Less Vent, Less Critical

This morning's news is short & sweet. Denise's dad & I went in at about 9 am to watch the physical therapy. Denise did pretty good. We learned a lot of things that we can do with her. Much of the work was passive, but some was active, requiring Denise to apply a little force on her own. She was *really* tired when therapy was done. Not that she's ever really been a morning person, but she was already starting to fade in & out by 10 am. I still got a smile, though! :O)
The ventilator pressure went from yesterday's 20 cm/H20 to 18 today. So once again, here's another day with the machine doing less work, Denise doing more, and her oxygenation remaining adequate.
The doctor indicated that they're going to discontinue the med that boosts white blood cell production, as her marrow seemed to start cranking out acceptable amounts again. Yay!
There's another increase needed in the protein department. The fevers persist. Infections persist.
Ray of sunshine: doctor indicated that if things continue to slowly get better, Denise may be graded into a category that's less critical or even just plain serious. When patients are in serious condition, they don't really like to hear jokes. That'll be a tough phase for me. Still, I'm glad to hear that all the decisions, meds, skill, equipment, hard work, and prayer is all working together to keep Denise on the road to recovery. After all that's been going on for a month, it's nice to hear the positive things.
By the way, Denise's doctor became a first-time daddy yesterday. He's "off" for a few days to hang out with his wife & new son. But he's still been coming in to see Denise anyway. That kind of dedication has been typical of him and the nursing crew.
:O) Phil