The blood gas (checking to see if retaining CO2) from Mon night showed that yes she was retaining CO2. This is a plausible explanation for the sleepiness and probably means tge breathing was making her tired.
Tues morn she made it 2.5 hours on her trial off bipap, but then got sleepy.
So we made a new plan of 2 hours on bipap and 2 hours off bipap. To see how she does. This would be more like doing sprints, rather than a marathon.
We will be going to the floor sometime today. Probably not until tonight.
Going to the floor is good because it means closer to discharge, but it carries with it other challenges.
#1) nurse to patient ratio is higher...they are overworked and Ellie gets less attention
#2) in ICU the residents and Attending Dr. are about 50 steps away. They can be there within a few minutes. On the floor the Dr.s and residents can literally take hours to come answer a question. I'm really not exaggerating.
#3) in ICU the RT's are about 200 steps away. They can be there within a few minutes. They come for your treatments, but it takes them much longer ( like 20-30 minutes) to come if you need them for something else.
#4) in ICU the Dr.'s are allowed to make changes to bipap. On the floor the Dr.'s cannot make changes. Bipap changes must be ordered by her pulmonologist. I love her pulmonologist, but she does not work at PCH. So we will have to coordinate plans by phone. It will be a pain and will really slow down the recovery process.
#5) there are free slushies in ICU
In reality, I would rather stay in PICU.
Oh well. It will be fine. I just have to be more proactive on the floor and make sure I am on top of the nurses and Drs. And make sure I get all of my questions written down and answered while I have the appropriate people at hand.
1 comment:
It's a funny thing to want to be in PICU, yet your reasons have me convinced that's a better place to be. Good luck with the new trials.
Post a Comment