Day Six - Friday - Part Two

November 26, 2010:  It has been a good day for Brandon today.  Kassi came to visit.  She is working through the pain and even though she is trying to heal herself, is here to help Brandon heal.  Brandon was on his sedation vacation while she was here. It lasted for three hours this time.  That is a new duration record for him.  He had a fair amount of movement, mostly left sided, with a markedly decreased level of agitation over previous vacations. 

The most exciting part came with several accomplishments.  First; more eye openings.  We stopped counting at 8.  There were several more.  Some lasting SECONDS.  I thought Kassi would burst.  It is fun to hear everyone cheer him on.  It is amazing what seeing eyes will do for our spirits.  On one of his attempts he opened his eyes, gazed at the person to his left, then turned his head toward them and looked at them.  It is the first time he has appeared to have some sense of focus or recognition when he has opened his eyes.

Tomorrow he will have several tubes relocated.  His breathing tube will be relocated to his trachea and the feeding tube will be relocated to his abdomen. Based on his teeth grinding against the ET tube and the second repositioning of the tube in two days, he will enjoy the tube replacements much more than where they are currently located.   He is currently breathing on his own with pressure assist from the ventilator.  He is able to keep his oxygen saturation in a clinical range while on less than 40% oxygen. 

We continue to hope for some finger squeezing or toe wiggling.  Each day is a new adventure.  We hope that each day continues to be better while realizing that this journey is riding a roller coaster not climbing a mountain - good days mixed with not so good days.