ChloeWatts.com

Saturday, January 23, 2010

It was an early start to the day for Dana and Chloe but it was an uphill day all in all. She woke with lots of suction needed and machines going off, etc. By the time PT/OT started she was already wiped out. However, in typical Chloe fashion she worked through it all.

Dr. Shih and Dana decided to try and have Chloe stay off the vent all night tonight. Last night every time she moved it would pop the vent off and wake everyone up. So, being as her stats are great all day we are giving the night a try. Joseph, the RT I couldn’t name on yesterday’s blog, spent a lot of time with us today. He trouble shot the mist machine and discussed all sorts of pertinent things. It’s good to have an RT that really appreciates his job, understands the patients and doesn’t spend 20 minutes defending his actions. Way to go Joseph.

Dr. Cuyler has ordered the trachs that will be so much easier on Chloe during future trach changes. These are a little more pliable and may not last quite as long but the procedure will be much slicker as there isn’t a flange to hang up on the stoma. It’s always easier to put a round peg in a round hole. The square ones are nuts!

I made it to the hospital at 4:15 today, after my FPU class and Dana was still here. I was surprised as I expected to see Kevin. Dana was in rehab when Kevin called so I guess he figured she was busy and didn’t come by. All’s good. Kevin and Laura are so extra helpful, it means loads to us. Laura will take a shift tomorrow so I can go to my next FPU class and Dana can get some more things done. Sunday is a perfect day for us to be away, as there aren’t any scheduled activities. We work her in the room only.

Patty has been very helpful lately in finding possible avenues to pursue in order to have Chloe kept in rehab past the 30th. Emmanuel is a non-profit hospital and there are a lot of grants given out to un and under insured patients. I have 9 pages to read in the morning to see where to go from here. If we don’t have a good response from the insurance company before the Tuesday meeting I’ll be bringing up quite a few items for discussion. It’s a no-brainer to keep Chloe in the program that is doing the most good for her. She is progressing so well. To take her off what’s working now would only mean the insurance company would end up paying much more for her long term care.

This evening Chloe and I spent quite a while with the small yellow ball and then the beach ball. It’s so much fun seeing her catch, hit or kick the ball. Her concentration is perfect… even when she’s watching Grey’s Anatomy while playing. After that it was bathroom break. With the help of our C N A Chloe walked to and from the toilet. With just the leg wraps she seemed to walk much better than with her tennis shoe on. If you really know Chloe you know she is a barefootin’ girl. So it wasn’t a surprise to me.

We also watched Ice Age, The Dawn of the Dinosaurs. I hadn’t seen it yet. It’s a lot of fun if you haven’t had the privilege yet. Tomorrow maybe we’ll watch Football! Chloe would probably bonk me…

It’s 11:22 PM and she is sleeping well. Let’s hope it lasts all night.

Be well,
Ron