It was a nice day here on the bay. We got all of our stuff put away and finally got settled into the McLaren Island groove. The day was a mostly overcast sunny day with a few sprinkles in the afternoon, but was a fairly warm 25°C (77°F) with a light breeze. The kids all went for a swim out to the small island in front of our cottage and a good time was had by all. Although the weather looked uncertain, we took the boat in to see the fireworks in the harbor at about 9:30 PM and were not disappointed. The wind started to pick up near the end of the show and we got a very brief shower from a passing cloud, but the trip has become a tradition and was well worth the effort. The troops are quietly settling in now and it’s time to relax a little.

Johanna called this evening with an update on Pop and said he is still continuing to slowly improve. The doctors successfully lowered the PEEP setting on his ventilator to 14, but his breathing seems a bit labored. His vital signs, including his blood oxygen saturation, are excellent. Pop remains in a deep fog and they have decided to completely discontinue the sedative Ativan that he has been receiving since he was first intubated just before Memorial Day. This will force him to start taking over breathing more on his own and will help the fog to lift. To keep him relaxed they gave him some Haldol, an antipsychotic agent, which will him deal with coming off the Ativan and the shock of becoming more conscious after over a month has passed being in the ICU. A common disorder that some patients experience after longer term critical care is ICU psychosis. ICU psychosis is characterized by patients waking up in the ICU and being disoriented, agitated, and sometimes angry or violent in reaction to the disturbing reality of what has happened to them. Haldol will help alleviate some of the symptoms of ICU psychosis and will hopefully help make Pop’s recovery go smoother. Follow this link for more information on ICU Psychosis.