Jack at this...second

One thing I have found with ARDS is that the good and the bad become interwined within a matter of hours. Jack will be 'good' one hour and be struggling the next. It makes keeping everyone informed difficult. I think that we instinctivly want to see Jack's ARDS like the flu. Sick Monday, sick Tuesday, feeling better Wednesday, strength back by Thursday, Friday we're good to go! But, alas, that is not the case...



Today, Jack is having a not-so-good day. His trach is bleeding a bit more than someone else's would. Jack is on blood thinners because of his artifical valve. It makes clotting a challenge. Also, his food tube in his nose has been causing problems. Jack is still in ICU. Week 4 will be this Friday...Monday will mark the 4th week on the vent. He is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping - medically induced as he gets very irritable and moves around a lot when he starts to wake up. It's a big concern at the moment...along with everything else. I had NO IDEA this existed and it robs people so quickly of so much...it's very difficult.

A quick note about Mom. She holds vigil hours a day and is VERY involved with Jack's health care. I have yet to see anyone so caring and so loving. She is scared, and tired and I worry about her too. But, she is strong. Stronger than I ever knew. I love you, Mom...so, so much.

As I know things I will post them - at least once a day - and I will also include information about ARDS so everyone knows what this is, as well. It's not well researched as it only affects 150,000 people a year from the US ( more globally) and has been, until recently, almost always fatal.