Yowza! First of all, Chuck is okay. He had a close call today. Good grief, the man is trying his darnedest to give me grey hair...he doesn't seem to think it's fair that he has so many while I have none...SO FAR.

As I've mentioned before, this has been a rough week. However today was a topper. His carbon dioxide level was dangerously high; he became acidotic...which is quite dangerous. For most of the day, he was unresponsive. They replaced his trache as the former one leaked, and increased his vent setting from 4 to 20. Almost immediately, Chuck began to respond. Had Stacie not been there to "prod" them to up the vent setting, who knows when they would have figured it out? Would they have figured it out before I showed up at 4:30? Sadly, probably not.

How does this happen? How can he go downhill so fast? How does he get so ill before action is taken? I am sad to report, the difference is the presence of someone to keep the staff on their toes. The chaplain filled me in on a fact that I did not realize...Chuck intimidates some of the staff. No not with his bold presence and sharp wit, but with his complexity. He is not the typical I.C.U. patient. The "new" staff does not know all the ins and out of his care. They do not understand his bed nor how it works. They don't understand how to lift him; how to turn him; what levels to watch out for. They don't know that he MUST have pressure support on the vent; that his red blood cell count drops about once a month and must be monitored regularly; etc. So, what's a girl to do? It may be time again for volunteers to help keep watch. I can teach you the basics. The main thing is having a voice and a body present for Chuck. Any takers? I would greatly appreciate any support you can give.