2/11

Peyton did very well post extubation. They kept him comfortable through the paravertebral catheter. They have been giving him fats and nutrients via IV. They removed his catheter and he had a couple of good wet diapers. He has not needed oxygen. His oxygen saturation levels have been perfect and his heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate numbers have been looking great. He has been receiving periodic racemic epi treatments for breathing. They have given him suppository Tylenol for pain control. He has been enjoying the chest PT which consists of the nurse gently pounding on his chest with a cup. He did really well throughout the night. They have been suctioning secretions from his mouth as necessary. He has been giving some good coughs which is what he needs to be doing. He has had trouble swallowing and lets the secretions/saliva build up in his mouth and then coughs it out. I spoke with the rounding team as well as Dr. Jennings and considering what he has been through and having multiple tubes down his throat they are not concerned. We have stopped both IV's in his left arm as his arm has gotten pretty puffy and firm. The IV team will be coming up to put in a new IV so that he can continue to receive nutrients until he can eat (which will be when he starts to swallow.) They are looking to hopefully remove his chest tube later this morning. If all goes well over the next few hours they will most likely move us off of the ICU unit and back to the tenth floor which is the surgical floor. Thank you all for the continued support, it really is helping Chris and I power through this process. xo Ryan