Monday AM (also)

So, unfortunately, it now appears that Dad definitely has aspirated pneumonia, which is quite common in stroke victims.  However, despite being common, it is also a very serious complication, and has resulted in his being intubated as he was nearing a point where he would no longer be able to sufficiently breathe on his own.  The hope is now that in a couple days the antibiotics will clear up his pneumonia and he can come off mechanical ventillation at that time.  I suppose the one good thing about this is that in order to be intubated, one also needs to be sedated, so Dad is finally resting and getting much needed sleep.  He still responds to verbal commands, despite being unable to speak due to the intubation, so that is also encouraging from a neurologic standpoint.

Update 2pm: I just came from seeing Dad in the SICU.  Some really good news is that a good friend of mine is now one of the residents on his service, which gives me much more direct access to his care providers.  This is a huge relief after never even knowing who his doctor was during his time in the PSCU with various Neurology teams coming through.  He remains intubated on propofol, a hypnotic sedative to help him tolerate the intubation.  The sedative is probably for the best as he finally appears at peace and is resting.  My hope is that his body will fight off the pneumonia while his psyche heals some with sleep.

Update 9pm: I stayed with Dad in the SICU for as long as I was allowed tonight, and his condition remains largely unchanged.  He has some PVC's on his EKG, but that's not a very big concern.  His blood pressure was under much better control this evening, and was down to around 120/60 which is where I'd like to see it stay (earlier in the day it was up around 160 systolic, and as high as 190 when he gagged on the intubation tube at one point).  It's my sincere hope that Dad remembers none of his ICU stay, as I'm sure it is very uncomfortable and downright painful for him.