Aliyah - Surgery Update #3

Aliyah slept well last night until 2:30am.  Achieving good pain management for her is the main focus right now.  She can have oxycodone every 4 hours, but the nurses are waiting until she shows signs of  needing it before administering it, and then there is a 30 minute wait for it to fully kick-in.  The problem is that narcotics can cause respiratory depression, and Aliyah is showing signs of that.  It's a delicate balance.  Twice last night, she was able to go an additional hour before needing a dose.  But from 2:30am on, she really struggled.  I slept in her bed with my arms around her to try to comfort her the best I could.  This morning, her pain was completely out of control after only an additional 25 minutes beyond that 4 hour mark.  I just spoke with the physician team.  They are going to put her on a regular schedule of both Tylenol and Ibuprofen, then try to pull back on the oxycodone and see how that goes.  The goal before discharge is good pain management and toleration of her regular feeds.  I don't know yet whether we will be discharged late today or tomorrow morning.  I'm in no hurry!  However, our plane is scheduled to leave at 2:10pm tomorrow afternoon.