Sorry for the delayed report but I wanted to get a good idea of how Bryce was going to do before trying to spread the word. And so far, Bryce is doing amazingly well!
They extubated him at 12:40 p.m. and he had a blood gas test at 2:40 p.m. that confirmed what we thought we could see - Bryce is doing great. His C02 level was a little high but still within the acceptable range. They think that the C02 is just not being blown off as well because he is breathing on his own, hence smaller, shallower inhales and exhales.
Amazingly Bryce didn't even get that fussy when they took the tube out, maybe because he was so ready for that thing to be out of him, and he never really desatted afterward either. He's been taking little breaths all on his own for almost four hours now and is on a little more oxygen (35%) but high-satting most of the time.
We're still waiting for an xray at 4:40 p.m. to check how well his lungs are expanding but anticipating that they must be okay since everything else looks so good.
We are so excited but so scared to leave yet since we know first hand how quickly things can change around here!
The plan all week had been to go home tonight for our second once weekly visit but I simply can't promise that at this point. We'll see how things go.
Thank you all a million times over again for all your thoughts, prayers and comments - they are working wonders!
These pictures are of his new CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) set up. It includes a nasal canula that blows a constant pressure of air (with a set % of oxygen) into his nasal passageway. This allows Bryce to not have to work too hard to pull in a full breath of air all the way to his lungs from the air around him. It basically lessens the distance he needs to inhale the air. Additionally, it is currently set to give him 20 "puffs" per minute, to stimulate breaths if he forgets. He is currently breathing 63 breaths per minute though, which means he's doing a great job all by himself!
Isn't he adorable?!
