The week was fairly tricky and he started to look like me might show improvement over the weekend. Well, we were wrong. The nurses tried over a few days to get Michael off the respirator because he wasn't requiring any additional air, just some pressure assistance. If he was breathing on his own, it was logical to take him off the machines.
The attempt on Saturday morning didn't go well. He reacted badly and ended up being put back on the ventilator to give him a rest and he needed a visit from the cardiologist. While the suspicion was that there was fluid around his heart, it turned out that his heart was fine and there was in fact fluid around his lungs. He got some medication to encourage the fluid to be absorbed and flushed out and he was taken off the ventilator.
It was something quite amazing to see him awake after a week of seeing him asleep or sedated. I kept him company while the nurse prepared but I was asked to take a walk while they removed his tubes. The nurses said he definitely found his voice again and was doing fine but would need a bit of pressure assistance which was ok. I jumped and cheered in the ward when I saw him free of the ventilator - such a nerd.
His surgeon said the chest infection and his struggle with breathing was a setback but he was doing really well and all it takes now is some patience to allow him to recover at his own pace. It boggles my mind that he went from being on a ventilator, off the ventilator, on the respirator, off the respirator and then back on the ventilator and off again all in one week. But, all that matters is he is out of danger and improving...little by little he is moving forward.
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