morning chaos

I arrived to complete chaos this morning at the hospital. Last night, James had to get three new sutures to secure his ECMO. I held his hands throughout the procedure. He was comfortable and calm. We wished each other the sweetest of sweet dreams, and I went home without cause for concern. When I greeted James in the morning, I learned that James had been bleeding all night. (He is on a continuous Heparin drip to prevent clots from forming in the ECMO circuit. This prevented the suture site from healing). James was covered in soaked sheets, gauze, and bandages. He was nauseous again, and hugging a basin. (He now gets a standing dose of anti-emetics after four continuous mornings of nausea and vomiting). There was a surgical team in the room in attempt to stop the bleeding, and James' hemoglobin had declined to the point of requiring a blood transfusion. The ICU and Transplant doctors were also doing rounds on James. It was a lot of people in a scene of controlled confusion. I found my way past the closed curtains, and held James' hand. Everything has since settled, and James is fast asleep in the sweetest of sweet dreams (I hope).