When we hear the phrase "Two steps forward, one step back" it usually is used to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, "1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward" means that instead of dwelling about a misstep, you can still look for the positives in a situation and carry on. A big mistake many people make is that when things fall off a bit or something happens that stops progress, they think they have to start over. I know I am guilty of this myself. Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply look for the positives so you can continue to take steps forward. You end ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.
Today was one such day where it was easy to let pieces of positive news get overshadowed by some negative events. Last night was not a good one for mum as her oxygen levels decreased due to increased restlessnesss. She started to breath over the ventilator again, sometimes taking 2 breaths for each pulse of the machine. In order to prevent her levels from dropping too much, many of her sedatives had to be increased significantly to minimize her movement.
In my mind this was a giant step backward...especially because I know a lot of us are looking forward to a time where we can talk to her as we once could. But more heartbreaking was believing that progress has stalled and that we are no further ahead than we were a week ago.
In reality some gain was made. Her x-rays this morning showed improvement, albeit small, and the ECMO machine remained at 2 litres/min as it was the day before. We also observed that her lungs had the capacity to increase output when small bursts of elevated oxygen content were given through the ventilator. These are all great things, and although she is far from being out of the woods, they are meaningful steps forward.
Sometimes it's so easy to get lost in the numbers and forget the big picture. We have to remember to be patient. We have to believe in the process. We have to understand that the ride will not always appear smooth.
Your observations are very wise. It is a slow process, but gains must be acknowledged when they occur. Things often don't happen overnight in medicine. Glad her X-ray is looking a bit better and that is holding her own on the ECMO.
ReplyDeleteXoxoxo
Gilian
Your updates are so intelligent and helpful, Neil!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you all a lot. Mary
We are all thinking of Lynn and the Mehta family in PEI. Hope you can feel our support. We know Lynn is getting excellent care, and she has many around her who care.
ReplyDeleteBethany Lucas ( Hiscott) for:
The Hiscott's