I was told I would be allowed to see Dallas as soon as they had her “settled in” her room in ICU. It seemed like an eternity. The only times to visit were 6 am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9 pm. I just knew I’d be able to see her at the 6 visit, but she wasn’t ready. I think it was more like 7:30 by the time I got back there. She was really agitated, but at least not in as much pain. They were trying to get her BP down and her breathing regulated. I was only allowed to stay a few minutes, but promised to be back as soon as I could (of course, that wasn’t until 10).
I’m sure my mom and step-dad had gotten there by then, but the people coming in and out were truly a blur. Each time I went back they had a different type of mask on her for oxygen. Her breathing was so labored. I remember the look in her eyes of shear terror not understanding what was happening to her. They called me back about lunch time, because the nurse couldn’t get Dallas to eat anything. I tried my best, but she refused. By this time they had a huge face covering mask on her and she was beyond agitated. That caused her BP to be even more erratic.
At one of the next visits, I spoke to the infectious disease dr. (Dr. Taylor) He told us they would have to wait for the bacteria to grow in order to know what they were fighting. This man was referred to as “House” in the hospital. Everyone sang his praises, as I do still. He helped save my daughter, more than once.
At the 10pm visit, her breathing was still very labored. Heart rate erratic, too. With no real changes and awaiting a consult from the heart dr. the next day, I told everyone to go get sleep and I would stay.
At about 11, the nurse called me back to the consultation room. I quickly learned that was a very bad sign. I remember telling her I needed to put on my shoes (those stupid shoes), and she looked at me and said, no just hurry. She quickly, but very empathetically and sweetly told me that they could not get Dallas’s breathing under control. They may have to put her on a ventilator before the night was up. She called me back about an hour later and told me they had done it. I didn’t even get to see her first. She told me that they had explained everything to Dallas before they did it. Dallas told them to please do it, because the nurse said she was just exhausted by this point.
She also told me to prepare myself. That Dallas was a very sick young woman, and she may not make it through the night. I couldn’t even speak. I had just brought her to the hospital the night before for pain in her legs. How could she be on a ventilator, under a paralytic, and at death’s door?
(I called her father after this and he just told me to keep him updated) This tells you a little bit about what kind of person he is.
❤ y’all
Debbi
Life, Love, and Loss 