ChloeWatts.com

Friday, Dec 11, 09

Today was supposed to be just another day of healing. As it turns out there have been a lot more unexpected events happen. Chloe had a pretty restless night… no sleep. At about 7:30 am she finally got some relief but it wasn’t long lasting. When I arrived she looked very depressed and solemn. Dana was with her and Dana had sent me many updates from the morning visits by doctors.

Dr. Dorsen has been the most discouraging of all the doctors as he paints the picture the darkest. However, every picture he has painted Chloe has added bright yellows, blues and reds. When the tumor was classified as inoperable Dr. Dorsen went in anyway and Chloe did very well. When he told us that he chased the tumor into the brainstem and that she may not wake up… Chloe showed us that the tumor was gone and she did indeed wake up. Now he is saying that because Chloe hasn’t been able to cough she may not get off the trach and that phenomena is a serious side effect she will face. Well, this afternoon she did the next best thing to coughing with a belly burst of air and yesterday she was swallowing a bit.

We may be facing high odds once again. The breathing is our main concern and she is reconnected to an assist machine that lets her breath on her own but adds a little support when she needs support. They have been able to suction some of the junk from her lungs. They are going to try something new tomorrow. Tonight, though, they are letting her sleep with a little helping drug.

At about 3:30 pm today they brought Chloe, Dana and Me down to radiology. Chloe was getting a weighted tube placed in and below her stomach. It was a weighted tube and it was placed by a Radiology Doctor who did an amazing job. It went right where it was supposed to go with very little coaxing. With the relaxer drug they gave her she breezed through the procedure. It’s about time. It was interesting to watch the pictures as the tube was directed to the right place. Oh, by the way, this doctor said it was mostly luck if he got the tube to go where he wanted it on the first try. I told him Chloe was spanking all these bad odds in good fashion. So, go ahead Michael, keep the worst case scenarios coming… Chloe is ready for them.

Before the tube was inserted Chloe was pretty down. Dana asked her how her spirits were and she got thumbs down. What happened next was nothing short of wonderful. Dana asked if she would be able to bring her spirits up after the procedure was done and Chloe nodded she would. Promise? She nodded yes. Then Dana said the line she and Chloe are famous for sharing. “I love you to the blue ponies”… and Chloe mouthed “and back again.” Dana lit up. She has not tried to use her words up until that point in time. To me it said, here we go again… we’re clearing another hurdle. She’s amazing.

Our nurse today was great. He really knew how to talk to Chloe and explain things so that she understood. He also had a great sense of humor with her and she liked him a lot. He and the RT tech worked well together and I feel the amount of oxygen and the way everything was placed was done just right. I also got to watch my first dressing change on the trach. It will be much easier after the site heals a bit so that the panic of it falling out is taken away.

Sandy and Dana are exhausted and have hit the wall on a few occasions. I feel helpless in finding an ease to that situation. When I go home at night I sleep but I get up in the morning and don’t remember going to sleep or feeling like I’ve slept. It’s a crazy time for all of us but it much have a meaning. Chloe is stronger than any one of us separately or all three of us together. I don’t care what the naysayers come up with, Chloe will find a way through all of this. She will be 100% again sometime somehow and we will all be amazed.

Blessings,
Ron