Over the weekend, Shayta and I switched off duties. When I came into the room, Baba had his eyes opened and gave me a squeeze and then went back to sleep. He'd been drowsy most of Saturday. The CPAP was traumatic for him and the anti-anxiety meds seemed to be the best way to control his BP. And it's also been 2 weeks in the same room, in the same bed. Notwithstanding his drowsiness, it can lead to patient delirium, which is common. All that said, the meds snowed him-pretty out of it.
So, on Sunday we decided to see if he'd be ok without the meds. His vitals were stable all day, which is great. He would open his eyes now and then and motion for water, and then fall back asleep. He was also able to motion for pain in his chest which prompted the nurses to help suction out the phlegm in his lungs.
The big leap we made yesterday is that we moved him from a bed to a sitting position. He would be constantly hitting his legs and motioning that he wanted me to massage it. Changing position seemed to really help. It is also a huge ordeal and it tired him out and he slept the whole time in the chair.
I think he understands his surrounds when he's 'with it.' During those times, I would ask if I was Shayta and he would nod no and I was ask if I was Sonali and he would nod yes. So I think he does nod yes and no with intentionality.
Everyday is a little at a time. Monday we will see if can pass a swallow test and get him off the feeding tube- not looking optimistic but we'll see. Generally the goal is to improve his respiratory status and get him to wake up for longer periods of time. During Sunday rounds they were pretty happy that he's improving little by little. He got a shave Saturday night and that made him look better...or maybe he is looking better day after day.
So, on Sunday we decided to see if he'd be ok without the meds. His vitals were stable all day, which is great. He would open his eyes now and then and motion for water, and then fall back asleep. He was also able to motion for pain in his chest which prompted the nurses to help suction out the phlegm in his lungs.
The big leap we made yesterday is that we moved him from a bed to a sitting position. He would be constantly hitting his legs and motioning that he wanted me to massage it. Changing position seemed to really help. It is also a huge ordeal and it tired him out and he slept the whole time in the chair.
I think he understands his surrounds when he's 'with it.' During those times, I would ask if I was Shayta and he would nod no and I was ask if I was Sonali and he would nod yes. So I think he does nod yes and no with intentionality.
Everyday is a little at a time. Monday we will see if can pass a swallow test and get him off the feeding tube- not looking optimistic but we'll see. Generally the goal is to improve his respiratory status and get him to wake up for longer periods of time. During Sunday rounds they were pretty happy that he's improving little by little. He got a shave Saturday night and that made him look better...or maybe he is looking better day after day.
No comments:
Post a Comment