The big news of the day is that the chest tube is out. The med student we were talking to was saying that Beth's chest xray yesterday looked fantastic, with the pleural effusion on the R side gone, and just a little fluid left on the L side. They will take another chest xray in a couple of hours and if she is still clear, then she's cleared for takeoff to Boulder. The surgical PA came in to discuss that air pocket in her lung (pneumohydroseal?) that they're still concerned about--he said it's the biggest one he's ever seen, surely a dubious distinction--and said that there's really nothing they can do about that except see if the body resorbs it and hope it doesn't get infected. He said it usually shows up in car accident victims from taking a big breath in right before impact, as Beth likely did right before she hit the ground. Urgh.
Beth looked better than I've seen her in this entire process. Her eyes were bright and we had a few laughs about some of the things she said when she doing those shots of Fentanol last week. It was great to see her smile and feel her rushing back into herself again. While I was there she got up without help, grabbed her walker, and wheeled herself off. She says she's getting restless and ready to do more--doesn't that sound just like her? Her rash has abated somewhat and the new pain meds seem to be doing the trick; she's at a "4" on the scale, with most of it centered on that L side that got such a walloping. This afternoon she is looking forward to a sponge bath--or, maybe a shower now that the tube is out--and a fresh gown. Life is good.
Not sure when she'll be moved to Boulder, but tomorrow could be the day we've all been waiting for...
"Go into yourself,
and see how deep is the place
from which your life flows."
~Rilke
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