She's Coming Home

Leaving the room

Dr Abrams- good morning, I'm going to decrease your vent settings this morning so your going to have a nurse in the room with you monitoring your SATs and breathing to make sure you can handle the lower setting
Gabby- ok
He went over to the vent and I couldn't see what he was doing but the vent was definitely doing less, I had pay attention to my breathing.
Dr Abrams- ok so watch her SATs and if they start to drop, page me.
April- ok
I'd been distracted by what he was doing with the vent, I hadn't noticed that April was the nurse who came in. I chatted with April for a while then we kept working on my letter for Matt. I also got April to text Antonio and tell him what I was doing so he was going to come visit later. A few hours later my therapists came in with a wheelchair and what I assumed were the braces for my wrists and hands.

Janet- hello, how are you doing today? Ready to try getting out of that bed?
Gabby- yes
Lisa- ok, first we're going to get the braces on then we'll get you up
Gabby- ok. April go please
April- sorry Gabby, I know you don't like anyone in here when you do PT but I have to keep monitoring your breathing. If your SATs are going to drop it's most likely going to happen during PT when you're focused on other things
Gabby- fine
It takes 2 people 10 minutes to get one brace on and it's so uncomfortable. They get the other one of slightly faster.
Liam- how do they feel
Gabby- hurts
Kate- unfortunately that's normal. You've been mostly in the same position for almost 4 weeks and the braces force you into a different position. We'll take them off at the end of the session and check for skin breakdown where your muscles are pulling against the brace. Hopefully you'll get used to them in a few days and they'll be more comfortable.
Liam- ok, time to get up.
Janet brought the wheelchair over to beside my bed and tilted it back so I won't actually be sitting up.
Janet- ok so Kate and Liam are going to lift you and carry you over here and I'll make sure you're sitting into the chair properly. April can you make sure the vent and all her lines and monitors don't get tangled or pulled on?
April- yep. I can disconnect some of it while she's being moved.
April stopped my feed and disconnected it then disconnected some of my IVs. A few minutes later I was sitting in the wheelchair and April was hooking my back up to everything while Janet was moving the eye gaze to a mount on the wheelchair so I could still use it.
Janet- what do you think?
Gabby- weird
Kate- it's been a long time since you've been in this position!
Janet- do you want to try to sit up more?
Gabby- yes
Janet- ok, let's get you all strapped in
They spend a few minutes adjusting everything and doing up a seatbelt and a chest harness. Then I'm slowly being being tilted up until I'm almost sitting upright. I can see everything so much better from sitting up!
Janet- what do you think?
Gabby- good I like it
Kate- is anything uncomfortable?
Gabby- I up it awesome
Kate- I'm glad you like it so much!
Then I realize I can move my head more from this position so I start trying to move my whole body.

I can! I'm moving! It's still really tight jerky movements but I'm moving so much more than I've been able to. I even kick my legs out and get them moving. I haven't moved my legs at all yet until now.
Gabby- look. April video
April- you want me to take a video of you?
Gabby- yes moving
April takes her phone out and I keep moving around as much as I can. I start moving more and more as I keep going. I'm sure I look completely ridiculous to everyone else, grinning and flailing around but I don't care, my body is finally starting to listen and move! Then my head flops forward onto my chest and I can't get it back up.
Janet- that ok, head control is hard, we'll keep working on it
She lifts my head up and places it back on the headrest and I keep moving around.

April- I'm going to page Abrams, I want to try something.
A few minutes later dr Abrams come in and April is talking to him quietly on the other side of the room.
Dr Abrams- since you're doing so well in the chair and haven't had any issues with the lower setting April want to try to jump you down to a home vent. It's a lot less powerful so you'll be doing more on your own but it's also way smaller and more portable so it would be easier for you to leave your room
Gabby- yes try
He brought over a little blue ventilator with one tube on it instead of the 2 that are on my current vent. He turns in on and switches me over. It's a bit harder to breathe but I can do it, he stays for a few minutes and my SATs don't drop at all!
Dr Abrams- ok, you can stay on that vent for now, we'll probably have to switch you back for sleeping but you can use that when you're awake as long as nothing changes. Your PTs are in charge of how long you stay in the chair for though so there's no point in bugging me about it.
Gabby- thank you
Dr Abrams- I'm glad you're doing so well
He leaves and I immediately start saying something.
Gabby- want go walk.
Kate- this was supposed to be a short trial, it's already been almost an hour.
Gabby- I fine please walk
Janet- nothing's uncomfortable or hurting?
Gabby- no
April- like you'd tell them if it was!
I glare at her.
Kate- ok, short walk, you're staying in the building, no going outside yet.
Gabby- ok, let's go
April- be patient, I need to switch around some machines.
She switched me to a portable pulse-ox, took off the BP monitor and got everything else on one IV pole to bring with us.
April- ok, you're all set, where are we going and who's coming, you have too much stuff for one person!
Janet- Kate why don't you go while we start ordering Gabby her own chair.
Kate- sure, where do you need me?
April- why don't you push her and I'll take the IV pole so I can keep and eye on all the lines and monitors.
Kate- ok, where to?
Gabby- ED
April- I could've guessed that!

