11AM on Sept 1. Rob had a good night. His blood pressure has been stable with the medication they have been giving him. His heart rhythm has been great since the shock they gave him. The move to ICU was a little tough on him and the meds for the blood pressure will hopefully be reduced and stopped in the next few days.
He can write what he wants and is very responsive when he is awake. His new room has a wonderful view from the 6' by 12' window. He looks out on to a skyline of multiple medical buildings. The MD Anderson Cancer Center is just across the street. It will be nice for him to get his days and nights straight again.
The infectious disease doctor came in this morning and showed me his chest x-ray. He has pneumonia and a swollen part on his lungs. He is on antibiotics and the hope is to get his lungs cleared up. The breathing tube will not come out until he clears up. They don't like using the respirator because of the swollen part of the lung but they don't have any choice for now.
He has chest tubes inserted on each side to help create a negative pressure so his lungs do not collapse. They also help drain any fluids since he is still seeping around his surgery areas. He is cool to the touch except around his head, neck and shoulders. He loves to be massaged and to have a cold cloth placed on his forehead.
It is great to just sit in the room with him. He is so appreciative of anything we do. As I sit in his room I see his bed with one rack with 7 different drip lines going into him. One of them feeds his food tube that goes in his mouth to his stomach. The others are for meds and liquids. He has a bank of 5 small machines that regulate dosages of the drip lines. His main information monitor has 6 different cords coming out and attached to Rob in various locations to monitor his blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, etc. He has a pacemaker suspended above his bed with wires that come out of his heart. The pacemaker is not being used now - it is there if needed. His respirator is on a different stand and has a lot of cords and tubes. He has adhesive tape around his head above his lip and just below his nose which holds the respirator and feeding tube in his mouth. When he turns his head one direction the tape and tubes stretch his lip and nose the opposite direction. I am amazed at how well he tolerates that contraption. He does gag quite often and spits up some of the material they are feeding him through the feeding tube. He has the typical bag hanging off his bed to collect urine. He has 2 other chest tubes that connect to two large containers and pumps on the floor. There are special leggings on him with 8 different tubes that help pump air to assist in blood flow. The unit to operate the leggings is mounted on the end of his bed. He also has all the typical blood pressure cuffs, air hoses, outlets, cords, air and other lines all around him. It is hard to get to his bed without stepping on or moving a bunch of cords and tubes.
Each day of recovery is so important. We pray for his lungs to clear up and his strength to return. It is so nice to be with him more and we think it is good for him. The nurse said he thought his blood pressure was higher when we are visiting but as I was with him last night and this morning - his pressure was perfect.
He smiles more when Marla comes into the room. She is good medicine for him. She will have time to work on her cross stitch that she brought now that we can be here more often. It is great to be together. It is sad today because Bri, Melissa, and sweet Marin are going home. We will feel them present in spirit just like all of you that are praying for Rob.
I better cut this off - Thanks to all again.
Jennifer and Landon are still hoping for good news regarding work and school but it does not look too good for New Orleans. They are trying to do laundry today since they only brought a few changes of clothing - not expecting to be gone so long. Landon is interviewing some of the local hospital staff to gain some insight on future options. Our prayers are with all the refugees and hope that clean up can be quick enough to allow people access to their stuff and allow for plans for the future.
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