Seth has had a more stable day yesterday and today. After they inserted a second chest tube last night, they did another xray this morning. Essentially fluid in his lungs looks the same. His Rt pneumothorax maybe slight better, but still there. They know his chest tube #2 has an air leak in it, they think he has a hole in his right lung. Dr turned down his ventilator settings and wants to give it a few more days on these vent settings before they would consider a surgical procedure to fix it.
WBC count still a little elevated (14) but it could also be high because he has a lot going on in his body.
Other biggest thing is that they were able to turn down his Pentobarb again today and he should be off of that later today. This is the medication that puts his brain in a coma (turns it “off”). This is great news that he’s tolerating the weaning. They will not adjust his high doses of Versed and Dilaudid (sedation/pain) today. The Pentobarb has a long half life, so can still stay in his system for 72-96 hours or more.
Antibiotics will finish today. No fevers. Bicarb and CO2 levels still elevated, but his PH is good (7.41), so they are okay with it given his ventilator settings.
Echo results yesterday showed that the Rt side of his heart is still enlarged. Will take time, and has just been working extra hard to compensate for his lungs.
Urine and kidney function is good. They are being a little more aggressive with their stool regimen because of all the meds he’s on that can slow his gut down. He had a large BM last night though, so is good. They are planning on increasing his feedings today more, as he’s been tolerating them.
He’s on a Vasopressor to keep his BPs down. At the moment, they are trying to put a new arterial line in so they can continue to closely monitor his BPs and draw his frequent labs. These lines just only last so long before they need to be replaced.
Current sodium level is 159, so much improved today! Normal range is 140’s.
We praise God that the last two days have been less “eventful.” Continue to pray for healing for Seth’s lungs and body, and for rest for the family. The days/nights at the hospital are long. They have an Airbnb down the street currently that they are living out of (besides their cars). They appreciate all the love and prayers and support from their “village.”
-Aunt Kerry
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