Day 20 - July 5 - Speaking?

We are sitting many more hours with Connor while he is face-down in the Beast, as we've found that he isn't as sedated as we all thought he was. He is receiving about six times more Versed than most people usually get, and should be gone to the world, according to the nurses. Instead, he converses with us, goofs off with the nurses, and sings along with his music (thank you, Jon Guerra and the worship team at MBI chapel!). The nurses don't really know how to deal with the fact that he isn't sedated like he should be, so he is at least partially aware while he's locked into the bed. Not the most desirable of conditions, and so we do what we can to ease that for him.

One of the things we discovered because of this is the fact that Connor has figured out how to sneak air past his trach tube in certain positions while face-down, and has begun to try to talk around it. He's actually understandable at times, and it is good for him to be able to convey his thoughts. Unfortunately, one of the first things he communicated to us is that he wants to be on his back so he can sleep. Trying to soothe him with "they'll turn you over in an hour" doesn't really cut the mustard in the comfort department, so both his and our tension levels climb. Still, we are pleased with this small change.

Another small improvement - his ventilator's pressure setting has been reduced from 30 (psi?) to 27. Once it gets down to 20 they can start weaning the ventilator. Also, Connor got to stay on his back for three or four hours straight this morning, and kept his O2 saturation at a good level. So God gives the small steps.

Please continue to pray for his lung capability and health. The morning's X-ray was slightly better than yesterday, but perhaps not as good as the Respiratory Therapist would like to see. So they are using a machine to thump his lungs to knock loose more stuff. We continue to pray for his lung health, and for God's provision to get him off the respirator.