Today Jerry is resting very peacefully. His past few days have been pretty hard on him in that he didn't sleep much; was very restless and antsy. The nurses have sedated him a bit more today in order to keep him from thrashing around and also to keep his anxiety at bay. As he awakens/becomes alert, he still tries to wrench the tube from his throat..something we definitely do not want.
We are under "quiet" orders today from Nurse Shannon. So, while there will be someone with him all day, we won't be chatting with him as much instead, simply holding his hand and being there for him. Her goal is to let him rest today as she feels the last 24 hours or so have been very stimulating and hard on him with family in/out, chatting with him and of course, the regular check up of "Jerry, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand, or raise your eyebrows" was somewhat draining on him.
His blood pressure and heart rate are within nominal ranges today. They have turned the pressure support on the ventilator back up due to the fatigue they feel he has been thru the last few days. Also, they have put him back on one of the blood pressure meds. This isn't too surprising as when they sedate him/he's asleep, his bp drops.. so they are doing this to simply regulate him - nothing to be alarmed about.
His swelling has gone down considerably.. and they are now pulling about 60-75 ml/hour from him (the level changes depending on his BP levels). The kidney doctor thinks his swelling hasn't gone down, as he isn't pulling the amount of fluid from him that he would like.. but again, nothing alarming. He can't pull the amount he wants until his blood pressure stabilizes.
We are constantly in a tug of war between the blood pressure and kidneys -and every now and then something else decides to jump in and gives us a good tug.... but we are flighting steadfastly and will win out in the end.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Saturday update
Today it appeared we were going to make some major progress, but it turned out that we didn't make the steps we thought we would.
Jerry had a long night last night- he didn't sleep at all (and I mean not even napping too much). He was extremely alert and responsive to everyone that was in the room visiting him. We brought one of the kids Alphabet game boards as he was really trying to communicate with everyone, and with the tube in, he wasn't able to. The board worked fairly well, and we are still working on a few other ideas to help him communicate with us.
His blood pressure was awesome all night, and the nurses actually took him off all the blood pressure medicine.. so he is now back to regulating his own BP. Hopefully, it will stay at a good level for the future.
He is now breathing on his own and the pressure support on the ventilator is at the lowest possible level they can use ... this is all great as it means that he is breathing virtually on his own. He is very aware of the tube and several times during the night he has tried to pull the tube out of his throat.
They have been pulling fluids off of him since yesterday and you can see the change in him. Yes, he is still puffy, but he is no where near the level of puff that he was last night. They are going to continue to pull fluids from him and they are fairly optimistic at how this process is going.
This morning, it looked like we would have a breakthrough, however, after the doctor's consulted- things stayed the same. Because his levels and such were so good this morning, Nurse Jamie (yeah! she's back!) let the docs know and said that she wanted to see if they would take the tube out and get him off the ventilator. The doctors took over an hour to consult and finally decided to keep him on the ventilator for another 24 hours. They will re-evaluate his status tomorrow again and see if things have improved. Their reasoning for not removing him off the machines is to keep pulling fluids off of him. They don't seem to see any issues with his breathing, blood pressure or other vitals that would prevent them from removing him from the machine.. it all seems to revolve around them pulling fluids off of him to get him better. So, we hope tomorrow will bring more fluids out of Jerry and enable the docs to remove him from the ventilator. I know that he will be extremely happy as will the rest of the family and the great nurses that have bonded with him.
Jerry had a long night last night- he didn't sleep at all (and I mean not even napping too much). He was extremely alert and responsive to everyone that was in the room visiting him. We brought one of the kids Alphabet game boards as he was really trying to communicate with everyone, and with the tube in, he wasn't able to. The board worked fairly well, and we are still working on a few other ideas to help him communicate with us.
His blood pressure was awesome all night, and the nurses actually took him off all the blood pressure medicine.. so he is now back to regulating his own BP. Hopefully, it will stay at a good level for the future.
He is now breathing on his own and the pressure support on the ventilator is at the lowest possible level they can use ... this is all great as it means that he is breathing virtually on his own. He is very aware of the tube and several times during the night he has tried to pull the tube out of his throat.
They have been pulling fluids off of him since yesterday and you can see the change in him. Yes, he is still puffy, but he is no where near the level of puff that he was last night. They are going to continue to pull fluids from him and they are fairly optimistic at how this process is going.
This morning, it looked like we would have a breakthrough, however, after the doctor's consulted- things stayed the same. Because his levels and such were so good this morning, Nurse Jamie (yeah! she's back!) let the docs know and said that she wanted to see if they would take the tube out and get him off the ventilator. The doctors took over an hour to consult and finally decided to keep him on the ventilator for another 24 hours. They will re-evaluate his status tomorrow again and see if things have improved. Their reasoning for not removing him off the machines is to keep pulling fluids off of him. They don't seem to see any issues with his breathing, blood pressure or other vitals that would prevent them from removing him from the machine.. it all seems to revolve around them pulling fluids off of him to get him better. So, we hope tomorrow will bring more fluids out of Jerry and enable the docs to remove him from the ventilator. I know that he will be extremely happy as will the rest of the family and the great nurses that have bonded with him.
