mike's pneumonia chronicles #11

Dear Mike,
I haven’t come on the computer in a few days because I have been exhausted. Today was your 24th day on the ventilator, your 28th day in the hospital, and it is the one month anniversary of the day you called me at work to tell me you had a fever… you’ve hit the one month mark with this struggle, Mike. I am so sorry you are still sick, and I am so hopeful that you are making baby steps; progress in a positive direction.

Since your near-death experience on Wed. Oct 8th, your blood-oxygen level has been almost always in the 90’s. The ventilator has been adjusted so that you are taking bigger breaths – fewer per minute. Your settings of breaths per minute used to be at 35, now they are down to 28 breaths per minute. Soon you will probably be taking some breaths on your own because you are coming off of the paralytic medicine now.

Two days ago doctor Julie (acupressure) spent the night again and went in with me to see you yesterday. There was a baby-step backwards yesterday because for some unknown reason your heart was beating way too fast and not in a sinus rhythm. We were going to rub you with oil, except that the nurse didn’t want you stimulated in any way because of your irritable heart. They had to put you back on a heart medication to slow down your heart. It took several hours before you “converted” but you finally did get into a good steady sinus rhythm. Yesterday afternoon I watched you open your eyes. I saw that and my heart skipped a beat… it was a beautiful sight, even though your eyes are gunky (full of gel to keep them moist) and blood-shot, and you couldn’t focus on anything, but nevertheless – you opened your own eyes. You did it a few times. Each time, I told you that I was there with you, I told you where you were and that you are getting better, and that they are taking very good care of you. Debby (with a y) came by in the evening and took me out to dinner last night. It was nice to leave and come back later to see you once more around 7:00. Jackie & Fred stayed with Joey & Julia.

You had some more special visitors today… your cousins Josh and Lisa, as well as aunt Linda and uncle Shelby all came to your bed and spoke with you, held your hands, spoke to you and to your nurses… it was a good visit. Lisa has called me several times as has Linda… they are so concerned about your condition every day, and they (along with many others) are holding you in their prayers daily. Lisa was especially moved to see you in your present condition. She brought in some nice lavender lotion to rub on your hands after feeling how dry some of your skin felt. Your parents also continue to visit you daily, or multiple times per day.

Today you continue on the heart medication. You opened your eyes a few times again. Also, besides visitors from Tucson and Manhattan, other big news of today: this afternoon you were moved into a private room. You spent 23 days in room 15 with approx. 5 different roommates in that time period… now you are in room 12 with nobody to share with. You have more space around you and nobody with some possibly horrible germs will be sleeping a few feet away from you.

Today there was a festival in the Riverside plaza for sukot, your friend Michelle (Cohen) Yaish – the same one who organized the moms at the preschool to make lunches – took Joey and Julia to spend the day with them there. She and her husband Laurant brought the kids back to our house and they all played here for awhile until I got home. My mom came first to the hospital (where she saw you in your new room and was moved to tears when you opened your eyes), then to our house to make dinner. Joey was good all day, he saved up his bossy tantrums until tonight and was very difficult for my mom and me. I gave them baths before dinner because 1:Joey needed to wash off a full red-faced power-ranger face painting from the festival and 2: they were so dirty because we skipped the bath last night. They got all cleaned up, ready for bed, and they ate in their pj’s. Joey was horrible at dinner, but calmed down when Kwan came over to read him bedtime stories. Many of the evenings I have had Quakers here helping out with the kids, I am also grateful to Becky, and Marge (from LLL) who came last night and read stories to Joey at bedtime, and then she gave me a very nice back rub!

It continues to be very difficult to watch you go through such a long illness, I hope that you are not awake and terrified by your inability to move. They are trying to keep you well sedated so that the waking up isn’t emotionally difficult. It is possible to awaken but still just lie there listening to everything and unable to say anything or even blink on your own. I hope you are ok. I will see you tomorrow (day 25 on the vent…) Goodnight.