Ventilator Off

They removed the ventilator last night and Andy is now breathing on his own. He is stilling coughing, however, so they now have him sporting a very handsome oxygen mask. Diane said the doctors explained that the tests they conducted did not show that Andy had suffered any conclusive brain damage.

Andy continues to respond yes or no to questions, but he is not yet speaking. The nurses have sedated him again today because he kept trying to sit up and flail his arms (maybe drumming?), which was unhooking the IV tubes that feed him the medications that regulate his blood pressure, breathing, and urinary output.

I was able to speak to Andy over the phone this morning. Because of the loudness of his oxygen mask, however, our conversation sounded more like a weak plea from Luke to Darth Vader telling him to "be good" and rest so that he could once again rule his drumming Empire. Diane said he appeared to concentrate very hard on every word. When she asked if he wanted to stay in Utah for now, he shook his head "yes." Who knows? He is very committed...only time will tell...

Meanwhile, Vivian and Raymond are planning to stay in SLC for at least one more week, and two of Andy's cousins are flying into SLC in about an hour to stay a few days and help wherever possible.