Speed bumps

Yesterday was not the best of days for Chris. He has developed a fungal infection in his mouth which seems to be pretty uncomfortable. It's no doubt due to the fact that he's only breathing through his mouth - the n.g. feeding tube in his nose makes it difficult to breathe through his nose. It also makes it harder to swallow or cough, so I was happy that he was scheduled to have that replaced with another in his stomach.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to complete the procedure. In order to place another feeding tube into his stomach, they had to put a camera down his throat to look around in there and find the right place. When they tried that, though, Chris's larynx kept spasming. They were afraid he was going to stop breathing, so they halted the procedure. They plan on trying again today with another "cocktail" of sedatives to prevent that from happening.

Chris didn't seem too upset about it, but it really brought me down. I keep looking for signs every day that Chris is on his way to a full recovery, and I was disappointed that yesterday was not delivering what I wanted. I know, though, that my own unrealistic expectations were getting in the way. Chris did make some progress yesterday. He received a slew of wonderful cards and photos from his enormous fan club, and he reached out his hand so he could hold them himself and read every one. The PT and OT were thrilled with his physical progress. The OT started with range of motion exercises in one arm and was delighted to see a lot less tone and more flexibility, so she went immediately to the other just to see if it was the same. PT and OT worked together to sit Chris up on the side of the bed and, for the first time, he held himself (more or less) upright, showing that his balance is still good. He spent several hours sitting up in the chair watching extremely stimulating day time television. And, finally, he spoke a very clear "No" last night, the second perfectly understandable word he's uttered.

So, here's the prayer du jour - that they will be successful in getting that foul tube out of his poor nose. As my sister told me yesterday, our prayers are getting more specific. First it was "Let Chris make it through this," then it was "Please help Chris get better every day," now we're offering up a laundry list for the MRSA (superbug), mouth infection, and feeding tube. The biggest, of course, is still focussed on getting Chris back home for his rehab, so he can get visits and harassment from his family and friends. I know there's a long line of you waiting for that; I think I'll sell tickets.

B