Wednesday morning started with the joy of having the breathing tube removed. Ben immediately was hungry and wanted to get up. We thought he might at least sit up, but there have been concerns about the oxygen saturation in his blood. He was not able to keep those up on his own, and they progressed through medications and varieties of breathing apparatuses until he has ended up on a BiPAP, which is a pressurized breathing mask that forces extra air into Ben's lungs when he breaths. He doesn't like the face mask at all, and they're still trying to find a combination that is reliable and a little more comfortable.
Overnight his saturation levels fell to a level of concern that caused them to consider putting him back on the breathing tube. Kim was staying overnight in the icu, and called me shortly after 4 a.m., and I headed right over from Ronald MacDonald House. So far that has not been necessary.
The doctors are admittedly perplexed as to why he's having these saturation problems, so it looks like he's in for a sequence of tests this morning. The main things seem OK - his lungs are clear, he's passing fluid with the help of lasix, and so they're not really sure what's going on.
Ben just wants to get the tubes out, have a burger, and get back to business! He is a courageous and determined young man, although he did ask the doctor this morning if he was dying. The doctor of course said "no" and Ben seemed to go with that answer OK. Things don't seem critical, but there are still questions to be answered and of course a whole lot of healing to happen.
By the grace of God and with the support of a great medical team and all of your prayers and encouragement, we journey onward this day.
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