8.8.21 Inpatient 42

Aimee has needed the bear hugger heated blanket all day today to keep her temperature up. The doctor ordered a renal ultrasound this morning to check just in case there is an abscess or anything else more serious. We had the technician here earlier. I have not heard any results yet, which I take to be a good sign. It is possible that Aimee is just taking extra time to respond to the antibiotics.

I spoke with the pulmonologist today about discharge and what our new home routine for respiratory care should be. They will send us home with the tools to add Chest Percussion Therapy with a handheld wand and hypertonic saline through her bipap. We haven’t been able to get her right lung to open up more, but these tools do seem to be keeping her more clear. He is leaving it up to us when we feel safe taking her home, when we feel that she is stable enough. None of the teams are satisfied with where she is at, but I am hopeful that getting her home will improve her situation. She is having extra secretions and a higher heart rate, but pulmonology believes it is a respiratory response to her kidney infection rather than a respiratory cause. 

So, as soon as we clear up the hypothermia and infection, we will gather our new supplies, take her home, and give her the same respiratory routine that she has been on this past week here. We will re-evaluate her status in a week or so of being home with the help of Palliative Care. The Medically Complex Care team is writing up a care plan and then essentially transferring their care over to the in home Palliative/Hospice team. This, I believe, is making everyone more comfortable with her going home. In great news, the few hours that she is awake each day, she is alert and engaged. If it wasn’t for that, I would be much more concerned. 

I will update once I have the ultrasound results. For now we will continue with the IV antibiotics and monitor and hope.