Day 19

Hello Everyone!! After what I discovered I wrote in day 18, I thought I should wait to write until morning!! (My boys picked up the 7 - 8 foot Noble fir tree for my entry. Laura and Mark each got a free tree because the Russian's didn't like the bug that came east and weather wth them.)

I am sure you all must have wondered about that sentence!! I got up Sunday morning and decided to check out what I had written and sent the night before because I was too sleepy to edit it. Ooooh Boy!! I have no idea how the Russians got involved or what the east or weather had to do with anything. What I am wondering....if we take all these weird things I write in my sleep and put them together if they'll make an interesting story??? heehee

What I was trying to say was......... a load of trees were sent to Hawaii, but the inspector found a bug on one and rejected the entire lot. The trees were then sent to Alaska where they are being sold for charity, but each Northern Air Cargo employee got one free. Since Mark and Laura BOTH work there, they shared their extra tree with me!! Still a good story, if NOT quite as exciting as the Russian one!!

When I left the hospital last night they were working on getting a special team together to "flip" or "prone" Stan, meaning to carefully place him on his stomach for 8 to 16 hours. This is to help his lungs. The doctor talked to me yesterday and said that his lungs were what is holding us up from getting the answers to what we are all wondering..........is there brain activity?? Until he can be "woken up" there is no way to know, but his lungs are so sick he has to be kept sedated. The "proning" will take pressure off them and hopefully let them heal. If he gives any indication that the proning is causing stress, they will flip him back again immediately. So I am anxious to get there to see what is happening.

He does have a yeast infection, but it showed in his sputum and his urine, so the doctor is trying to discover exactly where it is centered so he can treat it.

His "numbers" all stayed very good all day yesterday EXCEPT when the electricity failed (twice) during the afternoon. My friend Kathy was with me the first time (PTL) and leaped into action when the back up power did not come on. By the time she had the manual air thing ready to go the power returned, but she was there and ready!!! Those few seconds, however, caused him a bit of stress and his oxygen levels went from 93 to 81. They were brought back up in a very short time and stayed up the rest of the day. We were out eating lunch the 2nd time, but I am told it was short enough duration that the machines didn't even "blink" so I guess I am assuming he didn't waver.

It was very windy in town all day Sunday and there were 90 mph winds in the valley where Andy and Eric live. OUR winds made for a very COLD day. Our newspaper says to expect minus 2 tonight. I'd rather NOT, but guess I'll prepare myself. I like temps between 15 and 20 all winter....very nice!! Colder is a bit chilly, and warmer is very messy!!!

Kathy brought a peach pie and ended up sharing it with others in the waiting room. This included an 18 month old who kept handing us her bottle to hold and saying "bite." AND we came out of CCU once to find a young man helping himself to a dish. He was so "embarassed" that it was funny. She told him it would cost him $20....and he could pay his girl friend later. Poor guy.... she had left it there for people...but he obviously felt "caught."

Well, hopefully there are no scary weird sentences in this update. Stan's trach looks good, I am told that he has less bleeding than most and that he will be able to cough with better results. Now I must get going so I can see how they have him positioned...with the trach and all the other paraphenalia he is attached to in the way... lying on his front side. I'll let you know "tonight."

Love, M