The trach will be done sometime tomorrow. One of the docs thinks it will be early afternoon, depends on scheduling with the bronchial group. The downside of this is that he will have to be sedated and paralyzed again which could set him back a couple of days. But, he has to stay perfectly still. I'm sure all of you have seen the MASH episodes where trachs were done using ball point pens. This is not the way it will be done. A camera will be inserted into his throat and then very thin wires will guide it between his vocal chords and to the exact place it needs to be. Then, with just pressure a very thin tube will be placed. There won't be an incision made, if I understood Dr. Alvarez. Sometimes his accent gets in the way. Needless to say, I won't be in the room while this is being done! They are also going to remove his arterial line that was inserted before the transplant.

This afternoon they tried to reposition Bill's feeding tube. It was in the right position but when they tried to flush it it would not flush. It had to be removed which is very traumatic for him. It was decided to wait until tomorrow to replace it when they do the trach.

It was another day of very little response from Bill. He did respond to everything to do with the feeding tube, but doesn't want to respond to voices. We're hoping that when the vent is removed and he can swallow and close his mouth it will make a difference.

The last couple of days have also been hard on me, just watching him lay there. And, before any of you think that I sent the kids home too soon, it wouldn't matter if they were here or not. It's just sad to see someone who has always been so strong be so helpless. Sorry if I've depressed you, but I'm just stating how I feel.

Please keep the prayers coming and we'll get through this. I'll let you know when things get started tomorrow.