Today was a better day. Elijah is still very sad and withdrawn, but his health has improved. Although his breathing is fast, it is markedly slower than yesterday. His heart was not being paced today and he was able to maintain rhythm and pace on his own. His blood pressure was stable and his oxygenation was good. All of this, plus reduced chest tube output in his middle chest tube, led to having one chest tube pulled, the line in his neck and groin removed, and the high flow oxygen taken away. They were able to place the pic line as well. I can't help but be a little sad about the pic line. This means that they expect us to stay a while and they can't risk infection with the line in his neck. The pic line can stay for up to 6 months.
The highlight of the day was when we returned to his room after his pic line had been completed. This is a surgical procedure and we were not allowed to remain in the room. They sedated him with a medication that can cause hallucinations. I was a bit concerned about this because I didn't want him to be frightened. However, when we returned, Elijah was very talkative. He told me all about the river that he went to with his brother and how he flew in the sky with an eagle. Ha! He was excited to share with me. He was relaxed and happy, although he did tell me off for not having been in the room when he woke up. I know that this was the medication talking, but I have to say that it was nice to hear his little voice again. He wanted to order food and he was excited to eat. He had not been excited to eat all day. I am hoping that we can hold onto some of that spirit for the days to come.
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