From Bad To Worse

Despite daily massages, Ernie woke up in the wee hours Monday to find his throat and airway (above the trach) swollen shut.  Because he has the trach, he could still breath just fine but he could not swallow his salvia. 

After more calls to the doctor, Ernie ended up in the OR at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center again today for an esophageal dilation.  Basically, they sedate you and then stretch your esophagus open again.  Some people require this procedure every few weeks to months; for others, once does the trick.  Given all Ernie's edema, we are unsure how long this will last but Ernie is happy to have some relief. 

There seemed to be a LOT of surgeries happening today so Ernie's doc had to use the Brenner Children's Hospital Operating Room.  Ernie was in rare form.  After talking the nurse out of a whole vile of pain killers post surgery, he told her "I haven't felt this good since Woodstock."  I thought the nurse would split a gut.  As he was leaving, she rewarded Ernie with a stuffed bear named "Lucky."  We are hoping that is a good omen.