Last night was a long one.  Jim and I stayed together with Jackie until 3am.  After my post last night, Jackie got sick two more times.  Everything that was going into his feeding tube was stopped since that point in time.  He had another X-ray done and it did show a very slow bowel.  We could tell from Jackie’s heart rate and the movement of his legs that he was in pain.  The overnight doc prescribed some IV meds that helped Jackie calm down and handle the pain better.  About a half hour after the X-ray Jackie had some relief.  We are hoping to talk with the Trauma team this morning to review next steps.

We have already seen the Neuro team this morning.  PTL his staples were removed.  From my rough counts, I’m pretty sure there were over 100 in his head. I held his hand while they double teamed him in order to remove the staples faster.  He tolerated the entire process very well. At this point the team is just going to keep an eye on the extra fluid.  We are waiting to see if his body can get rid of it on his own.  This is great news as we can now move forward with the process to eventually get the trach out.

The PT team is working with Jackie now.  Because he had a tough night they decided to do something different today.  They are moving him from his bed with the help of a board to another table.  They will strap his body in and elevate the table so Jackie will be held into a standing position.  The gravity will do his body good.

Even though last night was trying, the activity of the morning has given us hope  for a better day.  Count your blessings and realize how much just being able to stand is a gift.

Will post again tonight.