@ehBeth,
Good Evening Crew
Hoping all our shipmates are doing well and life is being as gentle as possible... safe and well
News of our Bosun
There has been a very slight improvement.
First I must say that Anna is coping – she is deeply frustrated and sad but in her words “I won’t give up on him” and that brave strong stoic voice kicks in again, “I WON’T give up on him”
It’s a difficult one this. I wish to give you accuracy and in some respects sugarcoat a little – but I’m not good at that, when switching off emotions to forward practical info/news of someone who is so important to so many.
Everything I say here IS an improvement, is NORMAL in these circumstances, so even if it doesn’t sound it or even if it sounds scary– it IZ alright, there are improvements. Please be assured that ICU are dealing with the Grumpy BEAgle well and we like a bit of Grumpiness – it’s keeps the fight to get back to where he was, going
So.
Danny is reallllllllly grumpy, agitated and frustrated – mad as hell basically, very tired, sleepy and a tad more grumpy. As many of you will know or have had experience with/hear of – this is NORMAL when waking after a long time and not knowing what’s happened over the last few weeks – tracheotomys etc
Medically – heart appears to be doing what it’s supposed to be (GREAT NEWS), however, his BP rises and falls dramatically within seconds so they’ve taken some more blood samples to try and establish what’s causing that and get a handle on that.
Medically – they are very slowly weaning Danny of the oxygen – 4 hours on..... 8 off I believe, 4 hours on... etc – with a lower percentage oxygen for the 4 hour stretches (THIS IS GREAT NEWS). This is to enable him to start breathing on his own (which will take a while) and to then be able to replace the breathing tracheotomy that he has with a new trach which will allow him to talk.
Medically – this is normalish for ICU and this length of induced coma. Nothing remarkable, although it sounds horrid.
As he is now having more waking moments – tho it is medical – it’s “let’s-hazard-a-guess-time” of what Danny must be feeling and thinking... and not knowing, not understanding.
Last night was a bad night for him...he attempted to pull the trach out and the dialysis needles in his neck... unfortunately they had to restrain his arm and didn’t think he’d be able to use the other one, but unfortunately did and pulled a needle out. The staff are excellent, Anna has a great deal of trust in them and says they are so so kind to Danny; as I said before, 24/7 there is someone at his bed so any of the medical stuff can be resolved quickly with no lasting damage done.
Of course, for Danny, he can’t talk, he can’t write, he can’t co-ordinate, he can’t communicate they have a big board with letters on for him to try to point to... whatever he’s pointing out is not making sense to Anna and the staff, so this becomes very frustrating and he becomes very mad about it and agitated.
I said to Anna this is much like stroke patients (which I’ve seen and had experience with)... but with Danny, it’s not a medical thing like that, it’s just he’s been asleep for a while and he doesn’t know what’s going on.
Things are very hard for Anna right now, I could hear that in her voice. Fortunately, she is able to get out (darn the heat index down there which is limited her ability to go out – BIG 40deg and not pleasant especially when the power is down and the AC is off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)... but she is seeing people and obviously in contact with friends and the family. It’s a pretty rough time for the pair of them – of course Anna knows that this is normalish in the circumstances but it’s hard to watch the man you love go through that, and of course Danny doesn’t know what’s been happening nor is he aware of the timeline so far. He wasn’t expecting this at all ... and ... for a man who plays words games for much of his day and using his brain, not being able to coordinate or spell words to make himself understood is likely even more frustrating for our Cosmic Eagle. He’s refusing all visitors (Anna still is going but she worries that his upsets him... I said I thought she should keep going to reassure him that she’s there even just for a few minutes). She will do that, she is NOT going to give up on him. Son is off at sea and Anna has asked DIL this time not to come down until Danny is ABLE2COMMUNICATE as he wants to.
He will remain in ICU for minimum 10-14 days or so, depending on the breathing (breathe in, breathe out)
The positives we can all take are:
improvement – yes, there is
he has managed to sit up for nearly a couple of hours yesterday in a softer bed (spent the rest of the day sleeping with fatigue) – I think they will do this more to try to prevent bed sores and get his body and muscles moving again
oxygen weaning – this is a good start to his recovery and a breakthrough if he is managing to wean
plan to put in a trach so he can talk when he is breathing for himself – THAT WILL BE GREAT NEWS
the fact he’s grumpy means he’s gonna fight it and do everything he can to communicate on his terms
We are Able2Know – and we know he will not give in (we can’t stop things happening, but
we do know he’s not a quitter) and having written this now, I see more and more positives and I hope you see them too. I don’t want to ever give you any false positives – as I write here, I write as if I were on my old thread and how Noddy taught/wished for me to express the truths – practically, as it iz, so I can be as honest I am able2with you.
Anna thanked everyone again, she knows y’all are thinking of her and Danny and she really truly is grateful for all the heartfelt wishes. She tells him that we ring and that we’re pulling for him in every way.
Of course, we did have a little joke.... I told her that a couple of hours before he went in, we were talking and he said he had so much to live for, his wife and son and gkids and also, the folk that he’s knows here and spent the last 10 years of his life talking and connecting to on various levels... she laughed when I suggested that she put a mouse in his hand as his comfort blanket... you never know, it may get to that stage when he is breathing on his own that he might even be able to coordinate a mouse onto a screen if the hospital have those facilities, which I’d guess they may well do. We’ll see.
Thoughts and good healing hugs to both Down Under and ... whatever you can do in your mind to let him know you’re thinking of him, that will be good.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Danny)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Missy – do hope PaPa is doing OK. You’ve done brilliant Mis – keep holding his hand.... love love to you and yours xxxxxxxxxxxx
Boida – tomorrow is a big day for you – will be with you in spirit at the hospital and operation and wishing with all my might and a prayer or too to the celestial skies that you will get a good result tomorrow. xxxx(((((((Boida)))))))xxxx
TC – so good to see you girl – take goodly care in the Great White North and hugs to you and Mr Fix It. x
Taggers – how’s Nipper’s back... any luck with the appointments. x
(((((((((((((((((((((y'all Crew)))))))))))))))) thank you for being such good folk!x
)) the bosun that he is...
