I got to the hospital just after 10am during a physio session, so Shaly asked we to wait in the waiting area. When I was allowed into her room a few minutes later, Heather was sitting in her chair again and I noticed that she didn’t have her n.g. (nasal gastric) tube in again. It turns out she had it out again during the night, as well as managing to disconnect all her other cables as well! I was also told that if she can cough on her own and when instructed, she could have her trachy tube removed. I knew this would please her, as she hates having anything tight around her neck.
As with yesterday, Heather kept slipping down in her chair, but had enough upper body strength to have a go and re-positioning herself. However, she didn’t quite manage it. Her Mum and sister arrived about 11am and they were thrilled to be able to talk with her. As a matter of fact, one comment from Nicky caused Heather to laugh! Twenty minutes later, Dad and Jan arrived, but only stayed for tem minutes. I think they were pleasantly surprised to see her progress. Heather even managed a smile and a wave when they came through the door.
At midday, Heather had her n.g. tube re-inserted, so she can continue to receive food until she can accept food and drink. After Heather’s Mum and sister left, she had another x-ray to confirm the location of the n.g. tube and she was given some tablets for her blood pressure (yes, that’s right, tablets!! She could actually swallow them!) We also tried her on a protein based orange drink to make a change from water. Although it took about half an hour, she managed to finish the whole carton, much to the delight of the staff. Once she can eat and drink on her own, she won’t need the n.g. tube, which I know is annoying her.
At 2pm, Francesca took over as Heather’s nurse for the rest of the day. While I had lunch, Heather was put back into bed, as she’d had quite a busy and energetic morning and it had tired her out.
At 3:45pm, the physio arrived and told me that Heather was ready to have the trachy tube removed. I took this opportunity to have a quick loo break. By the time I got back, it was done. Later on, Heather’s food bag was connected so she is now receiving sustenance again. Francesca told me that Heather is now the wellest person in ITU and that all going well, she could be moved back onto the wards in the next few days (maybe even tomorrow)
Once again, progress today was excellent. Now that the trachy tube has gone, her throat is clear so she can speak, so maybe she may be up to speaking tomorrow. I’m so pleased with her progress, but we are going to organise our visits a bit better. Today, all visitors arrived in the morning with no one expect me after 1pm. Once she goes back onto the wards, visiting times will be much more restrictive, but I’ll find out more in the coming days.
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