(Hopefully) Last Post for the Night

TJ was finally given his normal meds and is sleeping soundly. He is once again on a gentler breathing machine*. He has a temperature of just over 101. Still, he is currently sleeping soundly. Good start for the night...


*There are various types of breathing machines, the harshest being a ventilator, where the machine does the breathing for you. After that is a BIPAP which forces pressure on your lungs continuously, then a CPAP which puts lesser pressure on your lungs, after that is a mask that covers your mouth and nose and deliver O2 without pressure, and, finally, the plastic tube you most often see in real life (and on TV!) that simply delivers air** with a higher concentration of O2.

**Regular air is about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and the rest various gases. Each of the breathing machines can deliver different concentrations of oxygen (O2).

Watching and Waiting

The CT scan showed that TJ has the same amount of pneumonia in his left lung as he did on Tuesday when he came in. The drainage around the lung (the medical term is thoracentsis I learned) was actually 600 ccs, not 350, which is over two and a half cups.

By the time he became coherent again after the pain meds he said, "I don't know what they did but I feel a lot better." He also is looking a lot better.

The doctors also took the ng tube out (a tube through his nose to his stomach) which made him much happier, and took him off the by-pap and he is now only on a nasal cannula, e.g., a clear plastic hose of oxygen to his nose.

They are still waiting for the ilegus to clear so they started him on a nutritional IV as he hasn't eaten in four days now.

All of his vitals have been good throughout the day as well.

To sum stuff up for the day -- at least at this point -- he is feeling better but only slightly less sick than when he came in. In essence, we are now waiting to see if the antibiotics will help and if fluid returns to the outside of his lungs (plural effusion). The cause of all of this is still unknown.


Tonight his youngest sister will be spending the night with him as the rest of us try to find some rest. You can pray that TJ is able to get some sleep and rest (which has only happened once, and that was still limited) and that the rest of us are able to recharge as well.


We deeply appreciate all of your prayers! Jon is making sure that all of your messages make it through to TJ, which have also been many.

Special thanks to Jon and Chip's profs at Bethel who not only are being flexible but are praying as well, and to Mary Ann and Jon's co-workers who are covering well for them.

We'll continue to update this blog as often as things change, or occasionally, just to say that nothing has.

-The Addington Family

Edit: I meant to mention that the doctors who have seen the X-Ray of his lung keep commenting on how impressive it is. Meaning, wow, that's a lot of pneumonia.

CT Scan

TJ is currently on his way to another CT scan so we can see what the drainage did and get a better look at his lungs.

Quick Update

TJ finished the drain thing a couple of hours ago without problems, approximately 350 CCs were drained (about a cup and a half) and the doctors think there may be more fluid yet.

TJ is also running a fever and was initially uncomfortable after the drain, but slowly feeling better as pain meds kicked in.

A more detailed post will ensue when one of us has time to update. Currently Jonathan is updating the blog via email from his cell phone while at work, which slows things down a bit depending on how busy things are.

Draining

As I write this TJ is having the fluid around his left lung draned via a small tube. It shouldn't be risky nor painful and should leave him feeling more comfortable. We will update as things continue to change.

Brief Morning Update

As said, Chip spent the night with TJ and said that neither of them caught much sleep. TJ was given some different medicine to help with the pain and to help him sleep which agitated him instead.

As of this morning his vitals are all good and he is on his own breathing machine (a CPAP, what he uses at home to help sleep [edit: 12/22 TJ uses a BiPAP at home]) with some extra O2 being pumped through it.

The doctors should make their rounds within the next two hours and we'll update as events warrant. We had been hoping he'd be moved out of the ICU today, but that is really up in the air right now.