Yesterday we received some fantastic news regarding aunt Mary. Most of you have likely heard her medical team did remove her ventilator yesterday. From here there’s a few things the doctors and nurses are wanting to address.

 

Since she was intubated for a prolonged period of time they need to make sure she can properly swallow before getting her back on a regular diet. It’s not uncommon for patients to sort of temporarily forget how those muscles function after being inactive for a long time. She’s doing fairly well with small sips of water, but her medical team is going to have a speech pathologist evaluate her just to ensure the specialists are happy with how she’s doing, and that she will not require any additional formal therapy to regain full function. 

 

She is understandably very weak, and is communicating in small, quiet whispers. This is posing a bit of a communication barrier. I imagine this must be incredibly frustrating for her, but she is taking it in stride. I honestly think one of the hardest things for her is not being to fully show her appreciation for her nurses. At one point she was trying to call after her nurse when she was leaving the room. I asked her if she was just wanting to tell her thank you. She nodded with tears in her eyes. If any of you don’t know my aunt Mary, this is her to a tee. Always wanting to express love and appreciation for others. 

 

I stayed the night with her last night, and kept reminding her that the first 24 hours are bound to be the most difficult. She was feeling rather anxious, and had trouble staying asleep last night. We’re thinking some of it is likely due to the emotional trauma she experienced upon waking up, the obvious physical barriers making her uncomfortable, and also potentially an after effect of all the narcotics used to sedate her. 

 

This morning while I was leaving she kept agreeing that “we’ll do this together,” and she cried when I reminded her it’s not just the two of us; that “together” includes all of her friends and family, and seemingly the entire village of Bethalto. She had many happy, grateful tears when we discussed this. She was even able to muster a lively whisper that she loves everyone. I told her we all love her too, and encouraged her to rest. 

 

Given her increased anxiety, she was having issues keeping her breathing slow and steady. Prayers for anxiety relief may be moving toward the top of our prayer priority list now. Despite being fairly proficient at putting together sentences on paper, I do not excel in the art of saying a beautiful prayer aloud the way that Mary does. I think she would find great comfort in loved ones praying over her if you come to visit. 

 

I just spoke with her nurse, and she said she does not think she’s anxious at this time. She does get a bit squirmy trying to get comfortable, but there’s no overt signs of her anxiety spiking or anything like that. My hope is that she was able to get a bit of sleep. I know a nice restful sleep can make me feel like a new person!

 

I forgot to ask about how her kidney function is looking, but I do know they’re producing urine! From a medical standpoint I’m unsure if this carries any huge clinical significance, but it made me happy. She is still on dialysis. Other good news - no more low platelet count!

 

The nurse said they’re going to get her out of bed today. Imagine how amazing that’ll feel! Being able to just walk across the room and sit in a chair - funny the things we take for granted within our own bodies. Speaking of, I believe the weather is going to be pretty beautiful this afternoon. If you can, go outside and really work your lungs for aunt Mary. I bet she’d love to do that right about now. 

 

As for uncle john - I know he had an infected drainage port, and they’ve since performed a quick procedure to swap it out with a new one. I didn’t get to go visit this morning when I left, but Seth said he thinks he’s doing pretty well!

 

Don’t forget to stop by El Mezcal today or tonight! They’re hosting the Dine for Dinero fundraiser with proceeds going to the Terry Family. Perfect excuse for a bit of indulgence right before hump day. 😜

 

💕Mallory