A pattern is emerging over the last few days: Aaron sleeps peacefully, with the numbers of his life in reasonable bounds. (Except the cursed dancing fever that taunts us with its daily jig). The Ventilator’s service is now perfunctory. It’s life-giving sophistication is not much required; a little extra oxygen and pressure is about all Aaron needs to breathe well.
Then the giver of sleep is reduced, and Aaron begins to awake. The more aware he becomes, the more he coughs. Perhaps the cough is triggered by the trach tube worrying his trachea. Or it may be the mucous font that seems be gushing more freely these last couple days. Neither local application of numbing Lidocaine nor the miracle of trachea-suction/doughnut-inflation seems to stop the coughing. Then the vomiting starts and Aaron cleaned and mercifully returned to his peaceful slumber.
Is this a weird Catch-22? Must have the trach to awake, but cannot awake with the trach?
We shall see if tomorrow brings a solution.
We shall also see if it reveals a strategy for the coming battle, about which we learn nothing today.
