Update on Katelyn

Today Katelyn FINALLY got her chest tube. It was supposed to happen at 7:30 am but got pushed back til 12:30. When it was time for the chest tube, I went with her (and the nurses and her IV pole and her oxygen mask and her cardiac monitor)down to radiology. The radiology nurse gave her some Versed...by the time she was done Katelyn's speech was slurred and her eyes were closed and she had a big ol' grin on her face. After that they kicked me out of the room (I wanted to watch the insertion but they wouldn't let me...guess they didn't want me yelling at them if she was in pain or something...too bad...would have been interesting). I went back up to her room on the medical unit. I hadn't been up there long when I heard the nurse receive a call saying Katelyn was done already!!! Man, that was fast. By the time she got up to her room there was already 450 ml drained from her lung. Tonight it is up to about 700. She will have it in til all of the goop is out of there. The nurses here have been wonderful to her...they have good staffing ratios here and so they have plenty of time for her. I am so thankful for that. Now that the fluid is starting to drain off of her lung she is breathing a bit easier, although the insertion site is painful so she is on Lortab and Morphine for that. For the past few days she has had rapid heart rate and respirations, even on oxygen, so it is a relief that those are starting to normalize now that the fluid is draining out. Tomorrow she is getting a PICC line put in, to replace her IV site. That is because she will need antibiotics in her veins for a few weeks, even after she goes home, and PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line sites last a lot longer than IV sites. The PICC line couldn't go in until her blood cultures from the ER came back negative. We are finally reaching some milestones!!! My good friend, Tonya, is letting Kira have a prolonged sleepover with her daughters so that I can focus on Katelyn. I thank God for my good friends. What would I do without you all???? Will keep you posted...