Remove Those Tubes!!

Yesterday afternoon and last night Kyara kept coughing and gagging after the doctors pulled her mediastinal tube out some. After taking an x-ray and determining that the tube was now in the back of her throat and not in the leak, the doctors decided to pull it out completely. This morning, the doctors planned to move the gastric drain tube that was in her mouth to her nose. That will allow the breathing tube to come out. She can't have the gastric drain tube in her mouth and get the breathing tube out because it will irritate her gag reflex. She is also not ready to go without the gastric drain tube, so it had to be moved to her nose. We went down to radiology to have this procedure done, but the doctor could not get the tube to go into her stomach. Her leak is in the back of her esophagus by her spine, so when the doctors try to put the tube in, gravity makes it skim down the back of the throat and into the leak. After trying to get the tube to go into the stomach for 45 minutes, the doctors decided to take her to the operating room so that they could use a scope to visualize where they are putting the tube. She is back in the room now and the procedure was successful! So, to sum up what has been done: She now has two tubes going into her stomach, one goes through her stomach and into her intestines for feeding, the other goes into her stomach to drain out secretions. The doctors tried to put a small tube through her nose and into the leak as a second thought, but the two tubes that are already there are forcing the leak closed and the doctors can't get a tube through. This is good news, because we are hopeful that the leak will closer quicker now.

Now we need for her to wake up, do a "sprint" exercise on the breathing machine where she will breath by herself without the help of the ventilator, and do a blood gas to make sure she is getting enough oxygen and they will take out the breathing tube! Depending on how long she sleeps before we do the sprint and depending on how she does with the sprint will determine whether they take out the breathing tube today or tomorrow. Go, Kyara, Go!

Gunars and Skylar are leaving tomorrow. This makes me so sad! I am really going to miss them. I pray they have a safe trip home. I have really enjoyed having them here this week! Skylar has been great. She lost a tooth last night and smiled through the bloody mess! What a trooper! Gunars has spent most of his time at the hospital, but tonight we are planning on taking Skylar and Kassey to see some Christmas lights close to Detroit. I wish Kyara could come with us. Perhaps we will get home in time to see the Gaddy's Christmas lights, though. This has been a tradition for us since the girls were born. We love us some Gaddy's! Once Gunars and Skylar leave, Mom and I will go back to "passing the baton."