Sunday, December 13, 2009

Post-Op Day 3

It's been close to 24 hours without Fentanyl. I was hoping that she would be more awake by now. Of course, it is kinda hard to tell if she's awake since her left eye is swollen shut, and her right eye can only open a little. Here is how she looks now. The picture is a little out of focus, but I had to turn off the flash, and well, I'm not that good at taking photos.



I can't believe how little bruising we are seeing on POD 3. I can't help but believe the pressure dressings have helped with that.

Oh - about her breathing episode yesterday - I didn't mean to imply that the nurse wasn't doing what she was supposed to. When she told me that the monitor was telling her Harlie was breathing - she was only telling me that to keep me calm. Her and another nurse were working very hard to get her right again and she didn't want me to totally freak out.

Well, Dr. Magee and his wife came by to check on us. He took off her pressure dressing. I can see now that her neurosurgeon cut her from ear to ear!!! I don't know why he had to, but obviously he did. He already harvested bone from the right side of her head, so they couldn't take from that side. Which is why I'm surprised to see her cut the entire way. The only thing I can think of is that he had to take from somewhere else on her head and he needed to pull the skin back farther.

Anyway, I think she looks more comfortable now. Her hair is a tangled mess and I do not look forward to dealing with that.

She is still on CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and will stay on it until tomorrow morning at least. They will take x-rays again tomorrow morning and see how her lungs look. Then they will see if she's ready to go back to her normal trach collar.

They finally started feeding her today. She's getting an ounce per hour.

Our goals for getting her home are:

Get her off CPAP
Good x-rays
Regular feeding schedule
She has to poop
Get her walking

She's off her pain meds. The last time she got Tylenol with Codeine was at 4:30am.

They've done a lot of suctioning, so that's a good sign that she's getting rid of the gunk in her lungs. Hopefully that will show in better x-rays tomorrow.

Hopefully there will be a lot more progress tomorrow.

Thanks,
Christy

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love and miss you guys. Hope everything goes well tomorrow so maybe we can all be home together soon. She really looks great after all she has been through. Hurry home and please let me know if there is anything I can do. Love, Brandy

Rebecca Bennett said...

Amazing. To be that strong can only mean it comes from both mom and dad. Good luck with the recovery plan for getting home. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Allie said...

Wow Christy, Harlie looks great on day 3. It sounds like things are going to pick up and move faster for you tomorrow. Hope you and Tom are getting some rest. Please tell Harlie I have a couple of little boys ready for a playdate when she's feeling better!

Lindsay said...

Hope the plan goes well for tomorrow and that we get to see you all soon this week! Thinking of you!!!

Susan said...

She looks great, ATC. Interesting about the ear to ear incision. I hope that wasn't an "oops" since it sounds like they didn't do that last time. We always get ear to ear but that's because they need access. Either way, the hair isn't going to be pretty for awhile so it probably doesn't matter. We'll be sporting the same "do" in a few weeks. Hugs to all.

Pam Walsh said...

Thinking about you all during this time. Hope she comes home soon. Let me know if I can get you anything when you are home.

Kim said...

Hooray for less swelling than the last go round! I can't believe she's off the pain meds already. She is one strong little cookie. I want to be doped up just thinking about what she went through! :)

Can't wait for you guys to get home. Thinking of you!! xoxo!

Rene said...

I'm glad today was a better day. She looks wonderful and I love the little lock of hair. Praying things keep moving forward and sending lots of hugs!

Rene

B-Mama said...

Blessings for a great Monday as Harlie gets things checked off her list. Sounds like she is being the champ she is. And I love the pink patterned dressings. She's a little diva, even post-op! :)

Hugs and continued prayers.

Sandy said...

I can't believe how much better she looks than last time. I hope that continues. We are thinking of you and hope every day gets better.

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