Cannula replacement, Exhaustion, and Hope

Yesterday was another day of high drama. Ally came up yesterday morning to work and be with me, and Dr Dimaio, the head surgeon for the transplant program at UT, came in to talk to us. He wanted to replace the cannula that is embedded in Randy’s vein, which takes the blood from his body and runs it through the ECMO machine, oxygenating his blood. Fortunately the surgery went well, and this morning Dr Kaza explained that they have set the ventilator lower, it is only at 10%, the goal is to remove the ventilator tomorrow and start doing some physical therapy with him prior to a lung transplant. No lungs suitable for Randy have appeared in the last 3 weeks. They also needed to make sure there was no brain damage….so they started slowly waking him to get him to respond to commands…and he did! He squeezed our hands, and wiggled his toes. He wasn’t responding at first, then I started talking loudly about the Great White Shark photo of me in National Geographic, and he started waking, enough to respond. I knew that would get him going. Ha! Randy LOVES those photos, and wants the film that Jero made of the event, maybe Rodrigo and Jero will give it as a get well gift?!

Obviously, I am feeling much better today. Yes, of course, I am still afraid, but I am less afraid. One of the nurses just told me she is confident he is going to make through this. The roller coaster of emotion I’m riding on is hopefully slowing….I just want him to get lungs so we can start rehabilitation….I know he will be devoted and conscientious of his recovery. I am going to start posting our Tanzania adventure from last summer….please enjoy that!