The sputum (throat mucus) culture has grown out. Ryan grew a bacteria called “serratia marcescens”. This is an opportunistic bacteria that develops secondarily. Most everyone has this bacteria living in their respiratory tract. It seldom creates a problem unless “insulted”. What that means is it is colonized harmlessly in the throat but once disturbed, say […]
Archives for December 2010
ICU: Day 3
It was another busy day of testing and treatments. Ryan had an EEG performed around noon to identify if he remains free of “silent seizures”. We are still waiting on the results, that typically take several days. His oxygen level from the ventilator was reduced from 50% to 40%. Normal room air, that you and […]
ICU: Day 2
Ryan spent the day getting many, many tests done. He had a full blood work-up early in the day, showing some magnesium deficiency but his white count is down slightly. Ryan’s electrolytes were perfect. He had another chest X-ray that showed the pneumonia settled into the right lung. As of now, he is sounding a bit better […]
Ryan Returns to ICU:Respiratory Distress
I’m sad to report that Ryan was rushed by paramedics to the emergency room earlier this afternoon. He began developing a high fever, that topped around 106.8 degrees. His breathing became labored and shallow, with trouble holding his oxygen saturation. He was moaning in pain and just could not get comfortable. His body began to flush. […]
White Blood Cells High
Over the past few days Ryan has been extremely irritable. He was experiencing periodic elevated heart rates and mild temperatures. Yesterday Ryan spent the day moaning in discomfort. We had blood work performed on him yesterday and the results showed an elevated white blood cell count. This signifies that Ryan has an infection. He began […]