I had a good night last night. My dad had been with me all night. At 6am when visting hours were over dad went to get coffee and to call mom, when he came back my breathing tube was being pulled out at that moment. Mom flew up there right away to be with dad and me. The tough part is that visiting hours don’t start up again till 10 am. Mom and dad could barely stand not being able to be with me in the room cheering me on. Mom was able to come in and see me even with a few raised eyebrows looking her way. As you know, only one parent in the room at a time.
I am breathing on my own right now. I never knew how darn hard it was to pump air into those lungs. The machine has been doing it for me for so long that I have become accustomed to not having to work so hard. So far so good. I am doing okay not great but okay. I am having to be nebulized and given steroids for my stridor. You may ask what is stridor? It is when the airway is obstructed. Since I have been intubated for a month my throat is very swollen. The nebulization helps take away the inflammation as well as the steroids. I am also being aspirated quite often.
My parents have not left my side. This time there is not going to be any mishaps and there is no room whatsoever for error. I needed all the stars correctly aligned for me. The doctors were already saying that I was walking a very fine line of having to be intubated again.
At 7pm that evening, I started having a harder time breathing. The stridor is really messing things up. Dr. Boza another great doctor who looks after me has decided that it is time for me to go on the Bi pak mask. This is a mask that covers the majority of my face and pumps air into my lungs. If my lungs begin to collapse the air helps inflate them, the mask also puts alot of pressure on my face and that makes me very anxious. I have to be sedated a bit so I can remain calm. The mask is very uncomfortable but I am managing I hope I do well throughout the night.
Malia
You can do it Malia!!! We are cheering for her in Kansas!