Slow steady recovery

Thanks again for all the prayers! This is Lorrie instead of Carolyn who has been extremely helpful in communicating the medical updates. Last night Fred experienced respiratory distress, which could have been caused by the kidney stone. With a dose of morphine, extra oxygen, and a "nonbreather" mask he became comfortable enough to get some rest. The pulmonologist said Fred was doing "Okay" on the 6 liters of oxygen, and he needed physical therapy to get his muscles that support his lungs stronger. We need to remind him to use the incentive spirometer (the little plastic device you breathe into to get feedback about how you're moving air).The chest Xray is stable; pneumonia in one lung but not getting any worse. The procedure that Fred had on 9-16 was to insert a catherter in Fred's right kidney and allow all the bacteria filled urine to drain from his body. The kidney stone is lodged still and blocking urine from passing along the normal route. The plan now is to have the kidney stone dissolved by the urologist during an outpatient visit, so hopefully it won't cause Fred too much pain between now and then. Something that has been tricky since Fred's brain injury 4 years ago is his ability to describe pain and be aware of where it 's located. Fred was very restless the night before I brought him to the hospital and now I know that is a big red flag for him. When the nurses ask Fred if he's having any pain he almost always says no. His last two incidents of respiratory distress were triggered by pain. He's going to have a rehab consult soon which will be extremely helpful. Fred's hematologist is thrilled that his platelets are almost back to normal today, as well as his blood clotting time. "You won't be needing me anymore!" Fred's nurse today commented that she's never seen such clear urine draining from a nephrostomy bag, which is attached to the catheter placed in Fred's kidney. Thank God for that wonderful intervention which really saved Fred and got everything moving in the right direction. Fred needs lots of rest to continue this recovery so we ask if we could hold off on visitors while Fred is in the ICU. In a very weak voice today he asked when he can go home- can't blame him! What a wonderful thought! He will need to be infection free as determined by the blood cultures, and he may need some inpatient time at Bryn Mawr Rehab. We are so thankful to God for sparing Fred, and for the support of our beloved family and friends!