this morning, a mistake or not, maybe has a better effect on her. Maybe it is in a better spot and she can finally take on more breathing on her own. Maybe she is finally turning the corner that the doctors have been telling me all along that she would eventually turn. Whatever the change is that has been made, I am so happy she is making big progress. I am hoping and praying like crazy that she can continue to be weaned today. I keep reminding myself that only God knows what is best for Hannah. He knows when she will get better. He will keep us all strong until then.
Im praying too! :)
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