Friday, January 16, 2009
What day is it? Can't recall.. but things are progressing...
Today has been a fairly good for Jerry. He's been very alert and responsive to everyone all day today. He really notices who is in the room and follows what you say and do.
His blood pressure is up now, but they are still medicating him for it (haven't given him any MORE of the BP meds, but are still maintaining the level they have him on). This afternoon was a banner afternoon for Jer - they started to pull fluids from him! We are all very excited in this small, but important step for him. He is using the ventilator less and less these days- not even using it for breathing as he is handling that on his own. He is (for the most part) on the ventilator for "pressure support" for his lungs and they have lowered that to 5/5 (he was at 15/5). His color remains good and the rest of his vitals are nice and strong.
Our nurse this evening is lovely (said dripping with sarcasm). She has a very strong Island accent and does not really speak to you unless spoken to, and even then, answers you with as little informaiton as she has to. She is not our favorite nurse here by far....
His blood pressure is up now, but they are still medicating him for it (haven't given him any MORE of the BP meds, but are still maintaining the level they have him on). This afternoon was a banner afternoon for Jer - they started to pull fluids from him! We are all very excited in this small, but important step for him. He is using the ventilator less and less these days- not even using it for breathing as he is handling that on his own. He is (for the most part) on the ventilator for "pressure support" for his lungs and they have lowered that to 5/5 (he was at 15/5). His color remains good and the rest of his vitals are nice and strong.
Our nurse this evening is lovely (said dripping with sarcasm). She has a very strong Island accent and does not really speak to you unless spoken to, and even then, answers you with as little informaiton as she has to. She is not our favorite nurse here by far....
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Information on Giving Blood
Thank you to all of you that have offered to donate blood for Jerry in case it's needed. As he is A Positive - those that are also A Positive as well as O Positive (Universal Donors) can give blood for Jer.
We are in the process of setting this up with the Community Blood Bank so that you can go in and Direct Donate for him. It should be all set up by later this afternoon/end of day for anyone to donate after today.
Here is information on local Kansas City Community Blood Banks:
Website information: www.safealilfenow.org
Location/hours information: http://www.savealifenow.org/services/hours-locations.php
For those of you that haven't given blood before, you will have to present a photo id and they will do a small physical on you to ensure you are healthy enough to give blood. Once you pass that, they will hook you up and the process should take about one hour.
When you arrive, please let them know that you are there to be a Direct Donor. Those of you that have commented on the blog that you will donate - your names will be on the list. For those of you that haven't and want to donate, please let me know so that I can add you to the list as well. It's my understanding they will not accept unless they have your name on the list(due to "patient/family wishes and only accepting those that they know I guess). I am trying to verify all this information this morning.
Thank you for all your precious time and blood! Let's hope we won't end up needing it and that the Blood Bank can use it instead!!
We are in the process of setting this up with the Community Blood Bank so that you can go in and Direct Donate for him. It should be all set up by later this afternoon/end of day for anyone to donate after today.
Here is information on local Kansas City Community Blood Banks:
Website information: www.safealilfenow.org
Location/hours information: http://www.savealifenow.org/services/hours-locations.php
For those of you that haven't given blood before, you will have to present a photo id and they will do a small physical on you to ensure you are healthy enough to give blood. Once you pass that, they will hook you up and the process should take about one hour.
When you arrive, please let them know that you are there to be a Direct Donor. Those of you that have commented on the blog that you will donate - your names will be on the list. For those of you that haven't and want to donate, please let me know so that I can add you to the list as well. It's my understanding they will not accept unless they have your name on the list(due to "patient/family wishes and only accepting those that they know I guess). I am trying to verify all this information this morning.
Thank you for all your precious time and blood! Let's hope we won't end up needing it and that the Blood Bank can use it instead!!
A Heartfelt Thank You
I wanted to take a moment on behalf of Jerry and the entire Cahill Clan (immediate and extended family alike) to thank everyone of you that have read and posted on the blog, stopped by, brought food, offered to watch the little ones or called to check in- your love and concern for Jerry and everyone of us is unbelievable and heartwarming and it means more than you will every know to have this outpouring of love and support during this trying time.
I have received many questions on what people can do for us: where they can send gifts, cards, etc. for Jerry. At this point, the best thing would be to send anything to Jerry's house. As he is in ICU, he is not allowed to have live plants and i don't really know how the hospital handles mail for patients - so the best bet is Jerry's house. There is generally always someone there since the babies and Lanie hang out there and cause chaos most days.
