Day Five

The fifth day has started in a pretty good place. The HIT seems to be doing its job, as his nurse and respiratory therapist worked overnight on weaning him off the vapotherm. As of now, he is off of it and back on a regular nasal cannula, with no drop in his saturations. They tell me the x-ray looks better.

Ayden's heart has been sustaining a sufficient rate on its own, so he was disconnected from the external pacemaker overnight, as well. His rhythym is still junctional. He had been hanging out around the 110 range, although recently the rate on the monitor has really been bouncing around. The doctors say this is just because he's been having some early beats that mess up the way the monitor continuously calculates his rate. In other words, they aren't worried. Although I won't be completely un-freaked out until it is back all the way to normal, I do feel somewhat better, though I'd really like it to stop bounding around like it is.

He is still pretty mad at the world and lacks the interest to do much other than sleep. It's hard to see him this way and to feel like he blames me for where he is and how he feels. His personality can't come back soon enough.

He got what passes in the hospital as a bath this morning. He didn't really care for it, but there hasn't been very much that he has cared for. I'm going to take him for a (unfortunately very hot pink) wagon ride later today. I'm hoping that will lift his spirits some.

So . . . progress. Not as much, or as quickly, as I'd like, but progress nonetheless.