3/24/06 from the hospital

Well, the PICC line and the Central Line are essentially the same thing, HA! See, I'm not a total doofus...Well not all the time anyway. The basic difference is where the line enters the vein. Scott (the nurse today) explained it in detail, but I'm not typing all of that right now. Unfortunately, with all the fluid and the infection, they couldn't get one in at either attempt. They're having to manage with what they have, which is less than ideal because when they administer one drug, it pushes more of the Dopamine, which causes his blood pressure to rise.

Even with that, Nova is more stable today, not having to get so much of the paralytic, but still at the same dosages of Versed, Fentanyl and Dopamine. Basically, we're just sort of hanging out until the infection starts to clear up. Once the infection is more under control, the vessels will be more accessible and they'll be able to do the PICC/Central line(s) and do the heart cath too. I guess if they can't find a good vein for an IV line, they won't be able to find one to do the cath either.

He's still pretty swollen, but starting to 'dry up' a little now that the fluid is being drawn out of the tissues and into the vascular system - now he can pee it out.

God, the amount of talking I do about bodily fluids and functions!

Anyway, the swelling in his head is making his ears stick out now, and he looks like a mix between Yoda and a frog... I have pictures, but I can't upload pictures from here (we're at the hospital.) I'll upload them when we get home.

And, as of the last time I checked, the Tony Stewart diecast is up to $44, with only 19+ hours left!