Some Minor Surgery Scheduled

We'll take a step back for a moment. The process of going from ICU back to Dodd yesterday had an interruption. Jon had more problems with his lungs and needed more suctioning. This section of Rhodes Hall specializes in lung disorders so he was moved for a second time to Rhodes Hall, Room 824.

The neurosurgeons had stopped by yesterday to check on Jon and I asked about the problem which was developing with the thoracic vertebrae. They seemed to be shifting according to the MRIs...drifting might even be a better word. Since the only pictures they had were from the original and what they had the last few days they weren't sure when the movement started or if it had stopped. If it had stopped it would be considered frozen and there would be no remediation and I got the impression it would interfere with his ability to maintain an upright position, especially in a wheelchair. If it was still moving then surgery could be done to keep the spinal column in alignment.

I had spent the night with Jon since he was in considerable pain and doesn't seem to be able to use any of the call buttons here either (One plus for St Francis!) so I went home for a nap this morning and of course an anesthesiologist came to inform Jon's father that he was scheduled for surgery tomorrow. The nurse tonight informs me that this particular surgery is not the major one that was discussed yesterday but is a minimally invasive procedure which will cut into some of the muscle which is pulling on the spinal cord. They will take another CAT scan tonight so they know exactly where everything is at the moment. This will also allow more movement of the shoulder and make physical therapy more productive and possibly lessen the pain.

One other complication in communication involves the removal of Jon's old trach which had straight edges and the replacement which has a cuff which can inflate to seal around the trach opening and allows more of the oxygen to get to the lungs. They need one with a cuff when using a respirator. It also prevent unwanted objects, such as carrots, from going down into the lungs. That is great but the big BUT is that for the most part it prevents normal speech and we are back to guessing what he is trying to say, spelling important words etc. unless he is so perturbed he practically yells and the voice box reverberates!!!

And finally, since the halo has been removed the new strain put on neck muscles, especially during things like repositioning, has created new pain... sometimes quite intense.

Some plusses...the new room is quite large, has a new style flat TV, a nurse -patient ratio of 1:3 (with great nurses) and this computer which we can use to update the posts.