End of day report

End of day update for Thursday, January 03

Progress, progress, PROGRESS!

We started off the day with the good news that based on the results of her CT scan yesterday, no lung biopsy would be necessary. They still wanted to do the cardioversion to correct the flutter, but this turned out to be a fairly straight forward procedure performed right in the room. It was not without excitement however! The cardio people came in with the machine that applies the shock and the nurse got Kim all set up with conductive pads applied to her chest and her back. The idea is the current flows through the pads and resets her heart’s rhythm to what it should be , eliminating the flutter. It works much like the paddles you see on TV but in a more controlled, less panic-y way. Still, it’s a jolt of electricity and they wanted Kim to be completely out for it, so they gave her a bit of fentanyl and started dosing versed. So they gave her the first dose, waited a few minutes, and then called her name. She looked groggy, but opened her eyes and nodded. Another dose, a few more minutes, call her name again, same result. Two more times and now she’s not responding to her name (they asked me to call her too) so they figure she’s out. Everyone gets ready, charges the machine, hands off of Kim and the bed, and the cardio doc shouts “CLEAR!!” (like they do on TV) as he’s about to press the button. Kim’s eyes fly open and before I can say “OH SHIT! SHE’S AWAKE!” (yes Mom, I would have sworn in this situation; I’m sure you’ll forgive me), the button was pressed and the jolt came through. Kim convulsed for maybe a second and then it was over, and she was laying there wide-eyed like “what the heck just happened?!” Meanwhile, the docs are checking their machines and her readings and declare the flutter gone and so they pack up their stuff and head out. I comfort Kim, tell her good job, rub her hand, etc, and pretty soon she gets a bit sleepy (remember, she’s still on all that versed and fentanyl) and dozes. I figure that even if she was conscious for the shock, the versed would wipe her memory of it so why remind her? Well, when I came back a while later when she was awake, one of the first things she told me was how weird that whole experience had been and that she remembers it very clearly! She said it wasn’t awful though, pretty much like a brief shock you might get from a socket or something. I mean, not FUN, but not painful. Big relief.  Interestingly, her heartbeat had been hovering around 110 for the last several days but the moment the shock went through and nuked the flutter, she dropped to high 80s / low 90s, which is exactly what was supposed to happen and will give her more energy going forward. So THAT was pretty intense!

She also got out of bed to stand and march in place. The physical therapist was really impressed at her progress and declared she would be ready to go for her first assisted stroll tomorrow! This is great, as exercise is absolutely key to getting her stamina up for longer times off the vent, which of course leads to getting rid of the vent. Should be fun tomorrow!

Allison is here now, helping out with the kids, and it’s awesome. And thanks everyone AGAIN for the great dinners! It’s impossible to overstate how much that generous act has preserved my sanity when I think of everything that needs to be taken care of with the kids. You people are pretty amazing.  Also, special thanks to Tina for taking care of some school stuff for us today :)