Despite my excitement over getting extubated in the OR, Ben had an awful first night. His oxygen sats dropped to the low 80’s, and he was visibly struggling to breathe. His heart rate and RESP rates were high, and it was apparent he was working hard to breathe. We used the oxygen mask for a while to help bring his sats up, but later moved to nasal prongs for more continuous usage. He struggled through the night and the following morning.

We saw some improvements around lunch yesterday, but he continues to struggle to breathe deeply. We were transferred from PACU to a post surgery room yesterday. We will not return to Shriners until his breathing improves…likely next week. We continue to see evidence of behind the scenes collaboration between the two hospitals, and we are grateful for the level of care we are receiving.

Ben had chest X-rays this morning (we have not heard the results yet). He is extremely nauseous, so we are working with acute pain services to minimize side effects while controlling pain. Our short term objectives are to control nausea and improve lung function.