Day 53 - Dressing take down

Daniel's status was officially switched from intensive care to "stepped down". That means he's no longer being monitored as closely. No more continuous monitors and frequent inspections by nurses. That is great news as it suggests he's healed to the point where he's no longer a major worry to the burn team. That doesn't mean he's ready to leave just yet.

This morning the big reveal occurred during wound care in the tub room. The last of his grafts was surgically placed 5 days ago on Monday. The team keeps those dressings in place for 5 days or so to let the graft "take". All of Daniel's other grafts had taken quite well and there were no infections or big concerns with those grafts. However, his back graft had some issues.

During wound care in the tub room the burn techs took down his dressing and found an area that looked like it wouldn't "take" and it was not a good looking color. They took pictures and have begun discussions with his surgeons. At this point we don't have much more information, but we believe that he will need another graft surgery for that area(s) if it doesn't clear up and heal on its own. That's all I can say about this situation right now. We will know more about the size of the area(s) and timing for follow up. Look for more detail soon.

One good thing is that Daniel did not require extra medications for the actual wound care so he was fairly awake for the process. He's always done well with how he deals with pain through all of this. When the occupational therapist entered the tub room things changed. His heart rate sped way up as he knew what was coming next. She had come to stretch his arms and joints. It was reported that his resting heart rate went up to 161 beats per minute upon her arrival! The therapist - the giver of pain!! To prepare him for the ordeal they did give Dan some additional sedative meds and pain relief to help him relax so that the stretching would go well. He is now back in bed sleeping that off.
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