Improvement

Moving out of PICU with help from RN Kerri

Yesterday the EVD drain from the back of Mark's head was removed, it had been used to help him flush his CSF and clear it of blood while also allowing him to replenish it and restore normal cranial pressure.

Last time we did this, stitching the site was traumatic and painful, so this time the staff was careful. They first set him up with Percoset and Fentanyl, but he remained lucid. After bumping him on both of those and then adding some Ketadine, he finally admitted to feeling "a little insane" and said he saw floating particles....lol.

A nurse asked the normal questions, where are you, what day is it, etc. He still got them all correct. Was it enough? I asked him to identify the 5th planet. Pause, then "Jupiter". Count by 7's. Rapid-fire "7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84." What's the roman numeral for 17? Pause, then "XVII". Tell me about the Boston Tea Party. He got the high points about taxation protests, the East India Company, the tea dumped into the Boston Harbor, and some colonists dressed as Native Americans,

Seriously, kid? The nurses were...well, flabbergasted. They gave him one more bump on the Ketadine, and he abruptly stopped talking. Finally! Still, he was starting to talk coherently again before they even had time to put the two stitches in.

We were supposed to move out of the PICU after that and were preparing to do so, but his MD decided at the last minute to keep us in there one more night for observation. However, at about 5am we were advised that the PICU had abruptly filled to capacity overnight. As one of the "best" cases in the PICU, we were being moved out to make room for kids sicker than Mark.

We are now on the 8th floor, the top floor where teenagers usually are. All the cool stuff is up here, like a mini theater, and a gaming room. We now have our own shower, and Mark is completely untethered except for the pulse oximeter on his toe.

Mark is still having some mood swings, mainly tied to his meds, but he and Wendi had a great night last night, cracking up to Tim Hawkins videos on YouTube. He ate a full breakfast this morning, and at the moment he and Wendi are napping hard. As soon as this is posted I am going to join them.

Just had a wonderful visit from Amma Jessie from St. Anne's in Washougal, she dropped off a care package for Mark. And upon returning to the room I found a note from PICU RN Bonnie, who stopped by to check on Mark on her day off but found everyone asleep. The staff here is so very amazing.

If you want to stop by in the next few days, we are now in room 817. Thanks for your prayers, and thanks for reading.