Aunt

My sister (Aunt G...) came to visit this afternoon.  Ellie was wide awake for the visit.  We brushed her pony tails out and put braids in.  I haven't brushed the back of her hair for 4-5 days because she has this bonnet/cap connected to the bi-pap mask.  (Her hair is going to be HORRIBLE once the mask comes off.)

I had a baby shower this morning, and we had Jason's work party last night.  So I slept at home.  I didn't get down here until about 1 PM.  The nurse said that she has been wide awake all day.

They have sucked out a lot of junk.  She has been coughing really well.  She has hardly been desatting on her vest treatments.  She is still awake and it's 5:30 PM.  This has been her best day during this stay.  She is doing really well.

This morning they lowered her settings to 10/10.  I will attempt to clarify this...

This is actually a cpap setting instead of a bi-pap setting.  So with bi-pap (remember bi means 2) there is a constant pressure to keep the lungs open.  Then there is a different pressure delivered when a breath is delivered.  So her normal home settings are 14/7 (you would verbalize this fourteen over seven).  So the 7 (epap or expitory pressure) is the same as PEEP (on a ventilator) is the constant pressure to hold the lungs open.  The14 (ipap or inspitory pressure) is the pressure delivered with each breath.

With cpap there is only one pressure.  It does not deliver a different pressure with inspitory versus expitory (breathing in versus breathing out).  So with a setting of 10/10 it is really just a setting of 10.

She is still on 10/10 and doing fabulously.  Respirations or normal, heartrate is normal, breathing is not labored, she is awake, oxygen looks good.  She has been staring at her vecta all day long.  I took a video yesterday, but it wouldn't let me upload it.  I will try again, otherwise I will post pics.  As my cousin Shelby once said about the original Nintendo gaming system "I got to get me one of those."  (If you didn't get the reference I mean I have to get Ellie a Vecta---or at least the color morphing bubbling tube with balls or fish.  Then Jason could make her an enclosure with mirrors.  This will make a lot more sense when I post the video or pics.)

They are still giving her 30% oxygen.  (This machine along with ventilators delivers oxygen by % not by liters.  They do not correlate.)  I know that's probably confusing.  Ask me if you want me to clarify this further.  Otherwise, don't worry about it...it's not important.  Here is a test to see if you were reading the blog...what percent of room air is oxygen?

Great great great day!

Her lungs still sound decreased (so you can't hear breath sounds-air moving in and out of lungs) in the lower lobes (bottom parts) of the lungs, especially the left.