Today, on Tuesday, at 1:00, Tim had to have surgery to be reintubated with a regular trach tube so that he could be put on a ventilator (and a feeding tube). His blood gases were very poor at that point (with, for the nurses among you, sats of 85, PH 7.1, and a PCO2 of 120). (Surgeon to Tim and Lynda: "You are in grave danger, and even if we do this surgery immediately, I don't know if we can pull you out.")
He is on many antibiotics (2 gram-negative infections) and a host of other medications. Sometimes he's awake and alert and he tells jokes (even though he has no voice, being on the ventilator (he's a good whisperer). Most of the time he is getting worked on and then tries to sleep.
I've been with him most of the time, and can be reached by phone at our home/cell number.
Cindy, Tim's sister, and a very experienced nurse (and nursing teacher) is on her way here. She'll be wonderful support for both of us.
p.s. Another helpful support I found much later, which I wish someone had shared with me is this booklet on ventilator therapy, written for concerned families.
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