Day 22 - July 7 - Numbers and percentages and rehab, oh my.

Connor continues to sleep, a blessing for all of us. I had a long discussion with the respiratory therapist (RT) this morning about what the different numbers mean. We all know what's up with O2 percentages and saturation numbers, and Connor's are still 40% and high-90s this morning. We also know a bit about the pressure numbers, which define how hard they're pumping air into his lungs and how much the lungs inflate. Connor started in the mid-30s, and they have been slowly lowering it until right now it is at 22. The RT tells me that 20 is considered good, so once Connor can get there and sustain his Pf ratio (I'll get there in a minute), they can start weaning his O2 levels down toward room air (21%). The kicker is his Pf ratio.

I don't know what it stands for - I'm sure there is some impressive-sounding medical words for what it stands for, but basically it's a ratio of Connor's blood oxygen level numbers and the percentage of O2 they're feeding him. They need to see Pf ratios above 300 and with improving trends before they'll consider taking the boy out of the Iron Maiden. Yesterday Connor's Pf was 320. This morning it was 260. There's some degree of involvement from the lowering pressures, so the RT isn't particularly concerned - he says it goes up and down and the trends are what's important. Dad wants to see them going up and staying up.

I asked what somebody standing around and talking would have for a Pf ratio, and he thought somewhere around 500, while it would be much lower for an inactive or sleeping person. Connor's is not yet in a place where they're comfortable taking him out of the bed, so my prayer request for this morning is that we would pray him out of this thing as soon as possible consistent with his safety.

To give you an idea why I want him out of this device so badly, and to let you know why I haven't posted any pictures of the boy in it and also explain why Connor doesn't get to watch DVDs or look at pictures, I'll try to explain in a way that gives enough information without giving too much. First, let me say that you never, ever want to have anyone you love in one of these things if you can keep from it. I described it the other day as "sort of like 'The Man in the Iron Mask' but not as pleasant". It is a wonderful tool for doing what it is doing, and I praise God that He gave somebody the smarts to figure it out in the first place - but at the same time it is a horrendous torture device which only needs scarlet-robed Inquisitors cackling gleefully around it to complete the picture. The boy can't see anything out of it, firstly because it has only very narrow eye slits in the faceplate that bolts in place to support his head, and secondly because his eyes swell shut as soon as they turn him face down again. So he lies immobilized, face down, locked into this rocking machine, with nothing to occupy him but his thoughts. We turn music on when we can, but I find it hard to imagine a more horrifying situation. I pray continuously that the boy is sleeping under his sedation so he doesn't have to face that all day, every day.

So please pray that Connor can be removed from this thing as soon as possible because he won't need it anymore.

Another prayer request - that God would be preparing the way for Connor to get closer to home. We've been talking with his case manager today about beginning the process to transfer the boy to Valley Medical in San Jose, which is only about 25 miles from our house. They are reported to be very good at rehab for SCIs, and barring direct intervention from God they seem to be a good starting point for getting Connor back on his feet. The case manager tells us that they can't begin the transfer process until the trauma doctors clear him, and that can't happen as long as he is in the bed. We need to get him out of this thing!

Please do not give up hope for my son. God has given me a brain, and I am trying to use it to decipher the best human course of action, all the while praying that God would make it all unnecessary. Please pray that God would set my boy upright again, that He would grant us wisdom as we try to figure out what's best, and that He would open the doors as appropriate to pave the way for us to get Connor home.

And thank you for being faithful to His call and continuing your efforts in prayer for all of us. You bless us greatly.