When I left the hospital last night, I was under the impression that today Shirley would receive a tracheotomy today. While one is still in the near future (like tomorrow), a more pressing need today was to replace a catheter that had been put in her jugular for dialysis. The original catheter was intended for short term use (less than two weeks), and as it now appears that Shirley's kidneys will need help longer than that, they wanted to get a longer term tunneled catheter installed today.
Shirley also and an "EMG" Nerve Conduction Study today. She is showing some signs of what they call "Critical Illness Myopathy," a widespread muscle weakness that is common in critically ill patients with extended ICU stays. The test involved giving her small shocks administered from a surface probe and then from a needle inserted into different muscles and then watching the electrical impulses on a screen. It was fascinating to watch, but not very comfortable for Shirley. The two doctors administering the test were the same ones who will interpret the findings, but the said they had to go back and review them before they would be able to confirm a diagnosis. The good new was the Shirley was able to flex all of the muscles they asked her to for the test.
2 comments:
Greg. This is good friend and prayer buddy of Dianne. Had a quick question for you. Have they tried total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for Shirley. When we have long term critical foals in NICU that are so debilitated, that is an option for us. My continued thoughts and prayers are with you both. Leah
Hi Leah, Thanks for the question. TPN is a form of IV-delivered nutrition. At times, Shirley's only nutrition was via IV as just dextrose, but they have not done TPN. I asked the other day about it and was told that it was considered as more of a last result with transplant patients because there are various complications that are common. The doctors didn't elaborate much, but since she now seems to be tolerating the tube feeding, the issue seemed moot.
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