Big plans.

Well, the doctors came around with some big plans for Olivia today. It's agreed that she is way to awake for being on a ventilator. Every time she wakes up and starts to wiggle, she gets into a major coughing fit, which sends her into a bit of a tailspin. They don't want to increase her sedation drips, because the ultimate goal is to get her weaned off the ventilator. If she's too sleepy, she won't want to breathe on her own. It's basically a vicious cycle. So, the plan is to increase the frequency of her methadone and ativan to every 4 hours instead of every 6. This way, she will get something every 2 hours by IV along with her Fentanyl and Versed, which are on continuous drips. She is also getting Benadryl to try to keep her more calm. I think she is getting another medication through her G-tube that will help "take the edge off."
She had an Echo done yesterday, and it didn't show any improvement from her last one. So, they have recommended that she take a trip to the cath lab on Friday. This will give a true picture of what's going on in that special little heart of hers. I am feeling a bit apprehensive about this, but I know it's the best thing to do. Last year, when she went down to cath lab she didn't behave and she basically had to be resuscitated. I never heard exactly why, or what happened, but it makes a little anxious. I'm sure she'll do great, and it will be nice to get some answers in regards to her heart.
Otherwise, she's having a great day...when she's asleep. They have been able to come down a bit on her vent settings even with all her coughing and secretions. The goal for today: Don't wake the baby!