Beginning to Wake Up

Wow, that was quick! They stopped the paralytic medication this morning around 9:00 and when I got back from posting an update (about 45 minutes later), she was moving around and opening her eyes. The nurse said that normally takes hours but she turned around and Bailey had her eyes wide open and it startled her. Bailey can answer questions by shaking her head. She doesn't hurt anywhere; she doesn't want to listen to music; she knows where she is and what happened to her. She has both of her hands taped to IV boards, but she motioned toward her belly. I asked her if she was wondering about the VAD and she knodded yes. I told her she had the Berlin Heart and her eyes got real big - not in a panicky way. I think she's probably excited about that - she really wants to help other kids. She drifts in and out of sleep about every 2 to 3 minutes, so it's quite exhausting to be at her bedside right now - we've started 1-hour shifts. She's still on the ventilator so she can't speak, cough, or swallow -- she's hating it too. And she gets really mad when you can't figure out what she's trying to say. She wanted a pen and paper to write messages, but by the time we wedge the pen in between her fingers and get the board in front of her, she's back to sleep. The nurse thinks that maybe tonight she'll be able to write.

There's a sign on the Berlin Heart computer (big blue box sitting by her bedside) that says "Hands Off!" This guy I've never seen before came in -- he looks like a doctor, but who doesn't around here? -- and was looking at the big blue box and I said, "I'll smack your hands if you touch that!" We all laughed, but it turns out he's been given permission by Dr. T (the surgeon that set her up with the Berlin Heart) - so all is good.

I've finally found the place where I can set the time on these posts, so they should be accurate from here on out. I guess I just expected it to default to the current time, but it doesn't, so I'll try to remember to set the correct time when I post these.

Catch you later!
Angie