Back from Ohio

I drove 15 hours with my munchkins yesterday home from Ohio. We split up the trip on the way down and stayed over at a hotel but it really is more work to get the kids unpacked and into a hotel room by myself then just enduring the misery of such a long drive. The kids did great on the way home and not a single tear was shed. Thank goodness for their individual DVD players, we could not have done it without them. It's just too far.

My Grandma was very thankful we came for the week. It was a loooong week. The hospital my Grandad is in is an hour from her house so it would be too much for her to have driven it everyday. He has improved a tiny bit. He got the breathing tube out of his throat and had a tracheostomy put in. When they take him off the ventilator, his blood pressure goes up. When they take him off the sedation, he get aggitated and moves too much and risks knocking something out. He is basically like a newborn baby right now mentally and physically. He will have to relearn everything. The best part was one night my brother and I went up to see him and I told him to open his eyes and he looked right at me and a tear come out. After the trach surgery he was able to keep his eyes open for an hour and breath on his own too. Each day they will try to extend that time and get him off the vent and meds. So, I know he is in there. We just need to get him to come out! My brother called to brag today that he smiled twice today. Whether its all reflex and there is no brain function behind it, we like to think there is hope!

I definitely learned what kind of nurse I want to be. Maybe because they work in ICU and are numb to everything, they forget that these patients are someones loved ones. Maybe they just have little social skills. I want to be positive and focus on the good. I want to encourage without giving my opinions on the future. I want to learn about my patients and suit my care to their needs. I was nice when we heard the nurses comment that my Grandad was a runner and must be very strong! That made my Grandma happy. Too many just saw a near comatose old man and didn't care enough to talk to my Grandma about him and basically ignored her. I also want to make sure that the families get to talk to the doctor. She went 14 days without talking to him. I couldn't believe when I got there that she hadn't seen or heard from him since BEFORE his brain surgery. I fixed that and now she feels comfortable requesting to talk to him and asking him everything on her mind.

Anyway, that is my vent for the day. I am so glad to be home safe with my family. I am trying to appreciate my husband more. As much as my Grandma griped about my Grandad, I know she would give ANYTHING to have her companion back!