Ruby Hope McKee Starling

The doctors increased her feedings to 35ml today and reduced her morphine from 200mcg to 160mcg.  Her versed was reduced to 180mcg yesterday.  Ruby did well with her MRI yesterday, although they had to sedate her very heavily for it and as a result, had to increase her vetilator support.  But this morning they reduced the vent settings back to their original state and she's doing great with very minimal support.  So good, in fact, that they will be extubating her this afternoon.  That means that the huge tube in her mouth and much the tape on her face will go away.  She'll still have the feeding tube in her nose and the tape for it.  And she will most likely have an nasal cannula for some additional oxygen.  But it means that there will be less equipment (or maybe different equipment) in the room and one less tube on our tube count! 

Current tube count is seven:

1. endotracheal tube for breathing
2. nasogastric tube for feeding
3. right chest tube for pleural effusion
4. left chest tube for chylothorax
5. scalp IV for morphine & versed
6. foot IV for misc meds
7. broviac central line in her chest for hal & lipids

Here's Ruby doing her best to get the ET tube out a little early: