first Night no Tube: Blackberry Blog Tryout

OK - watch my thumbs fly!

Mr B is Very disoriented,definitely in an altered reality. He pointed to a nearby rolling table and said (fairly clearly_ "What's for dinner?" He then told me there was bread and cheese on the table! Yes, he's hungry - and while that's so healthy and wonderful, we can't give him food or water yet because he can barely swallow and could aspirate or choke. We do have a wet, cold swab that comforts him. He also wanted to "send Patricia to go get dinner --- I'll buy" The nurse and I laughed in surprise and then I was filled with joy as I realized it was the first time in his incoherant mutterings that he'd said my name.

I'll go fetch dinner soon, my darling...soon.

They switched him to the 2 nose prong oxygen mask, the face mask was so uncomfortable. Everything's slowly getting better. We begin several days of accessment - he's still in danger of being tubed again if we hit a breathing set-back.

It's all about him not getting agitated and short of breath.

At my request, they gave him a small amt of anti-anxiety med to calm him but his drug tolerence is so high now, it doesn't appear to do much. I darkened the room and put Liz Story piano sleep music on. Ahhh, now his eyes have closed and his breathing gentled.

Tomorrow they access his swallowing and speech. There may be food and conversatipn ahead...

I want to thank you all for your emails and calls - please know I can't get back to everybody specifically right now, but your contact and encouragement means a lot to me. I even got to read some of your emails to Michael the other day when he was tubed and he nodded at each one until he dropped off.

Night-night.