Saturday

Today has some good and bad news.  We will start with the good news, Mom is off the ventilator after 16 1/2 days! 

Dr. Muthard called us early this morning and said her oxygen saturation, breathing and vitals were probably the best to do it this morning. He asked for permission to do a broncoscopy before we got there and then we would discuss what the plan is.  He did the bronch and when we got there told us that the secretions had not built up overnight in spite of no suctioning and that this would be the best chance we have. He left to extubate (remove the ventilator) mom and we went in about 30 minutes later.

We were able to visit with Mom for a few hours and she is returning to her cantankerous self.  She was asking to get this S**t off of her and get the heck outta there only she didn't say heck, lol!  She was able to take a few sips of water and brush her teeth a little with the nurse's help. Once I explained what the stuff she is hooked up to is, she settled down a bit.  She was able to visit with our friends Dan & Liz for a few minutes too and we then left as she wanted to get some rest. I tell her every day her job is to rest and fight!

The other side of the coin is the ventilator is out and not going back in.  That is Mom's wish and she stated it to me again and I promised her we would not intubate her again.  That was the decision Dad and I had to make this morning before it came out. The cancer is aggressive and in a bad location and the doctors have told us that radiation may assist in slowing it down but most likely won't shrink it and the prognosis is not real bright.

Mom is a fighter and with her will to fight may pull through this. She first thought when she woke up that she was in the psych ward and I told her that if anyone needed that it was me and not her, so she got a chuckle.  She can still give Dad a mean stink eye if he goes near the remote, mentions football or trys to move her hand where she doesn't want it to.  Go Mom go.....  More tomorrow.

Love,
Heidi