Morning phone call

I am going in a little later today but I called his nurse who has taken care of him for a whole 5 days in a row now! She said he slept very well after being up in the chair twice yesterday and is already on his quest for a diet coke. She asked him if drinks a lot of diet coke and he answered, "religiously." A video swallowing study is scheduled for around 11 am where they look at how much of what he swallows goes down the esophagus into the stomach and how much leaks into the trachea and then the lungs. Diet coke does not do much for pneumonia. This leakage is common after a long intubation and the tongue, mouth, and throat muscles are all weakened by the tube itself and lack of use.

Blessings!

Mary Ann