Yesterday (Sunday) when I visited, David had what looked like a pressure sore on his back. He's had small red sores on the tops of his ears for some days caused by elastic holding the oxygen mask in place. They'd dealt with the ears by taping small foam tubes round the elastic at appropriate places, but this rather Heath Robinson affair was starting to come apart. You'd think they'd have a better solution wouldn't you?
A mixed visit today. When I arrived David was sitting in his chair, but said he’d had a bad morning with some pain, which was now largely under control. He was on a saline drip, which they said was because the bloods showed an electrolyte imbalance. But when I managed to get hold of a doctor, he said that the infection markers had been dropping over the last couple of days and they'd also given him a dose of steroids (prednisolone I think). David says he doesn't feel any better, especially after the bad morning, but the sats were at 99 – 100 % - much higher than previously, so they are starting to turn the oxygen flow rate down to see if this can be maintained at lower levels of oxygen flow.
They have put a dressing on the sore on his back and he says they're checking other areas to make sure there are no others. I also got them to give me the materials to make a better job of the foam protection on the oxygen mask elastic. The elastic was escaping from the foam tube and rubbing again.
We didn’t get to see the Enhanced Palliative Care person this afternoon. So I’m going to call them tomorrow to try and arrange a more specific time for them to visit David so I can be there.
So, although he's far from out of the woods, there are some small positive changes. If this carries on he may start to feel better. Fingers (and everything else) crossed!