Day 28, 11 a.m. medical update

Sage continues to shock and awe and make huge strides for a size 5 foot!
As of now, she has one less tube on board, as the chest tube has been removed from her lung. Yay and hooray! Her numbers continue to be stable and her white blood count within the range of normal. The level of sedation medication is decreased significantly, the dosage being cut in more than half since last Thursday.
Sage continues to make strides in her level of dependence on the ventilator, as the settings of the breaths (the respiratory rate) were turned off. What this means is that Sage is initiating all the breaths herself, while still receiving pressure support from the ventilator. Before now, the ventilator was giving Sage breaths - 10 per minute being the last count - while she was 'breathing over' the ventilator (taking her own breaths) at a rate of about 12-16. This is all part of the weaning and is a very positive step in forward movement and right direction.
Sage will have Physical Therapy every day: the big plan for this day is to have Sage sit up in a chair! (those who know Room 12 know this particular chair as 'the blue chair'). Sage is gaining more movement on her right side. She gave Gramma a very small but sincere and earnest smile for 'Good Morning'.  Gramma told Sage all about the 'bling' Peter Rabbit is wearing (he thankfully is not begrudging last night's toss off the bed) - the miracle medal from Pepa, a rose quartz ring, a silver cross with turquoise, brought from Greece by Rose (one of Aunt Hilary's friends), and a medal from Gramma's church in Annapolis of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos - and Sage listened attentively to all of it, checking it out as well....
She also tracked and listened to the doctors who came in, visited and examined her as part of medical rounds. She did not miss one word, including those her attending doctor, Doctor Rassias, spoke to her about her lungs sounding 'great', and that Sage was doing 'awesome'. Well there's some positive energy and good jou-jou! Right on! we'll take it and with much thanks! for even in here, positive words and acknowledgment can make as much of a difference as anywhere else in the world.
So today we thank Doctor Rassias, Dr. Bibler, Nurse Diane and all the other fine and wonderful people - so many to name and who we know mostly by their kind faces - who care for our Sage. We appreciate all that you are doing for her.
Stay posted, dialed in and in the circle.......Peace and blessings.