Day 4 update

(Mike writing...) We arrived this a.m. and found Whitney sitting in a bouncy seat, wide awake on top of her bed. She has had several more tubes and wires removed. Her chest drainage tube, her left and right arterial pressure lines, her IV, her catheter, all have been removed since yesterday. The only thing left in her is her central line and some monitoring electrodes on her, as well as her NG feeding tube and oxygen in her nose.

We both got to hold Whitney in a rocking chair today. It was a good feeling to finally be able to hold her. She did get awfully upset/feisty later on in the afternoon when she had to have her NG tube reinserted and taped back down to her cheek after she yanked it out. She also seemed to have withdrawal from her sedatives as she writhed around and shrieked like a very mad little baby. After Whitney's hissy fit she slept VERY hard.

If all continues to go well with Whitney, we may get to move her out of the ICU and into the heart center tomorrow. Today was a very good day. Here are some pictures that show Whitney's latest progress.

Whitney with breathing tube (above)

Making progress... NO BREATHING TUBE :)