Pneumonia

I have not been happier to see clear sputum....ever!

And I hate sputum.

I think only respiratory therapists "like" it!

We have made it home from the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. We got home around 2pm yesterday.

Jason's last low grade fever was Monday evening around 8pm at 100.2. Jason's IV antibiotics were stopped Tuesday at 2pm and an oral antibiotic called levofloxacin was started. He went 36 hour without a fever prior to discharge from the hospital and white blood cells stayed steady at around 13. We are thankful that this hospital stay was only for 5 nights, but it is tiring to be on all that continuous monitoring with ICU protocols.

I know the nurses weren't a huge fan of his nurse wife!

But hey, if I hadn't stopped it, he would have gotten poked SO MANY more times-glucose checks with tube feeds-not needed he has had this for 3+ months now! Let's group together labs with vancomycin trough guys! Every 2 hour lactic acid for sepsis protocol? Not going to show anything if he never had true sepsis with 104 degree fever (I did let them draw about 3-4 that first night)! 2nd IV-nope not needed! Blood pressure every hour-I don't think so! Do we really need 12 lead EKG continuous? (well, yes, but they reduced it to 5 leads) Turning in bed-I'll help him adjust. And don't get me started with using wipes to "shower!" I told them that I wasn't trying to "step on their toes" and that I was truly trying to help them. They got used to me a few hours into their shifts! And the respiratory therapists actually loved me because I did everything they would otherwise do.

temps

WBC

And a good thing did happen.

I got permission from his pulmonary team to ask if they would change the trach out (done every 3 months and was scheduled for outpatient August 9) while in the hospital, and they responded that if the pulmonologist was comfortable doing it, to go ahead. They were, so this was done on Tuesday! It will save us a day driving into Atlanta and recovering from yet another procedure to go ahead and get that done. The appointment we missed on August 1 for the communication device is rescheduled for the afternoon of August 15.

So, we will spend a few days recuperating at home. The antibiotics were ordered for a week. Jason says he feels better. Thank you for the love and prayers. Thank you to Cameron for bringing me my last 24 hours of meals and visiting. Thank you to Robbie and Debbie for watching Jackson. Thanks to Kris and Angela for watching our mail, packages, and house! Thank you Adie and Jamie for Netflix (Ozark is a great show, by the way) Thank you for texts and Facebook "likes" and "loves"

Jason also had a surprise when he got home...he likes having his calves massaged (who doesn't?!) His mom send him the nicest foot massage machine I've ever seen after she massaged his calves in Maine-he did 2 cycles last night after napping when we got home. I have a picture....but Jason did not know I was taking, so it isn't the best.