hook 'em horns

After a rough weekend, Mak is now stable and slowly improving. His oxygen saturation is almost 100% and his temperature and heart rate have gone down. He is still on the breathing tube and they are closely monitoring his lungs, but he is starting to initiate breaths on his own. Just like last week, the doctors will allow Mak to try to breathe on his own little by little until they can remove the ventilator again. His body must be extremely sore and tired, but as the sedation is slowly decreased his mind seems to be waking up a little. When my dad showed him his University of Texas shirt, Mak gave a very big thumbs up. He even attempted to make the “hook ‘em horns” sign.

The doctors also gave Mak a PICC line today. They removed the central line that was in his neck and placed a PICC line in his arm above the elbow. It is a tube inserted surgically into the vein that goes almost to the heart. It is easier for administering drugs safely and quickly.

Other news is that a 12 day hospital stay is taking a toll on Mak’s appearance. He’s losing his tan and his beard is getting pretty scruffy. I wonder if we can give him a shave and a spray tan in the ICU?