11/03/12

We saw Jules a number of times yesterday she is heavily sedated to help her cope with the discomfort of the ventilator tube.  she was aware of our presence most of the time and able to respond to questions with a weak nod or shake of the head.  The ventilator is a very clever device, it is programmed to breathe for her completely or just to assist if she is trying to breathe herself
 

The ICU head doctor has indicated that they are likely to keep her on the ventilator for a couple more days yet then see how she goes breathing for herself. He indicated that patients with injuries similar to Jules who come into ICU generally do go back to breathing for themselves within a couple of weeks as other nerves assist the diaphragm muscles to function.

 

 If she is unable to breathe in the short term then she will have a tracheostomy in her neck which will mean that she will not have the discomfort of the tube in her throat

 

Peter Curtain who had a similar injury 30 years ago and recovered called in to see her yesterday. I think she was aware he was there and he said he will return to see her again this week.  He related some of his experiences to us and I think he will be great support for Jules as he has been there done that.  Peter indicated that he still has to consciously think about every step he takes and that he has many functions that don't work properly but he mostly leads a normal life.

 After the surgery this week is going to be pretty much wait and see what happens as the swelling subsides so it will be many fingers crossed and lots of positive thinking.

 We hope the apartment rental is approved at Kangaroo Pt today and that we can move in late today or tomorrow.

 We will update you all further tomorrow.

 Kind regards Val, Norm, Kylie and Darrel