Still in the hospital

The swallow test will not go through today. They were double booked for last Friday and today because they were not sure if the one last Friday was going to happen. So that is why they thought they would have another one today.

They have taken all of his IVs out and are giving him his meds orally. They also have taken out his NJ tube (that went right into his intestines) and have put in an NG tube that will feed into his stomach. This will allow him to be released tomorrow to go back to Ely. For the next 24 hours Becky and Chad will be “Rooming In”. This means that they will be with him constantly and will be doing all the procedures themselves with a nurse watching over their shoulder. If all goes well they will be able to leave with Blake in the morning. The only thing that could get in the way is if there are issues with his feeding tube. They have started the transition, but it is a process to getting him to where he will be able to take the full amount of food every three hours.

They would do another swallow test in three weeks, but the ENT doesn’t want to see him for six weeks, so they will be back to SLC in four to six weeks. Then they will do another swallow test with the scope so they can see what is going on and if he fails again, why. Then they will scope down around his vocal cords and see what they are doing.

Chad and Becky are excited to be going home. Chad said that this is going to be their life so they are ready to get started on it and try to get things back to normal with their family.

Blake did get a good night of sleep last night. It will be good to get him home in a controlled environment so he can rest better.

Becky's good friend Tiffany has set up an account in Blake's name. Below is the information that she left on my last post.

I have a Money Market Account with State Farm Bank set up in Blake's name, it is pending signatures from Chad/Becky. I will give them a day or two and then hunt down signatures when they get home. In the meantime, anyone who would like to contribute to the fund to help assist with the medical, travel and other expenses that the family has occurred, can send their donation to: State Farm c/o Tiffany 900 Avenue H Ely, NV 89301. Please make checks payable to: Blake Smith. Thanks again to everyone. Every little bit will help them in adjusting to their new adventure.

Not too much news from last night and nothing new this morning. Blake should be at full capacity on his new NG feeding tube. They were not able to get all of the equipment set up in Ely yesterday, but they should have everything in place today. This means that they will have to stay one more night in SLC. I am sure this is frustrating, but the other way to look at it is that last Friday they couldn't find anyone in Ely to even service them...

I think that the plan last night was for Becky to stay at the hospital with Blake. It sounds like he is progressing quite well and I hope that he was able to get a lot of rest last night with his door closed.