2nd Ventilator day!

Oh, this great staff in the PICU. They have been very tolerant and put up with these parents who have insatiable questions and with me with my mother bear over protection responses. I think this place should be called the PPICU--Pediatric Patience Intensive Care Unit.

It has been another very good night. Yesterday was such a great day with all of Shannon's responses. Although her nodding and shaking of the head is ever so slight it is obvious when she is saying yes and no. She is generally responsive but still mostly sleeps, sometimes she wakes to us talking to her and sometimes not but that is all very typical.

During the night, they have given her two spontaneous breathing tests. This is the test to see how well she is breathing on her own without any support from the ventilator. She passed both tests very well. So the plan today is to get the tubes out of her mouth and get her neck cleared so we can take the collar off. Then they will cut down her medications a lot, in fact I think they will take the one drug off completely so she will wake up even more. That will be an exciting time but also a scary time--reality is around the corner. But with the kind of responses we are getting, my faith has again been strengthened. I am very optimist. I still believe it may well be a long road but I am ok with that.

When asked, Shannon indicated to one nurse that she remembered the accident and to another that she didn't. Obviously there is confusion going on but hopefully, for the most part she won't remember any of the hospital ordeal. Being in the hospital is never a fun experience.

Today our prayers will be directed to the clearing of the neck and the success for getting rid of the ventilator. Will keep you posted... Pheobe