Michael had a good Shabbat.

This morning when I walked into his room, Michael motioned, "When can I go home?" I told him that he isn't ready to go home yet. He was very disappointed. I told him that the doctors think that he will be ready for an acute rehab setting sometime next week. A nurse is scheduled on Monday to evaluated him for transfer. If he is deemed ready, he will transfer via ambulance by Wednesday. If he isn't ready she will have to return to reevaluate him. I told him the next facility would be very aggressive about PT and OT and weaning him from the vent. That seemed to console him.
He is doing great. He is now using the C-PAP at night. This morning he was put on the Trach collar from 6AM until 6PM! That means he was breathing on his own with 50% oxygen and then turned down to 40% O2!

Physical and Occupational Therapy (PT and OT) worked together to sit him up for 4 minutes. Then they laid him down and helped him with arm and leg exercises. That really tired him out. Not surprisingly his right arm was the weakest. While Michael was unconscious I could only do passive range of motion exercises on his left hand/arm and both legs. His right hand had an atrial line and it would start to bleed if I moved it. PT and OT were amazed that Michael had maintained flexibility and some strength. I told them about the medical journal article that I had showed the doctors concerning passive range of motion on patients on ventilators who were on paralytics. I told them that I had been working with his legs and left arm. The article says that it is important to start passive range of motion exercises ASAP. Patients who had this therapy while sedated recovered faster then patients who received no therapy. In the past medical personnel believed that it was important to let these very sick patients rest. They believed food and exercise caused stress upon the body and lengthened recovery time. We now know the reverse is true. It is so important to feed patients on high levels of O2 and exercise is also imperative to a return to health.