Making Progress

We're seeing progress here!  I'm not going to put any kind of feel on when we'll break out, 'cause that just invites fate to step in and change things around.  We've done too many of these "one step forward, two steps back and a slide to the side" to discount that possibility.

For the record, let me clear up some possible confusion.  We use percentages of oxygen in two different ways, in fact almost opposite ways.  There's FiO2, which is the amount of oxygen being delivered through the vent.  In this case, the lower the number, the better.  Then there's his sat rate, or the amount of oxygen saturating his blood.  This time, the higher the number the better. 

For example if he's on 25% FiO2 and satting 95%, that's awesome!  But if he's on 95% FiO2 and only satting 72%, that's bad, in fact we've probably got extra help in his room if he's sitting there for very long.

So for the past couple of days, his FiO2 range has been 65-100%, with most of the time spent at 90-95%, a whole lot of support.  But we have been able to maintain 90% sat rates as opposed to Sunday when he had some bouts with that 72% sats on 100% FiO2.

Today, we've been high, like up in the 90's FiO2, but he's also been a lot lower, and spending time down lower.  Right now, at this moment, he's on 45% FiO2 and maintaining 93% sats.  When he wakes up, he'll probably need more, but still, this is big progress.  He's also back on his home feeding schedule.  That's got to feel good to have a full tummy again.  I know I always feel better when I'm not hungry.

So, the steps we need to take to get out of here.  He's still on the hospital vent and he'll need to drop his oxygen usage (FiO2) a little more before we can try to transition back.  Then he needs to be using three liters or less (his vent measures oxygen differently than the hospital one) for 24 hours.  And like I said, I'm not even going to verbalize a guess as to when that will happen.  But I do know that generally, when Aaron decides he's doing okay, he makes progress pretty quickly.  So onward and upward, or downward, as the case may be.

"A sacred burden is this life ye bear. . .
But onward, upward, till the goal ye win."
-Francis Anne Kembel