First time out of my room! Well other than the scans but I was still out of it from the seizure for that. When we left the ICU people were staring at me but I didn't really care. Well I also couldn't really control it, I was still moving around which was probably why people were staring but I was excited and I couldn't really stop. Once we got in the elevator to go down to the ED I concentrated on calming down so I could stop moving.
April- tired?
Gabby- no want surprise people moving
April- oh I see, you just want to trick everyone!
Gabby- yes

We walk into the ED and at first no one notices because patients come in the other way then Nat sees us.
Nat- hey what are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed out until tomorrow!
April- when does Gabby Dawson ever do what she's told!
Nat- true!
Maggie comes over
Maggie- hey! No one told be we were having a party in the ED!
Gabby- surprise visit. April tell them vent.
April- oh ya, I've been hanging out with Gabby all day because they started decreasing her vent settings but when she got up she was doing so well we jumped her down to a portable home vent which she's been on for about half an hour no problem!
Nat- that's amazing Gabby!
Gabby- not all watch
I start moving around and kicking my legs again.
Nat- since when can you do that!
Gabby- chair is awesome
Maggie- what?
Kate- we're not really sure, she wasn't doing anything different until she was in the chair and sitting up, I guess her body just likes this position.
Gabby- chair is awesome
Nat- ya it is! Not as awesome as you though, woke up from a 3 weeks coma 4 days ago pretty much paralyzed and now you're moving all over!
Maggie- nothing keeps Gabby down! Sorry to break up the party but we've got incoming.
I've still been moving well we're talking and now my head fell again and I'm stuck and it's harder to breathe. Someone picks my head up, April. Maggie and Nat have headed over to the doors
April- hey, too much excitement for your head.
I smile but it's still hard to breathe, like I'm starting to choke. April notices something's wrong and starts checking the vent and the monitor.
April- what's going on, your SATs are dropping?
Gabby- hard breathe choke
I'm starting to panic now
April- alright, it's ok, you probably just need to be suctioned, I forgot to grab a portable suction. Maggie, is there a room open we can use for a minute?
Maggie- go to bay 3.
April quickly leads us over there and starts grabbing everything she needs. Maggie comes in wondering what's going on.
Maggie- what's wrong, what do you need?
April- just some airway trouble, that's why she has a nurse with her all day. I think she just needs suction. Ready Gabby?
I look at her and she suctions my mouth then disconnects the vent to suction my trach before reattaching the vent but it's still hard to breathe.
April- Maggie can you get me a bag, I think she just needs some help getting started again.
She disconnected the vent again and bagged me for a minute until my SATs came back up then reconnected the vent.
April- you ok now?
Gabby- think so
Maggie- ok, sorry but we need the room for incoming.
They brought me out of the room.
Gabby- want watch
April- we should really get you back to your room after that, your SATs still aren't as high as I'd like, I want to get you on oxygen.
Gabby- please watch incoming first.
April- fine, but if your SATs drop we're leaving without a discussion.
Gabby- fine
It was still hard to breathe but I've missed being a Chicago paramedic, Puerto Rico was not the same craziness. The ambo pulls up and Brett comes in. She doesn't notice me on her way in but I catch them coming back out.
Gabby- hey stranger
Brett- Gabby! You're up! How are you feeling?
Gabby- good. First time up. Miss my ambo.
Brett- your ambo is it?
Gabby- yes. And Shay
Brett- well I may have actually crashed your ambo... we got a new one but Kelly went and got Shay's door and put it on the new one.
Gabby- welcome to club
Brett- what?
Gabby- me Shay crash ambo
Brett- why am I not surprised!
Gabby- not my fault. Truck hit us parked.
We both laughed
Brett- oh sorry I forgot to introduce you. This is my newest partner, Violet.
Violet- nice to meet you, heard a lot about you. I've also heard she's been through partners like crazy since you left
Gabby- why not surprised
I say copying her, me and violet laugh and Brett swats my arm.
April- careful, she might get you back with her new skills!
Brett- what new skills!?
Gabby- April hold head. That not fun.
April- I got you
She put her hands my head to stop it if it tried to flop forward again and I started kicking and moving around again.
Brett- that's awesome. We need to get going but when can we come see you? Everyone's going to be jealous!
Gabby- maybe tomorrow. Need lay down sleep now.
Brett- ok, let me know. Bye!
Gabby- bye
April- ok now bed!