Michael's mother has sent the following message.
Hi Everyone:
Michael was cardioverted again today (with the electric paddles) to try to get his heart to beat more regularly. This evening they did the tracheotomy and looked down his throat. He had ripped the breathing tube out of his throat and they were afraid he damaged his vocal chords. Things looked pretty good and the doctors said the surgery went very well. They will give him antibiotics to be sure there isn't an infection after having the tube in his throat for 14 days. They have kept him very sedated all this time because he couldn't breathe without the breathing tube but it was very uncomfortable for him. He needed to rest so his heart could strengthen.
When we first got to the hospital and I whispered to him that Dad, Chuck and I were there, he immediately tried to open his eyes, sit up and was thrashing around. He became so agitated that they asked me to leave the room after I was there 10 min. He was only able to open his eyes about 1/8" and I could see how cloudy his eyes looked. He responded very strongly every time he heard my voice.
We are hoping the trach is only temporary and after hearing from our cousin Denise telling us her experience with a trach I think we were relieved. They will slowly wean him off the heavy drugs and he will be able to communicate. He has a laptop he can use. We don't know how long he will be in the hospital or when he will be released.
Lynne has been there the entire time and his friend Alan is determined to stay until Michael is released and will drive Michael to our house to recuperate. There aren't enough words to thank them for all they are doing. This is very exhausting and living in a hotel adds even more stress.
We are amazed at the number of people who are praying for Michael's recovery. I didn't know that many people in America still pray.
Thank you for all your prayers, kind words and best wishes for Michael. It made a very unpleasant experience bearable.
Thanks!
Elaine