Midday update for Friday, January 18
Tomorrow will mark 5 weeks since we got the call and checked into the ICU. It’s been a pretty wild ride, but the rumor is we’re looking at a high probability of a discharge on Monday! There are a few things that need to be done before then (nutrition info, drug education at the pharmacy, general home care stuff), but there is confidence that we can all get wrapped up and bring her home.
Her trache finally came out (picture below), and it’s been replaced with a gauze dressing while the hole in her throat heals up. The medical issue still holding things up a bit is the tubes in her chest for draining excess fluids away from her lungs. She was down to one of these (from four), but they ended up putting a second back in to speed things up a bit. They’re looking for a very low amount of drained fluid for the day, and while Kim’s close, she’s not QUITE there yet. Still, her progress has been taken into account when considering Monday as the possible go-home day. She’s still pretty weak, but that’s to be expected after 5 weeks in a hospital. She can walk pretty well now with some support, and the doctor feels like she’s strong enough to go home and continue physical therapy there.
We miss the med team from the ICU, and they come to visit Kim all throughout the day. She made quite an impression on her nurses and doctors, and it’s pretty special to see how they make a point in their busy days to stop by and see her. So since it’s close to coming home time, it’s probably a good idea for me to address something that a few of you have asked about: Flowers. Lung transplant patients need to stay clear of plants and flowers for the first several months due to the many infectious organisms usually present. There is still a lot to learn about what Kim can and can’t eat, but a summary looks like:
• No grapefruits or grapefruit juice as this may interfere with medications.
• Meat should well done.
• Raw vegetables need to be washed and scrubbed by someone else other than you. Raw fruits and vegetables, especially root vegetables, may contain fungus. Fungus may be inhaled and cause lung infection. • Avoid raw fruits and vegetables for the first 3 months after transplant
• No salads at public salad bars — to avoid infection from the salad and from the other diners.
And lots more. Some of these requirements fall away in a few months, some of them last forever. We’re still learning all the ins and outs. So please, no flowers. She does love all your cards however ;)
Her trache finally came out (picture below), and it’s been replaced with a gauze dressing while the hole in her throat heals up. The medical issue still holding things up a bit is the tubes in her chest for draining excess fluids away from her lungs. She was down to one of these (from four), but they ended up putting a second back in to speed things up a bit. They’re looking for a very low amount of drained fluid for the day, and while Kim’s close, she’s not QUITE there yet. Still, her progress has been taken into account when considering Monday as the possible go-home day. She’s still pretty weak, but that’s to be expected after 5 weeks in a hospital. She can walk pretty well now with some support, and the doctor feels like she’s strong enough to go home and continue physical therapy there.
We miss the med team from the ICU, and they come to visit Kim all throughout the day. She made quite an impression on her nurses and doctors, and it’s pretty special to see how they make a point in their busy days to stop by and see her. So since it’s close to coming home time, it’s probably a good idea for me to address something that a few of you have asked about: Flowers. Lung transplant patients need to stay clear of plants and flowers for the first several months due to the many infectious organisms usually present. There is still a lot to learn about what Kim can and can’t eat, but a summary looks like:
• No grapefruits or grapefruit juice as this may interfere with medications.
• Meat should well done.
• Raw vegetables need to be washed and scrubbed by someone else other than you. Raw fruits and vegetables, especially root vegetables, may contain fungus. Fungus may be inhaled and cause lung infection. • Avoid raw fruits and vegetables for the first 3 months after transplant
• No salads at public salad bars — to avoid infection from the salad and from the other diners.
And lots more. Some of these requirements fall away in a few months, some of them last forever. We’re still learning all the ins and outs. So please, no flowers. She does love all your cards however ;)
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