Tube, Drain & Dialysis Day

His vent tube wasn't removed last night because it just took him too long to wake up and he needed to be alert when the drain came out so he could cough, etc. They took him off the ventilator this morning and then this afternoon they removed the tube that went from his nose down into his stomach to remove acids, bile, yucky stuff. So he is down to only a feeding tube down his nose...PROGRESS! He'smworking on coughing and trying to make the disc rise on the spirometer! Melany came today after her early school day ended. She has pretty much made sure that he is couging and using the little plastic machine religiously. He likes Melany to be his nurse! I went down to the food cart to grt some lupper before Melany headed home. While I was gone, dialysis came. They come to the rooms when their dialysis patients are in ICU. She was still connecting him when I got here. She had trouble getting the needles in. She ended up sticking him 4 times and he wasn't numbed this time. Ouch! I couldn't tell how she was putting needles in...I had already told her the size needle we use...smaller than she was using. Then when she decided to go get smaller needles, I showed her the flow map of his graft. She had no problems once she got smaller needles and stuck the needles in the direction we do. She said, "Thank you, Jesus!" when she got them in easily! Woody is still a little affected by his sedation yesterday to do the bronchioscope. His job at the moment is to keep coughing up gunk and my job is suctioning it out ofnhis mouth! May be a long night! He has been pretty alert today and thinks up answers the next time the docs ask him a silly question...like do rocks float on water...they want him to say "no." His answer: ”what kind of rock?" It sort of threw them! It was funny. Then explained that a pummice/lava rock would float. So the person asking the questions had to think of a kind of rock that would sink. Anyway, Woody gave him a hard time...after all, this was "only" the third time today these same questions had been asked. At least one time the gentleman asking the questions was doing it for the study Woody signed up to do for research...something about disorientation of patients in the ICU. Finally today, Woody asked me why they were asking him these questions! I tried to explain. Woody can talk, but it is soft and a bit raspy. He hasn't complained about hisnthroat hurting due to the tubes being in his throat. Woody is quiet for the moment. He's covered with a heated blanket so he is all comfy. Dialysis seems to be going smoothly. There's "only" an hour and fifteen minutes left to go for dialysis. Nothing much better to do...may as well clean his blood! I have finished one book while here and in the middle of another. I actually slept pretty well last night...only woke up to one "nurse intrusion, and then awakened a little after 6am to the first doctor's visit. When the tram comes on rounds, I am invited to listen in. Melany joined us this morning. To be continued. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!