Glenn Update #6: Recovery Begins

Ayden finally made it up to the PCCU around 3:30 or so.  We got to see him about a half hour after that.  By all accounts, he is doing well.  The only medications he is receiving through an IV is an "afterload reducer" - i.e., helps keep his blood pressure down.  This is standard operating procedure after the type of surgery he went through.  He is still sedated, though he has started to wake up, which has forced the doctors to make a decision - do they continue with the sedation are start to wean the ventilator?

They decided to wean the ventilator.  This process starts slowly, beginning with dropping down the breathing rate on the ventilator to see if he will tolerate fewer breaths per minute and start to take over some of the work on his own.  They have dropped his rate twice so far and he has done just fine.  One PCCU doctor has given Ayden's nurse an 8:30 p.m. deadline for getting him completely off, but that may be a tad bit optimistic.

At any rate, he is doing well.  Every doctor and nurse that has seen him has said two things:  he looks good and he's chunky/beefy/big/healthy/fat/etc.  (Dr. K was the only one brave enough to say what everyone else is thinking - he's fat.)

As always, God has been very good to us.