Wednesday, July 1, 2009 8:14 AM, MDT
What a big morning for Ty (and for us)! Cynthia flew in late last night & we made a quick drive-by on Ty just so Cyn could see her & hold her hand. She was pretty gorked out & not very around.
Totallly different story this morning! As soon as we walked in, eyes open...moving hands, legs & toes...nodding in response to conversation in her room (i.e., when doc talked about taking out her breathing tube - big shock - she *hates* that thing, justifiably). She even gave up an irreverent eye roll & head shrug when she set off the beeper on her ventilator by trying to breathe on her time rather than the timing of the ventilator. (SO glad to see that ... that's my girl.) She's definitely more alert, tracked us when we talked to her, nodded when asked questions, etc.
It is a HUGE blessing to have Cyn here - she's a veterinarian, so has much more comprehension of everything that's going on & can explain it to Ty which is so wonderful now that Ty is really much more lucid & aware. Also, today's going to be a tough day for Ty as the push her a little bit to facilitate her recovery & get her to clear her lungs so she can get rid of that tube. That means decreasing her drugs and increasing the aggressiveness of the respiratory treatments to get the gunk out of her lungs. They're doing a treatment with her right now & Cyn is a great source of reassurance while she's enduring it. (I'm afraid I don't have the stomach to see her in the discomfort that's necessary for the treatment to be effective - that's why I'm not the doctor in the family. I'll just keep journaling ;-) Best part for you bawdy riders out there: part of the treatment involves vibrating her bed! No quarters required! She nodded when I ran that joke past her, so we know she's on the mend.
Highlight of the morning: before the treatment, Tyler squeezed Cyn's hand, pulled it up towards her heart, and mouthed "I love you." around her breathing tube. Of course, Cyn & I both lost it. It is SO good to see that she knows we're here for her. We told her about Shannon, and Mom & Ed, and where they are and why they can't be here right now & she nodded. I also let her know all her riding & theater & work buddies were 100% behind her & loving her up from afar & pulling for her. When she's a little more rested after her big morning, I'll read more of the guest book entries to her.
Doc now says there are three possibilities for her California transfer: VMC, Davis or Stanford, and he has calls into all of them and we'll see where she winds up. It's looking like Friday or Saturday will be lift off. I understand many in the biking community wish to escort/follow her ambulance to the hospital, an offering that brought tears to my eyes. She would love that (even if she may not be aware of it at the time) so I will do everything I can to work with you to make it happen. Check the forums for intel.
Ty's resting now after a pretty tough treatment. She knows this is all necessary, thanks to Cyn's explanations & walking her through it, but it doesn't make it any easier on her. She's a tough girl & muscling through, but please send extra good juju to her as she works through today. (Not that you're not already, but...you know what I mean.
More later...
-Jaime
