Day 16

No she's not getting ready for a spring skiing trip. And no she's not auditioning for a part in the new "Conan the Barbarian" movie . These are boots she wears on and off all day and night to prevent "foot drop". It's a condition that can be brought on by a prolonged stay in the plush, overly mechanized reclining beds of the ICU. Basically if the feet are allowed to relax and "drop" forward, the muscles can get used to that new positioning and it can take more physical therapy to overcome it once the patient is up on his/her feet...and yes, I'm going to insist that Tessa gets to keep this pair...she'll be the only kid on our block with a set of these puppies and considering her already over-developed shoe fetish, don't be surprised if you see her sporting these at Muir beach on a hot summer day.

Overall, Tessa is better and better each day. Her lungs continue to clear up...absorbing more and more oxygen with every breath. 

The secondary infection is still lingering a bit however once again, it looks like Tessa has managed to turn a pesky challenge into a great opportunity. Due to the fact that the bacteria was likely hiding up in one of her many lines, the doctors finally decided to simply take those lines out....duh! The downside to that was that if she had any blood pressure issues or other emergencies, it would be more difficult to get her medicine. The upside is that she has fewer tubes going into her that can re-infect her and if she handles things without any BP medicine (which she has since they pulled out the lines 7 hours ago) then they may not need to put at least one of those lines back in. They will have to put the catheter in her groin back in for dialysis but by tomorrow morning if all goes well, we could be looking at one less foreign object stuck in her that could be vulnerable to yet more infections. I know it seems like a small step but every time they remove a line or a machine or hanging bag of some liquid or a sedative or a blood pressure drip or a breathing machine or mysterious beeping monitor or even an extra pillow that she no longer needs...it's progress. 

Tonight my sister made the rather obvious observation (which I was oblivious to) that the lights in Tessa's room have been toned waaaay down and the nurses are keeping our door shut more often. I guess I'm too focused on her getting better to notice my environment much anymore but it can only be a good thing when you don't see doctors and nurses constantly milling about a brightly lit room with doors open and all sensors on high-alert. 

No doubt we still have a long road ahead but at least Tessa has the right footwear for the journey. 

PS. Thanks for the visit sis! And thanks to Alicia and Adam London for a great dinner!