The trouble with chest tubes is....

When you remove them, they leave holes in your chest. That is, if you have very little fat on your chest, as is the case with our lean boy! The good news is 2 more came out today. The not so good news is, the holes didn't close properly, so with each breath, Donovan was literally moving outside air into his chest cavity. And the scary thing is, he was the one who "picked up" on it. So, x-ray, stitches, and lying on his right side were all supposed to move the air to the other side where the remaining chest tube would vacuum it out. Hmmm, yeah, right! Didn't happen. This evening, we found out that there was still a small amount of air leaking in from the bigger of the two holes. So now we are trying a pressure bandage and the side-lying position.

So, that can be #1 on our prayer list today, that all the air moves out, or there will have to be a new tube inserted. Ouch!!! Not fun!!! And please ask God to remove worry & anxiety from Donovan's mind. He needs peace to heal. Can you imaging holes in your chest??? might make me a tad anxious!

Donovan lost his catheter today, and made one commode-chair trip to the john! We're celebrating sitting on the toilet like we did when he was a toddler. I should have had some M&M treats for him. Yay!!! So, fewer and fewer tubes remain. He is reclaiming his body bit by bit. He's talking more, and eating a regular diet now. We can even sneak in outside treats! It is fantastic to see the return of the appetite! He will need to gain some lost weight, but we don't know how much. He's retaining fluid right now, so actually is about 10 lbs or so heavier than pre-surgery.

Today Donovan's wonderful surgeon, (remember "Dr. I love you" from an earlier post?) aka Dr. Ghorpade, was kind enough to show us photos taken during the transplant surgery. We saw Donovan's old lungs, all misshapen and discolored, scarred, bumpy, and totally used up. Then, there was a picture of these beautiful, pink, firm lungs inside the opening to his chest. How wonderful. And no, they didn't make me feel squeamish at all. I was transfixed by the wonder of it! How does he do it? I have no idea, but I am thankful science has improved to this point. We owe each new breath Donovan takes to this doctor and hospital.

Well, it was a teary goodbye to Amy and Stephen this afternoon, who head back to Battleford and PA, but we know we'll all be together again soon. There is talk of a visit with cousins next weekend as well. Laurier & I ventured out to a mall today to pick up new PJs for Donny, and there's talk of new slippers, because after sitting in a chair comes walking!!! Those old swollen feet will be gone in a flash! (his, not mine!).

And hey, family, I want wedding reports and soon. Photos too! What did the bridal party wear? Did Jason stumble on his vows? (the "till death" part?) How was the meal and dance??? Don't spare the details....

This week we can expect the physio people to be on Donovan's case constantly, no rest for the wicked. How exciting it will be to get him in a wheelchair and actually show him where he's been living the past two weeks!

A special thanks today to Vince & Anne Hill, your gesture of support was very touching. We miss you guys...keep a pew warm for us. And when does the class start Anne?

To Hagels and Friesens for getting Stephen to Battleford and back....wow, thanks sooooo much. You're awesome. We miss our 'baby' so much! It was great to have him here this weekend.

To all of you who continue to hang in there with us, it means the world. Each prayer and gesture is felt and appreciated. All of you are number 1 on our "praise list".

In the grip of God's grace,
Beth

ps. Could I be so bold as to ask you to pray for a fellow named Tom, who was in a near-fatal motorcycle accident? We met this lovely family in our first ICU unit, and continue to run into them all over the hospital. Incidentally, Alice, this is Danica's mom's first cousin. She also knows the Draders (our son in law's family) from church. Small world. He is making strides, but it will be a long haul for him and his family.