Pete did really well yesterday and was able to rest most of the day, but last night he spiked a fever. Since this is a repeated occurrence (3 fevers in the past 5 days), his surgeon ordered a CT scan of his abdomen for this morning to see if they could identify the cause. The CT scan revealed 2 new fluid pockets in his abdomen and they decided to place two new drains to remove the fluid. The first pocket was just a collection of abdominal fluid but it was putting pressure on his lungs and hindering his breathing. Draining this should increase his lung capacity and improve his chances of getting off the ventilator. The second pocket revealed signs of infection, they collected a sample to culture so they can modify his antibiotics accordingly. Once Pete stabilizes from all his procedures today the doctors are talking about doing another SBT (spontaneous breathing trial) to hopefully move closer to removal of the ventilator.
Rachelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for keeping us all posted.
It certainly sounds like Pete is working his way back, but is hitting some speed-bumps - though this is certainly to be expected.
Take care of yourself and make certain you get some rest this weekend. Please also tell Pete hello.
Love,
E.
Sending you all good thoughts! OXOXOX
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to hear the docs were able to identify a cause and something to treat. We'll keep our fingers crossed that things improve quickly so Pete can finally be done with the sucky breathing tube tomorrow. Thank you so much for keeping us informed, Rachelle. We are thinking about you both and hoping the weekend brings you back to talking with your best friend.
ReplyDeleteRachelle-
ReplyDeleteWe just heard about Pete's adventures with medicine from the other side of the fence. Our thoughts are with both of you.
Margie & Chuck