The primary service team was officially switched to pulmonary from cardiology today. His cardiac numbers remain good. He has more fluid than last week and since his cardiac status is holding up well, the pulmonary team is now in charge of the day to day decisions for his care. In fact, it looks like they are leaning toward removing the Swan catheter which monitors his heart.
His pulmonary needs are great. This could be a very long road in that regard. He is also challenged nutritionally. His stomach and intestinal motility is very minimal. They are trying some more nutrition today.
The good news is there are still no obvious signs of infection. However, his hemoglobin levels are low (hovering around 8-10). He is getting more blood today. They are aggressively trying to identify the source of the problem. There are several possibilities. There is a delicate balance going on with keeping his blood thin enough with Plavix and aspirin and finding out why his blood count stays low. They are very reluctant to stop those meds since his heart is doing so well.
Specific prayer requests:
- Pray for continued protection from infection and other complications.
- Pray that they can get some fluid off of him.
- Pray for each organ system to get up the hill.
It's been a very up and down week.
Debbie sounded a little better today. She's digging in for the long road ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment