Thursday, June 14, 2007

It's 11:55 p.m. Thursday night. (If you need to catch up, please scroll down to get more details before starting on this message.)

I'm sleeping in my room in TCU (Transitional Care Unit) right now. I was moved out of ICU yesterday (Wednesday) around 3 p.m., right before Mom and Dad had a big pow-wow with my doctors. There were six doctors and Sister Judy from the Footprints Program in the meeting. I stayed in my room with the nurse. The big pow-wow was all about me (which, of course, I like to hear). They were trying to figure out where we are, where we're going and what the next step should be. It was a long meeting, and Mom and Dad say they still have some important things to work out. All I know is that they are trying to figure out the best way to get me home safely and to make sure I'm happy and comfortable (and breathing).

I was hooked up to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine to see how I tolerated it overnight and throughout the day today. I did okay on it - but Mom didn't like the way that she couldn't hear me cough with the machine on, and then the tubing would fill up with goo, and it was difficult to suction it out. Grandma came up this evening, and she learned how it worked. She got to learn all about the beeps and alarms in the TCU this time, too. (It's truly amazing that anyone can sleep in a hospital.) Grandma is staying with me tonight because Ian had another baseball game and Mom and Dad wanted to be there. His team won again!

The home equipment company respiratory therapist came to hook up a home CPAP machine to see how that worked for me. It didn't go very well, but just a few minutes ago, the Cardinal Glennon RT got it to work, and I'm still sleeping peacefully. I think I'm dreaming about Thor right now and how he barks at everyone who comes to our door, who walks by our house, who slams a car door down the street, etc. He thinks he is such a fierce watchdog! He's just an old softy, though! Anyway, I'm going to use this new machine all night and then, if it works well for me, tomorrow afternoon, Mom and Dad will get trained on the new equipment and MAYBE - JUST MAYBE I'll get to go home. I really, really want to go home. Ian really, really wants me to go home, too.

I'll check back in with everyone when something big happens or when I'm home and settled in again. Talk to you later! (And by the way - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRANDMA ROSS ON JUNE 15!)