Getting the trach I could accept, although it still made me cringe to think it was really happening. My reaction to the feeding tube was one of confusion about its moral correctness and what it meant for the long term. In my twelve years as a nurse in the convalescent home setting, I was aware of the fact that once a tube is placed for feeding, it often can not be removed in order to let life end. My fear was that if Danny remained in a persisstant vegetative state and never woke up, he would now be doomed until the end of his natural life with being "kept" alive. Danny would never EVER want this. He held such strong beliefs about it. But by the same token, he needed nutrition desperately, and it was either that or a non-permanent naso-gastric feeding tube. Had the choice been mine AT THE TIME, I would have opted for the naso-gastric tube for awhile until there were more signs of him waking. Apparently his mom gave the permission. Luckily it was the correct choice...
by Kathleen Quinn-Farber on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 9:29pm
December 14, 2010 at 1:58am
A funny little side-note....
I mentioned Dr. Hoy in my Facebook update. When they were doing things with Danny to prepare for the insertion of the trach and feed tube, I went down to lunch. I sat down cati-corner from a Dr, and he was talking on the phone to a colleague. I heard him say "Yea, I've got a trach in ICU in a bit." After the procedure when we spoke I told him I was at the table and overheard him, cuz it just seemed so ironic in that large hospital to end up sitting there and hearing that.
Dr. Hoy was one of the few doctors that spoke of recovery with great confidence, instead of trying not to get my hopes up. He explained some brain injury behaviors and stages to me, and warned me of Danny's coming "wild awakening"...lol, and he was right on the money!
