🫀12/1 3:15 pm

 I went down to pick up my lunch today.  You guessed it.  I forgot my stupid visitor pass.  I got off the elevator, walked right up to security and said "I forgot my badge, can I go get my lunch?"  I picked up my lunch, had to wait in line for the security desk because that is what they told me to do.  

Once it was my turn I said "Remember, I just spoke with you and I forgot my badge, I just needed to get my lunch."  They asked me for my ID.  "It is in my room in 9 Tower room 2, Ethan Di iulio.  He had a heart transplant."  Go get your badge and your license so that we can issue you a new badge.  

So I rode the elevator all the way up to the 9th floor, Ethan was in the middle of a waking up, confused fit. The nurse was trying to suction his tube and his oxygen level dipped to low 70's and he was a little blue.  This is all the side effects of pneumonia.  I still couldn't help but feel  like I needed to resolve the badge thing. I threw my lunch down, weathered that storm and rode the elevator all the way back down to the lobby. I was pissed at myself to make the same stupid mistake over and over again like Wiley the Coyote. 

I stood in line again.  When it was my turn, I stepped up and said "I need to renew my badge.  Can you please elevate my status to frequent flyer." They guy looked up at me and gave me a chuckle.  Good.  I am satisfied with that.  It was all worth it over a chuckle. I did the old pull your mask down and they snap a picture of you.  I am sure the thought behind it is that they can easily identify a fraud with the picture. They gave me my picture back and it was the worst one yet.

You can totally tell it's me right? I looked at it, and looked at him.  I proudly exclaimed to him " You definitely caught my good side with this picture.  Have a good day." I got him to laugh again, and I was laughing myself.  Look at this ridiculous picture.

I look like a haunting figure in the window of a photo from 1850.

So far Ethan has rested well.  They plan to give him some IV nutrition.  They are going to blend up some grilled cheese and tomato soup and feed it through one of his IV's.  Sounds delicious. Not really though.  They are giving him a blend of IV nutrition to support healing.  This kid has not had a meal since noon 11/22, 9 days ago. He had a 12 hour period where he got a little bit of food via the nasal gastric tube but that's it.

The infectious disease team came by and recommended that they check him for MRSA because he keeps having a fever.  He also go a slew more of tests for respiratory illnesses.  He didn't get a covid test though. In the past 30 days, he has had 5 covid tests. His last covid test was on Thanksgiving. They are starting him on a medication that will help combat a virus that he could have gotten from the donor heart, or he could have had in his body all along but it just didn't activate because his immune system was kicking it's ass.  Now with no immune system, it is able to grow.

His doctors think that his pneumonia is slowing his progress and they will match it with using this time to wean off some medications, eliminate some pumps and let him slowly regain strength with his new heart.  They said he is slow and steady.  

He got another Echo and the general consensus was that it looked better.  He is still being paced until they wean him off a medication to see how he is going to do.  Two of the chest tubes are coming out.  Ethan keeps grabbing at them, so I am pretty sure he hates them.  From what I read, they are incredibly painful.  If he stays unconscious until they come out, I will be happy for him.

Ethan did let me know that he does not care for his nurse today.  He doesn't like having his tube suctioned.  He wanted me to do it.  I said "Look buddy, she is just trying to help you.  Just hang in there."

He had to get another urinary catheter. Ouch, that makes number 3. He really just wants his own toilet. Can't blame him for that, I even will have a coffee cup soon, to prove it.

So far the day has gone well. They are going to keep him sedated for a few more days because of his anxiety level.  He increases his breathing when he panics.  That effects everything.

I am pleased with the progress he has made.  He can zonk out and resolve his blood clots and kick pneumonia's butt.