The address is:
Jerry Cahill
207 W. 81st
Kansas City, KS 64114
Thank you again and know that all of your love, blessings and friendship mean the world!
Love,
Sherri and all the Cahills
I have received many questions on what people can do for us: where they can send gifts, cards, etc. for Jerry. At this point, the best thing would be to send anything to Jerry's house. As he is in ICU, he is not allowed to have live plants and i don't really know how the hospital handles mail for patients - so the best bet is Jerry's house. There is generally always someone there since the babies and Lanie hang out there and cause chaos most days.
The address is:
Jerry Cahill
207 W. 81st
Kansas City, KS 64114
Thank you again and know that all of your love, blessings and friendship mean the world!
Love,
Sherri and all the Cahills
As Day Seven Begins
Today has dawned bright and clear in Kansas City and Jerry's room is bright and as cheerful as we can make it. The room is dotted with artwork from 3 very talented kids under 5; pictures of family cover the room and Jerry is covered by a blanket left by one of our cousins.
He is doing pretty good today. Yesterday, they did a CT scan on his head to ensure there was no bleeding going on as his pupils were a bit different in size. They were both responsive, but they were a tad concerned since they were not equal. Found out later- ALL IS GOOD. No worries there.
He is doing good on the dialysis machine. last night and today they have really started pulling a lot of the toxins, potassium and such out of his body- they are constantly changing the bags which is a beautiful thing.
His blood pressure continues to be problematic. They have him on 2 different meds to help regulate it. It's doing better, but still not as great as they would like it to be. They really are trying to get it regulated and normal so they can start pulling the fluid from his lungs and limbs.
Jerry is really quite alert thru most of this. A squeeze of his hand to say "I Love you" gets a squeeze back; a loud hello causes a turn of the head and a raise of the eye; a bad joke by a sister gets the ol' eyebrow raise and roll of the eyes (some things never change I guess). A loving touch on the feet as mom leaves the room gets his head and eyes on her to let her know he is aware.
Last night, Trent, Michael and Scott read to him and kept him company thru the midnight shift and he was even able to sit a bit more upright for a short time period.
We are still not out of the woods yet, but slight improvments here and there help. Let's see what today brings and we'll go from there.
He is doing pretty good today. Yesterday, they did a CT scan on his head to ensure there was no bleeding going on as his pupils were a bit different in size. They were both responsive, but they were a tad concerned since they were not equal. Found out later- ALL IS GOOD. No worries there.
He is doing good on the dialysis machine. last night and today they have really started pulling a lot of the toxins, potassium and such out of his body- they are constantly changing the bags which is a beautiful thing.
His blood pressure continues to be problematic. They have him on 2 different meds to help regulate it. It's doing better, but still not as great as they would like it to be. They really are trying to get it regulated and normal so they can start pulling the fluid from his lungs and limbs.
Jerry is really quite alert thru most of this. A squeeze of his hand to say "I Love you" gets a squeeze back; a loud hello causes a turn of the head and a raise of the eye; a bad joke by a sister gets the ol' eyebrow raise and roll of the eyes (some things never change I guess). A loving touch on the feet as mom leaves the room gets his head and eyes on her to let her know he is aware.
Last night, Trent, Michael and Scott read to him and kept him company thru the midnight shift and he was even able to sit a bit more upright for a short time period.
We are still not out of the woods yet, but slight improvments here and there help. Let's see what today brings and we'll go from there.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I Vant To Suck Your Blood...
The doctor has told us that it's a good possibilty that Jerry may need some blood transfusions in the next few days/weeks depending on how his treatments go.
I am told with the Chemo in his system that it's a good possibility that he will need to have transfusions to replenish the lost blood in his system. It doesn't look like they will need to transfuse platelets or plasma at this point.
If anyone would like to donate blood, i would encourage it. Jerry is a type A Positive...but anyone can donate regardless of your blood type - the blood banks can always use all types of blood. One person donating blood can save 3 people's lives (yes, I pulled out the factoids there).
You can go to any local blood bank to donate. Donation time is usally approximately 1 hour (max).
Thank you in advance for considering this option. Jerry and the Blood Banks thank you.
I am told with the Chemo in his system that it's a good possibility that he will need to have transfusions to replenish the lost blood in his system. It doesn't look like they will need to transfuse platelets or plasma at this point.
If anyone would like to donate blood, i would encourage it. Jerry is a type A Positive...but anyone can donate regardless of your blood type - the blood banks can always use all types of blood. One person donating blood can save 3 people's lives (yes, I pulled out the factoids there).
You can go to any local blood bank to donate. Donation time is usally approximately 1 hour (max).
Thank you in advance for considering this option. Jerry and the Blood Banks thank you.
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