Wednesday, September 15th

Wow, what a day yesterday was. We made it to the hospital in record time, and God mercifully allowed Drew to be taken straight back. Since he was laying down, his breathing had stabilized, and though he was still in terrible pain, he was at least quiet. Part of the diagnosis I suspected--pneumonia. I did not expect the partially-collapsed lung or the broken (NOT dislocated) rib. I sat there in disbelief as the doctor explained what had happened. During surgery, the team removed ribs #'s 7, 8, 9, and 10. Rib #6 was stretched across the space left by the absent ribs and sutured into place. The problem was that the rib was not big enough to cover the space it was expected to cover. I understand the surgeon's reasoning; he was doing his best to "brace" up the muscles and give that area of his back time to heal. But, because the rib wasn't big enough, there was no "give" room, and when he rolled over, the weight of his body just snapped it in two like a twig. The broken rib will heal, but the concern is right now the pneumonia and partially-collapsed lung. He cannot cough, so that's aided the buildup of fluid in his lungs. He was admitted to keep his pain level under control while we try to get a handle of the pneumonia.