hospital day 10 - quiet day of rest

Mily had a peaceful day today. Her mother was able to help the nurse in some of her daily care, and mom and daughter took great comfort in it. She remains sedated for her comfort and safety. The medication that was used last night to paralyze her was used only short term as she did not tolerate it well. Mily is still running a fever and has a increased heart rate which are both being monitored carefully. Her status remains unchanged for now. Really, at this point - no news is good news. She is scheduled to have another CT of her head in the morning - just to keep an eye on how things are going. Now that she has been intubated for 10 days, it is time to discuss longer term airway management. When a patient needs their airway protected (kept open) because they cannot do it on their own, the tube that goes into the mouth then into the lungs is no longer ideal after about a weeks' time. This is because the tube goes over the vocal cords and can cause permanent damage over time. Mily will undergo a tracheostomy placement tomorrow; this means that she will have a small incision on the lower part of her throat and the medical team will use that opening to help her breathe and give her oxygen. This will also allow for the tube to be removed from her mouth. She will also have a feeding tube placed in her belly to ensure that she is getting proper nutrition in her current state - this is called a peg. Both of these are temporary interventions in Mily's case, and the small scars left by them when she is better will be barely noticeable. These are common procedures for patients who have the type of injury Mily has. So it is good that she has had a restful day, as tomorrow will be full of activity for her. Her progress is normal, which is to say SLOW - that's what she needs now. Too much too fast just wears her out - she needs time to build her reserve. Many, many messages for Mily have come through the email address set up for her. THANK YOU and keep 'em coming! For those that dont have the email address for Mily - msgsformily@gmail.com