Meeting the big doctor, and more shopping.

"Big the doctor" (sic--- that's the correct Thai word order, so that's how Lak says it in English) showed up to introduce himself two days ago (already) and answer any questions about Patty.  He is very smart and knows his stuff.  And that is, he knows HIS stuff.   I'll quote the late Zen priest, Suzuki Roshi:  "In the beginners mind, there are many possibilities.  In the experts, there are few." 

He explained that in a few days Patty would need to try breathing on her own again.  That will be a big test for her, given that last time her swollen throat hindered her breathing.  So, if that's a problem again, more investigation, and there are things they can do to deal with it if necessary.

I asked if perhaps getting the phlegm more cleared from her airways first would be helpful.  I also used the (narrow) opening that the moment barely offered to suggest the use of herbs, or something other than the mono-diet of milk.  But, in this expert's mind,  "there are few" possibilities.  Perhaps herbs can be used when she is able to eat many more kinds of food, was his opening.

Oh, well.

 Srinagarind Hospital, where Patty began staying on March 26th.

Patty does continue to breathe more strongly, despite the "selate yut" (profuse phlegm). And her oxygen level is staying high, blood pressure and heart rate seem to be holding much better after several days of medicine for that.  She is awake and likes to move her arms and legs around-- has energy!

Last night after our evening visit with Patty, we went to Central Plaza (see the first video in the "Action Channel Video" column of this blog for an exterior night view) to do some shopping for Patty.  This is a big and fairly new shopping maul that is an example of the modern side of Thailand.  It's a stark contrast to the morning market, where we go to get food for Lak's papaya salad shop.  It's modern as modern is, and is replete with shops offering all the modern trappings of our consumer society.  Weekends,  one may see Suzuki students performing violin recitals, while BMW sales and Ultraman photo-ops are happening near Starbuck's in the large main-floor mall.   It's a hub-bub of sound and activity, and do underscore sound--Thailand has not heard a peep of acoustic design.  It's too loud here for anyone to have heard!

We went to Robinson's department store and bought another pillow and bed comforter set for Patty.  I thought it was excessive, but I hadn't considered that the other one DOES need to be laundered every so often.  And, it's a pleasure to buy nice things for our little princess!  So, again thanks to the generosity of friends, Patty has another cool bed-set.

After shopping, we went to one of the half-dozen large Japanese restaurants and ate more than I was bargaining for.  The sashimi was good!  The miso soup was something I'd been missing, being a long-time miso soup devotee.  The nori-maki was "so-so"-- an  expression that the Thais have picked up on for use in the restaurant.  To finish things off I braved a hit of wasabe, and thought my brain might hit the ceiling as the energy went up my nose big-time. 

Maybe that's one reason why I'm up writing now at three o'clock in the morning.  But, gonna go give sleep another try now.  

for now... adios

Friday morning, and Patty's been doing better....

Patty has been doing better on a couple of fronts.  Notably, her breathing has been improving and her blood oxygen saturation has been quite steadily in the upper 90s to 100 percent.  That's an encouraging change.  The ventilator is assisting minimally, and a lot of her breathing is spontaneous, rather than initiated by the ventilator.  She's back to drinking (through a feeding tube) a couple of ounces of milk at four-hour intervals, six time a day.  That's encouraging.

She did have an ECHO (don't even know if I am spelling that right, and don't have time to check it at the moment) yesterday afternoon (or was it the day before?), but we haven't heard the results yet.  She's been getting a couple medications to increase her heart rate and blood pressure.  I think those being low may be a side effect of the antibiotics.  (I need to research Dopamine more, to learn more about that.  Dopamine and Dopadumine (sp?) are the meds being given to raise the heart rate and blood pressure.

This morning she was very chirpy and active, wanting to kick her feet around, with eyes wide awake.  That's nice to see, when she's been sedated so often.  Although, one reason she is often sedated is to keep her from being so active, and possibly pulling the breathing tube out of her mouth and throat.

Still a lot of phlegm, and I am looking for an opening with the doctor(s) to explore the possibility of getting more than milk into her diet, and possibly some herbs.

It's a little laid back at this moment, a little cooler today, figurattively and literally.  I don't know why my wife has her guard down a bit for a change.  But, I'll go with it.  I am hoping that spending time at the computer writing will soon be a more acceptable way to spend time than watching TV.  But in the meantime, I steal time here!  Okay!  Gotta go! 

Emotional roller coaster

Things seem to be going well, and I enjoy a lull of complacency.  Then a new piece of information arrives, and back comes the dread of what might happen.  It's the roller coaster ride of hope and fear, watching my emotions swing up and down like the graphic on the monitor for Patty's breathing, swinging up and down from green into red and back into green again with each cycle of breath. 

Two days ago, news of Patty's swollen trachea and her being put back on the ventilator swung my emotional state deep into the red zone.  Suddenly there is a new tone that accompanies my  awareness in such a state.  Then, the next day, looking better, and finally transferring to the new hospital, that index swings up into the green zone.  My humor comes back.  I can walk upright again, not shoved forward by despondency.

My tendency to be literal ("literal Luteral") wants to write this all down, chronologically, getting the pertinent details in close focus.  Trying to generalize just doesn't seem to do it.  But I have to settle for something in between the two.

By yesterday, in fact the day before, Patty was snug in a big, modern hospital bed in a more modern facility:  Srinagarind Hospital.  It's the place Lak has been wanting to get Patty into for well over a month-- ever since her first round in ICU at Khon Kaen Hospital.  Yesterday we bought, and brought to her, a cool mobile that plays music while plastic penguins rotate around the axis, with a central penguin.  Also a very lovely comforter with a rabbit, with hands, feet and ears that flop out from the fabric, and a matching set of pillows--"big baby" size.  She looks like a little princess nestled in her bed with new amenities-- gifts from a couple of wonderful, caring friends, who've been following the story of Patty from the near the beginning. 

Patty's bed is very similar to this; maybe hers looks more comfy, now with a pretty pink and yellow rabbit comforter, a penguin mobile dangling from above, and numerous pillows.  

The equipment there is impressive.  The nurses seem to be very on top of things, and knew a lot about her within a few hours-- more than we'd known.  I've thought, this appearance might easily give us a false sense of security.  Perhaps this thought was informed by having listened to a talk about security a couple days ago (on my iPod), given by Ajahn Sumedho, a senior Buddhist monk who is from America and has spent much time as a monk in Thailand.

Now, two days later, we have perhaps been lulled into that complacent place again.  But just now, while eating breakfast, a medical student called to ask us to come early for our noon visit, at which time we have an appointment to talk to a doctor about Patty.  The nurse told Lak that they need to do some procedure (my words) with Patty, and want to talk with us about it at eleven.  So, here comes the anxiety again, along with the question of what this may be about. 

Now later, after that appointment:  It turns out there are two Pornthips in PICU, and they'd called our number about the other one.  The call was a false alarm.  The talk I did have with a doctor was not alarming.   But there is one thing they need to investigate more, and that's Patty's slow heart rate and low blood pressure, for which they are giving her Dopamine now.

A cardiologist will give Patty the ECHO that I thought she'd already had.  (Another mis-communication.)  Then we may know more about that.

In the meantime.... home for lunch, a long nap, and planning to back to visit late this afternoon.