Sam Guze told us once during my residency training that when a doctor is frustrated with a patient, it is usually because the patient and the doctor don't have the same expectations. I've been frustrated. I was expecting that Thursday we would get to talk to Lydia again, and that it would matter to her that we were there. But even though her eyes have been open much of the time since then, there have been only 2 or 3 brief moments when she's responded specifically to us. This really should not have been such a surprise, I suppose, because she is still on astronomical doses of sedatives (opioids and benzodiazepines), and between the landmarks of "comatose" and "awake" there is still a vast landscape of "intoxicated". So, the docs are not surprised, and in fact they think it is a little humorous that Dad looked stoic when Lydia kept almost dying, but now that she is so much better I'm all worried. Back then the question was life or death; I realized I had zero power and not much more useful knowledge. Now the question is about how well her brain will work when she gets off all the drugs, and I've dealt with lots and lots of delirium and intoxication and withdrawal. So I am trying to be patient. It is not working very well. :)
Unrelated topic. One of our kids posted a note in the bathroom that says that our bodies have more oxygen (by weight) than any other atom. (Yes, I do live in a house like that.) We all know oxygen is necessary: without it our lifespan is measured in seconds to minutes. But it is the same stuff that causes rust and fires . . . and lung damage. It's possible the oxygen that kept Lydia alive has also damaged her lungs. (This idea that good stuff can be bad shouldn't be surprising--we all need water, but don't mention that to a drowning man.) This is why I think all kinds of medical treatments need careful toxicity studies, even if they are "natural" treatments. Digitalis and lithium are natural too, not to mention arsenic.
