A Day Of Ups and Downs

When I arrived at Ray's room this morning at 6:05 AM, he was laying in bed surrounded by young doctors discussing his case. The lead resident indicated that he was still leaking air and that he would have to talk to Dr. Jones about the situation. Sometime later, Dr. Jones stopped by and said, yes, there was still a small air leak, but he thought it would be OK to remove the chest tube. So the resident doctor returned sometime later and removed the tube, and covered the resulting hole with gauze pads. I got the impression from the conversation that they were thinking about releasing him sometime today, and I was literally on the verge of panic because I knew that the hole in his chest was going to continue draining copiously and I didn't have any medical supplies at the motel or any way to get any since it was snowing and I wouldn't be able to leave Ray to get any.

Just before I had a heart attack, the resident doctor returned to say that they were keeping him, and would be around again shortly to take him down to xray so they could see how big the leak was. So we waited and the hole did indeed drain copiously, soiling his hospital gown, his bed and my nerves. After harrassing the staff twice to change the dressing on the hole, they finally decided to put a stitch in it, and that stopped the major drainage, although it potentially caused another problem, i.e., if the fluid in his chest could not drain, it would stay in his chest and potentially cause pressure on the lower lobe, exacerbating the air leak. (Can you imagine coping with this at a motel in the middle of a record snowstorm!!!!) When they took another xray, and everything looked the same.

And so the day has gone. They'll be back in the morning, but this time, I'll already be here when they come, instead of having to set the alarm at 5 or 5:30 and rush over here, hoping not to miss the doctoral gathering. I am so going to enjoy sleeping on this window seat tonight.

Ray has been antsy all day, wanting to go home even as the snow continued to get worse, because he felt we would be in worse shape by Monday or Tuesday, because the roads and our street and driveway wouldn't be clear if there was, indeed, over two feet of snow. But I said, I was more willing to take our chances on that than try to get home today with the uncertainty of his medical condition. After having to get the stitch, he was much more amenable to staying, and for the first time in several days, my stomach finally settled into place and I was actually able to eat supper without feeling sick.

Mr. See is back on 4 West, with color in his face, and enthusiasm in his voice and demeanor. Amazing what a new lung will do for you!

I'm sorry I can't send out email on the hospital's network in reply to those we've received, but we are grateful to hear from you and thank you for you thoughts and prayers and positive energy.