Day 15 — Monday, July 1, 2024

9:00am #

Betty left. She and Debi said they want to come back. Especially when Shane is settled in rehab.

11:00am #

Shane had a new doctor. Ilya Shanaydman MD. He said they would continue working on trach collar and get him independent from the vent. They were still using it periodically through the night. The swelling left side of his head had reduced around the opening in the skull. But some more fluid was accumulating in the space between his left eye and ear. They would have an ENT specialist see him. The Holter monitor result didn’t capture anything. They had requested a larger chair but they don’t have one. He could get up on his own from the side of the bed during PT with minimal assistance. Shane would be sent for a follow up with Cardiology and given a two week monitor for arrhythmia, once he could handle the appointment. Maybe after rehab. They would check him for vagal episodes, tilt table testing.

5:00pm #

Shane was disoriented and tried to detatch the leads and IVs. When I told him not to remove them, he got angry and tried to grab me. I got out of reach and he shook his fist at me. I told the nurse that he seemed very confused and wasnt acting like himself. The nurse said the doctor would come and if necessary they could use medication to reduce anxiety. They explained that there is no daylight in ICU. So a patient who isnt getting regular day and night cycles along with interrupted sleep can get ICU psychosis. They gave him medication to balance the neurotransmitters. A few days later, when he was moved to a room with a window, he didn’t get disoriented anymore.