I originally tried to post this two hours ago so as not to keep you all waiting for news, but for some reason when I just checked, my post wasn’t there. Due to the delay, I can share a story. Dr. Gamper, Tyler’s transplant doctor, recently stopped by to chat. Ron asked him if he often sees patients get as close to the edge as Tyler was last Wednesday. Dr. Gamper’s reply was goosebump-inducing:
Actually, Tyler was OVER the edge, but something pulled him back up.”
Dr. Gamper shared that Tyler’s blood was so acidic, he was just hours away from multi-organ shut down. I can’t help but think that Tyler receiving such a miracle is a sign that God still has amazing plans for him!
FINALLY, Tyler was switched out from his oscillator to a conventional vent with APRV settings at 2:41 pm today. Three hours later, he is still doing great! This type of ventilation allows Tyler to take his own breaths. Despite not yet being weaned from the paralytic, Tyler is taking 5-8 breaths a minute on his own! They will be watching him closely and checking his blood gases – they’ve already made two adjustments. One major change is how much quieter this vent is – the oscillator’s noise was oppressive.
Tyler is still very sedated, but is being weaned from both sedation and the paralytic. This will likely take some time. In the meantime, he’s showing signs that he can hear us (blood pressure and heart rate changing when we talk to him).
Today during rounds we were given some encouraging news regarding our worries from the day before…Tyler’s bilirubin levels, while still high, dropped some last night. Also, he was able to successfully receive platelets last night – apparently his reaction was to an individual bag. Further, the oxygenation index value they’ve been following went from 19 two days ago to 10 today.
Tyler will be transferred to a new bed tonight. This bed tilts and the mattress can be set to change the level of inflation at varying points to prevent more bed sores from developing. Tyler’s lungs and body have a long way to go and will require much rehab, but we couldn’t be happier to be considering a long road ahead rather than what we faced last week. Your fervent prayers have already saved Tyler’s life! Please keep praying for those lungs, for success on this ventilator, and for success being weaned from the ventilator.